Charlie Deets Releases Quick Journal for iOS
Charlie Deets, a product designer at The Browser Company, has released Quick Journal.
From Charlie on Threads:
"It is a simple journaling app without any gimmicks, suggestions or distractions.
It is highly customizable and has widgets to help you keep track of your entries.
It also features custom icons from design friends such as @gabrielvaldivia and @cshdllr."
Quick journal is a beautiful, simple text based app with a nice level of customization. I like the option to auto open the composer window, so when you open the app you're immediately ready to journal. There are no suggestions, no photos, no frills. Quick Journal is all about text.
One important note—the entries are saved locally for now. I thought I saw Charlie mention on Threads he was looking at adding cloud storage, but I can't find that comment now. He's had lots of positive feedback!
I’ve been on the TestFlight for a few months and it’s been fun to watch the development evolution. Check out Quick Journal if you’re looking for a simple text based journaling tool for your iPhone, just remember that, at least for now, there’s no backup of your data. I hope Charlie adds that feature soon.
Apple Launches Journal for iPhone
With the release of iOS 17.2 earlier this week, Apple launched Journal. I spent some time with the new app last night, and my initial thoughts are positive. I will share more after I’ve had a chance to kick the tires.
Today, Day One, my journaling tool of choice, announced support for Journaling Suggestions. This is a keystone feature for Apple’s Journal, so it makes sense that Day One would add it as well.
Today we’re excited to announce a new way to deepen your journaling practice: Journaling Suggestions. Journaling Suggestions in Day One provide personalized journaling recommendations inspired by your photos, locations, activities, and more, bringing a whole new level of introspection and discovery to your daily reflections.
Everything I’ve read from the folks at Day One about Apple’s entry into this space has been totally classy. Last summer, I shared Day One’s founder Paul Mayne’s thoughts on Journal when it was announced.
Rather than seeing this as competition, we embrace Apple’s entry into digital journaling as a testament to its growing importance. This evolution is not just beneficial for Day One but also for our valued users.
I believe that journaling can improve people’s lives, and having an app included on a phone that’s in about a billion and a half pockets worldwide means more people will start a practice. That’s a really good thing.
Finding Focus: Using HazeOver to Tame Distraction
I sometimes find It difficult to concentrate while trying to get creative work done on my Mac. Like most people, I have a lot of demands on my time, and even when I want to really get into a project, distractions are plentiful. One tool that has helped me improve my focus and stay on task is HazeOver, an app I've been happily using as part of my SetApp subscription for several months.
HazeOver, a productivity tool developed by Maxim Anavov, creates a translucent layer that darkens the desktop behind the currently active window. It is customizable, offering options to adjust the opacity or change the color of the layer. HazeOver also supports multiple displays, the option to highlight one window or all windows of an active app, and a rules based tool that disable any features for specified apps.
HazeOver is contextual for me. I toggle the app via keyboard shortcut when it's time to write or take notes from research and shut it off when doing admin work or general tasks. I have made minimal changes to the settings, with the opacity set at 75%, the default black color option, and only one active window highlighted at a time.
There are a lot of distractions in our lives, and I appreciate the simple and effective way that HazeOver works to try and minimize some of those while I get work done. If you have a tool you like that helps you stay focused, let me know. I’ll give it a try and may include it in a future post for this series.
HazeOver is available for purchase on the App Store and via Setapp, where new users get a 7-day free trial. If you subscribe to Setapp using this link, you get one month free, and it supports the work I do as well.
Apple Unveils Journal at WWDC 2023, Coming to iPhone Later this Year
During Monday's WWDC conference, Apple announced Journal, a new app coming to iPhone later this year.
From the iOS 17 feature page at Apple.com:
Using on-device machine learning, your iPhone creates personalized suggestions of moments for you to remember and write about based on your photos, music, workouts, and more.
Other highlights include:
Reflection and writing prompts
The ability to mark important or meaningful entries for review later
Scheduled notifications at the beginning and end of the day as well as reminders to record your thoughts about important events
Apple's typical and appreciated approach to security, including end-to-end encryption, on-device processing, and locked journals
On Upgrade, co-host Jason Snell mentioned that other developers should be able to use the Suggestions API, giving tools like my favorite journaling app, Day One, an opportunity to integrate these features.
I’ll share more as Apple continues to release details.
Pen and Paper, Digitally: New iOS Journaling App Rumored for Launch with iOS 17
There was an interesting report from 9to5 Mac last week where they shared a story from The Wall Street Journal that says Apple will be releasing a native journaling app for the iPhone in the next release of iOS. The rumors include on-device integration with location information, physical activity, and other pertinent data to prompt the user to create relevant entries. In addition, there's talk of this potentially Sherlocking* the popular journaling app Day One.
When Apple creates apps that offer an alternative to what third-party developers are doing, they typically don't go as deep in terms of the specific feature set as the app developers do. An example is the Reminders app, which works for some people and has gotten even more functionality with recent updates. Despite that, there's still a set of users who need something like Todoist or OmniFocus. However, Apple does have the advantage of building the OS and can more easily benefit from deeper integration into system settings, so they can usually do some cool stuff that some third-party app developers may struggle with.
I've been subscribing to Day One for years and like the app. Of course, I'll check out what Apple does, but it's not an instant switch for me. I like the features and security that Day One offers right now.
I think journaling is something everyone should do, and I'd be happy if the rumors turned out to be accurate and Apple added this tool as a native app on the iPhone. I hope that Day One will co-exist successfully with whatever Apple creates, and I suspect they will. Many app developers, especially developers who have been working on their apps for years, have added many features people want, and that helps them differentiate themselves from what Apple does. I hope Day One sticks around and continues building a great feature-rich journaling app. The optimist in me thinks they may even see an increase in users if Apple popularizes journaling and more people explore other apps in the category. We'll have to wait until WWDC in June to know what's happening.
In the meantime, if you are interested in beginning a journaling practice, don't wait. Instead, start today, and use whatever format is most comfortable. Whether it's analog or digital, just get started. I'll write more about journaling in the newsletter this month, and you can click here to join and take a look at a few recent issues as well.
* Sherlocking is the term used when Apple creates an app that functions in the same way as a third-party app.
The Daily Gratitude Shortcut: A Simple Solution for Efficient Journaling
I began using Shortcuts regularly on my Apple devices about a year and a half ago. I’ve found that they’re helpful and quite fun to use and create, especially when I can trigger them from a physical button on my Stream Deck while working on the Mac.
One of my favorite daily use shortcuts launches the Daily Gratitude Journal I keep in Day One. I like this shortcut because it brings me into the writing space quickly, and Day One is configured to create a new entry from a template with the prompt, “Today I’m Grateful For,” ready to go.
To further my intentionality around journaling, I’ve also connected a Focus mode that triggers automatically when Day One opens and turns off when I close the app. All I need to do is hit the shortcut and I’m able to write without distraction.
Shortcuts can get very complicated with multi-step actions, although the ones I create mostly just use one or two steps at most. Yet, despite their simplicity, they are delightful and can help build habits for the better. This shortcut was easy to make, thanks partly to Day One’s support of Automation and Shortcuts. You can download the shortcut here if you’d like to use it. Remember to change the name to match your own Day One journal names.
Finding Focus: Staying on Track With Dark Noise
Since launching this site, most of my writing has been done either in the early morning or while my two kids nap. I often play music and there is always white noise playing for our kids while they sleep. Without realizing it, that sound has become a foundation for my focus state and my writing process. While I like having white noise on in the background, The mono speaker on most baby monitors isn’t very good, with sound quality not being high on the list of features.
I’ve been aware of various white noise apps and have used one version on the Amazon Alexa a few times, however I hadn’t tried one on my Apple devices. Timing is everything apparently because as I was considering this, Episode 669 of my favorite tech podcast, the Mac Power Users featuring Charlie Chapman, the developer behind Dark Noise, was released. I downloaded his app while listening to the episode and have been using it since.
What is Dark Noise
Dark Noise is an ambient noise app for iOS and Mac. Its developer, Charlie Chapman, is the kind of app developer I am happy to support. He is also an artist, designer, and podcaster who’s been working on iOS and Mac Apps for nearly a decade. During his appearance on Mac Power Users, Charlie shared his perspective on being an indie developer and spoke candidly with hosts David Sparks and Stephen Hackett about moving Dark Noise from a side gig to a full-time project, which would likely require it to become a subscription app. Clearly, he is not interested in a money grab and is thinking carefully about how to provide the best value for his customers.
My favorite Dark Noise feature is it’s simplicity. When you open the app on mobile, the last used sound is shown just above a large play button. There’s little else aside from the usual audio source picker and volume slider, a timer, and an option to select other sounds. Nothing gets in the way of you pressing play and getting on with whatever you need to do.
Dark Noise on iOS, Mac, and iPadOS. Image Courtesy of Dark Noise
On the Mac, the design is similarly clean and intuitive. I am a big fan of the adaptive toolbar design, which makes it easy to show only the controls and what’s currently playing. This makes managing precious screen real estate much easier.
The app offers a large variety of sounds, with 50 to choose from, including traditional white noise machine options and a significant variety of other environmental sounds like rain, wind chimes, fireworks, and even a spaceship engine. You can also mix the different sounds to customize the vibe you’re looking for, and on the Mac you can use it while listening to other audio sources as well.
How I Use It
I’ve been listening to Dark Noise while writing for the last month. I spent the first week listening to a custom mix of the thunderstorms and coffee shop sounds, while the last few weeks have had me alternating mostly between the heavy rain and grey noise options. I’m finding that the specific time of day or mood helps dictate what I want to listen to, and learning what fits best is fun to explore. I’ve also used Dark Noise a few times while doing household chores. Sometimes I want to listen to something but don’t want a podcast, audiobook, or music, and it’s great to have another option. I’m spoiled for choices.
Dark Noise has robust automation support for Siri and Keyboard Shortcuts and offers Widgets and Home Screen quick actions. I access my preferred sound quickly through a shortcut that lives on my iPad and iPhone Home Screen and on my Stream Deck for the Mac.
I know that the baby monitor won’t be in my home and studio in a few years. So while I have some feelings about my kids growing up (Parents, you get it), I’m pleased to know that I’ll have a beautifully designed app that offers a variety of sounds to help me focus created by an indie developer who wants it to stick around. Dark Noise is subtle enough to keep my mind from wandering without being distracting, and with all that’s vying for my attention, it’s refreshing to have this option.
Finding Focus: Using Screen Time for Social Media
The user is the product on social media, and every effort is made to keep our attention. After reviewing my usage, I decided that I was spending too much time being the product and not being productive, and that needed to change. My solution to help me stay on track is Screen Time, the built-in iOS and iPad OS tool.
I have a fifteen-minute limit set for social applications. Once triggered, the app Icon disappears from Siri Suggestions and isn't readily displayed in search results, the two ways I access the most used apps on my iPhone. Additionally, the icon is grayed out wherever it is shown with a small hourglass icon, acting as a not-so-subtle reminder that the time is up.
When the limit screen appears, an Ignore Limit menu offers the opportunity to delay for 1 minute, 15 minutes, or the rest of the day. When presented with this pop-up, I usually just close the app and move on.
After a few months of using this feature, I rarely see this screen appear, and in some ways, I have learned to self-regulate my usage to at most one or two short periods per day. I am pleased with this more balanced approach to social media; the reduction in use is a better fit for my life, and I still can keep in touch with the creators I enjoy.
I wondered if sharing my use of Screen Time would feel like an admission of weakness or an embarrassment and spoke with some friends and family about this idea, and they helped me understand that my desire to limit these apps is healthy. Sharing my experience might be helpful for others considering a similar path.
If you are on a specific app more than you'd like, check your usage. If the number you see makes you uncomfortable, set a limit. Then, when that hourglass icon comes onto the screen, it offers you a momentary break from that dopamine machine, and you can make a better-informed choice about what to do with your time.
Craft Turns Two and Celebrates With a Discount
Craft, my favorite app for building ideas, planning projects, and organizing information, is turning two and celebrating by offering a healthy discount of 50% off subscriptions. If you’ve been on the fence, now may be the time to jump in.
9to5Mac Shows Off Freeform, Apple’s New Collaborative App
9to5Mac has a walkthrough of Freeform, the new collaborative, flexible canvas tool coming soon to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. My experience with similar apps is mainly limited to Mural, which was great for workshops. Because of that, I'm excited about the OS-level integration in Freeform and what that could mean for the future of remote work and workshop development focused on the Apple ecosystem.
I'll close with a question: Does Apple have a business case for a web version for Windows and Android users?
PKM Toolkit: Using Kindle for Learning and Research
Books are a significant source of joy in my life and a big part of what inspires this site. I read daily, even if only for a short time on busy days, and I do most of my reading using the Kindle app on my iPad.
I like using Kindle because it makes reading more manageable and more accessible. I can easily organize highlights and streamline knowledge transfer into other places for future access. Here are some other reasons why Kindle is an essential aspect of my personal knowledge management system.
Readwise Integration
I wrote about how much I use and like Readwise in the first entry of the PKM Toolkit series. I have used an old-fashioned highlighter in print books and then typed those quotes or passages into Readwise, but it’s time-consuming. Live Text on iOS makes this a little easier by taking a photo and then copying the text,, but highlighting in the Kindle app is simple. Readwise is integrated with Kindle and can automatically sync highlights for me.
Using the Kindle highlight feature, which imports into Readwise easily, is a low-friction way for me to take notes because I need to highlight the text. As a result, the interruption in reading is limited.
Split Screen for Intensive Note Taking
While Readwise is my go-to app for short highlights and the quotes that I feature, Craft is the app I use for data collection, in-depth note-taking, and as a tool for reviewing and tracking my projects.
On my iPad, I can have Craft and Kindle open in split-screen, so I can paste text and take notes. I don’t do this often, but it’s convenient to have the option.
Searching
The keyword search feature in Kindle works well. I like how It breaks down the results into different sections, starting with notes and highlights and then sections of the book by chapter.
I use this feature a lot when building a quote post, so I can find the original context from which the quote was pulled.
Access on Other Devices
Sometimes I read on my iPhone or my hardware Kindle, and because the sync feature is pretty reliable, I can switch back and forth as needed.
Where it Fits in
I get a lot of information from the books I read, which end up in different places based on the intended use. Highlights go into Readwise but can end up in Craft for a different kind of review, and some go to Day One in my personal reflection journal, where I can write at length to get more clarity on a concept.
Despite enjoying ebooks, I still like the printed page, and my personal preference for Kindle is what works best for me right now. With Kindle, I like the portability, ease of note-taking, and access to my books on different devices.
If you’re trying to improve your reading experience on the iPad, you can read about how I hid the reading progress and clock in Kindle and also check out my Reading Focus Mode that helps deal with distractions.
PKM Toolkit is a series featuring software and ideas that help collect, organize, review, and share knowledge. You can learn more about personal knowledge management by reading the first entry of the series.PKM Toolkit: Using Day One for Higher-Level Personal Reflection
I keep several journals in Day One. I’ve had a general catch-all since I started using the app regularly in 2016, and I have a gratitude journal that I wrote about here. The newest one I’ve created is for higher-level personal reflection. It’s where I ponder big ideas.
The most recent entry is about focusing on the present and being in the moment, which I struggle with sometimes. Another topic I’m writing about is humility, looking at this concept through the lens of my relationship with various elements of my family, friends, and professional groups. I don’t write in this journal daily, although I have a reminder to look at it weekly and glance at the topics under review, sometimes contributing and writing further.
Journaling, in whatever form works for you, is worth doing for many reasons. It doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy, and while a prompt or theme can be helpful, it’s unnecessary. Just start writing your thoughts. It helps figure challenges out and better understand yourself and those that are closest and most important to you.
Finding Focus: Hiding the Clock and Reading Progress in Kindle
I like to minimize distractions while reading on the iPad. Without the proper controls, a connected device can become a firehose of eye-catching notifications. I wrote about how well my Reading Focus Mode is working for me, and that has inspired me to try and reduce the amount of visible data on screen in the Kindle itself. To accomplish this, I’ve decided to hide the Reading Progress data that displays in the lower left corner and the current time that appears in the upper left corner.
It’s easy to toggle these options in the Kindle App. Just do the following:
1. Open a book and press anywhere in the middle of the screen. Doing this will change the view and offer settings and other options.
2. In the upper right corner of the screen, press the icon featuring an upper and lowercase letter and navigate to the More category.
3. Under the More pane, toggle Visible Clock.
4. Press on Reading Progress and adjust as desired.
5. If you check all options available under Reading Progress, it will hide the information but keep it accessible with a tap to the lower left corner while you are reading.
I’m enjoying the white space that this creates. I know it’s a little tweak, but sometimes those can significantly improve an experience. I think this is one of those situations. If you try it, let me know if you find it helpful.
Learning Facilitation with AJ&Smart on YouTube
I discovered AJ&Smart’s Youtube page during the pandemic. At the time, I was regional chair of an Employee Business Resource Group with members throughout New England, and we were looking for a new way to hold virtual events while everyone was under travel restrictions or working remotely.
I connected with someone in our organization who was skilled in facilitation, and he agreed to lead a Lighting Decision Jam workshop. As part of the prep work, we received an email with content to review, including AJ&Smart’s video linked below:
The workshop was a great success because of the effective framework, innovative software, and our truly excellent facilitator. We used an intuitive and helpful app called Mural, which made the process run smoothly. It was easy to learn, and had the feeling of an unlimited canvas with areas already set up and ready to go when we needed them..
While this framework wasn’t quite the right fit for an annual meeting type event that we were trying to plan, I have used some of what I learned in other workshops and meetings and it works really well.
If you are interested in this topic, you should check AJ&Smart’s website and especially their YouTube. They have a lot of videos that cover various elements of leading workshops and facilitation in general. There is also some content about becoming a professional facilitator, which is neat. I enjoy their videos and appreciate the humor they sprinkle in to keep things fun. .
PKM Toolkit: Rediscovering My Journaling Habit with Day One
My earliest personal knowledge management tools were journals. Even in the days of using the original iPhone, I did most of my note-taking and writing in print. Can you remember the before times when you double-checked your pockets not for your phone, but to be sure you had your iPod and that tangle of earbuds?
For many years I kept a Moleskine journal and would write in it daily, sometimes more often. I documented my ideas, days, creative bursts, to-do lists, big plans, and emotional struggles. Later, I also kept a Field Notes in my pocket for jotting things down when I was at work or away from home. I even got nerdy and created a basic index system so I could reference stuff I had written.
Eventually, I just stopped. I got pretty intense in my habit and would write even when I lacked much to say because I didn’t want to break my streak. I became burned out by that part in particular and also found myself having more responsibilities as I got older, leaving less time for the kind of detailed journaling that I was prone to.
Making a Brief Return to Print…
With the changes that occurred in my life over the last year, I felt the desire to return to journaling so I could document my life and process my thoughts and feelings. To get started again, I picked up a new journal and decided on the following three prompts to answer for each entry:
What am I grateful for?
What did I win today?
What did I learn today?
It worked well for a few months, and then I had that little broken wrist issue, which made writing by hand impossible for eight weeks. So I took a few days off as I went through the initial recovery stage and decided to modify my approach instead of giving it up.
… And then to Digital
Using Day One, I switched to a simple one-question gratitude prompt and found this to be an even more effective method for my needs. It’s been rewarding, and here are my four big reasons why Day One is working better and will be the format that I stick with:
Photos with a date and place
It’s easy to import photos from the day’s events and have the journal automatically change the location and other relevant info based on their metadata.
Access from anywhere
It’s the same with reading on Kindle; I like that I can access this journal on my iPhone, iPad, or Mac. I have a shortcut on all of my devices that gets me right to a new entry with the date and the prompt so it is very convenient. I don’t have a set time for my reflection, although I try to do it in the morning. If that doesn’t happen, I can do this easily from any device later in the day.
Backups
Because my Day One backs up to the cloud and syncs to all of my devices, I don’t have to worry about losing my writing.
Less Pressure
By reducing the prompts from three to one, the process is simplified. I can write a sentence or a paragraph and feel happy with whatever I’ve recorded.
Journaling for Myself
I do not journal for anyone other than myself. I enjoy the process of recording gratitude because it feels great, and the ability to look at past entries and see what was happening can be fun too.
Do you maintain a journaling habit? I recommend it, in whatever form and frequency work for you. It’s helpful in so many ways for the present and can interest your future self too.
Focus Mode Comes to Craft
Craft, my favorite app for building ideas, has implemented Focus Mode in its latest update (v2.2.3). With a simple keyboard shortcut (command + .), I can toggle all sidebars, navigation, and headers. I'm left with a distraction-free workspace to create.
Craft is regularly updated with thoughtful improvements, and I appreciate that. The developers are already looking at iOS 16 and macOS Ventura features like Lock Screen and Stage Manager. The mockups look great, and I'm excited to see where things land when the new operating systems are released.
Pushing Reset on Todoist
I spent the last two weeks helping my entire household (including me) recover from a nasty daycare-acquired cold. We’ve had multiple doctors and urgent care visits and several sleepless nights. Now that we are all getting better, it’s time to organize a few things.
At the end of last week, I caught up on email, did some planning for upcoming blog content, worked on a few blog posts, and read. I also went through and deleted or rescheduled everything in Todoist. Doing this took about 15 minutes and was less complicated than I had expected it to be. It felt good to hit the reset button as we headed into the weekend.
My primary job right now is as a stay-at-home dad, so much of what was on my Todoist was related to this site, household chores, or other similar tasks. As a result, my task list debt was not as significant as when I had my corporate job, but it was still piling up. It was freeing, and I even removed a few tasks I had yet to finish but hadn’t felt ready to delete.
The time away forced an audit, which I haven’t routinely done in quite a while. However, I will start doing it again, even if it’s just five minutes weekly and fifteen minutes monthly. Keeping my Todoist organized and up to date is helpful in all aspects of my life.
Doist, the company that makes Todoist, has an article about task management bankruptcy. It’s worth a read, especially if you are feeling overwhelmed and want to burn it all down. You won’t be the first, and no doubt others will do the same in the future.
Express (and Remember) your Colors with Pastel
I’m thinking about color and design aesthetics these days, both for this website and other projects I’m working on. I know. It’s pretty monochromatic here right now, which is why I want to be able to put together some colors and keep track of the combos that I like. So I searched the App Store and found Pastel. After using it for a few days, I can tell it’s what I need.
What is Pastel?
From the developer, Steve Troughton-Smith on the App Store:
Pastel is an app for amateur developers & artists (like us!) that lets you build up a library of color palettes for your projects.
Pastel is free to download, with the ability to unlock unlimited palettes for a one-time fee. It is available on the iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
What does it do best?
Pastel comes with a bunch of colors and reference palettes included. Then, there’s the option to pull colors from different style pickers and save them to create new custom palettes. The creativity goes a step further by allowing the user to import a photo, and it will pull a palette of complementary colors. It works really well and is a fun feature to play with!
Palettes can be exported as wallpaper to beautify your home screen or watch face, as a color swatch featuring hex colors, or you can send it directly to Procreate for your design work.
Pastel is free to download, with the ability to unlock unlimited palettes for a one-time fee. It is available on the iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
How is it useful?
Pastel helps manage colors, which is useful for many projects, including websites, presentations, book and print media design, and even for pulling colors together for ideas around the house. It’s perfect for what I need because it’s not overly complicated yet still allows me to play with different ideas and take inspiration from the included palettes.
If you are working on a Keynote or slide deck that isn’t constrained by a corporate or institutional stylebook and want to make it stand out, Pastel is an excellent place to start experimenting with colors.
PKM Toolkit: Using Readwise to Spark Creativity
Personal Knowledge Management, or PKM, feels like it has hit its stride in the digital world. Task management, mind mapping, project management, and knowledge management apps like Roam, Obsidian, and Craft offer various options for collecting, organizing, and managing our data. These tools aren’t just popular with users; investors are taking notice too.
What is PKM?
Great question. The productivity nerds reading this probably already know, but for those new to the idea, Wikipedia does a great job of summing it up:
Personal knowledge management (PKM) is a process of collecting information that a person uses to gather, classify, store, search, retrieve and share knowledge in their daily activities (Grundspenkis 2007) and the way in which these processes support work activities (Wright 2005). It is a response to the idea that knowledge workers need to be responsible for their own growth and learning (Smedley 2009). It is a bottom-up approach to knowledge management (KM) (Pollard 2008).
Mike Schmitz from The Focused Podcast wrote an excellent primer on PKM over at The Sweet Setup that goes deeper into the concept. I encoruage you to read it.
My PKM journey has changed a lot in the last six months. After a shift in my professional trajectory, I’ve become more engaged and focused on being creative and developing new ideas here. I’m working on some other projects as well, so with several irons in the fire and the responsibilities of a stay-at-home Dad (my biggest promotion to date!), I saw an opportunity to assess and, in some cases, add or change the tools I use to find, catalog, review, and act upon my information.
With this closer look, I’m starting a new 24 Letters series called PKM Toolkit, where I’ll share my results, the apps, workflows, tools, systems, and ideas that I use to get organized, keep focused, and create.
First up in this series is Readwise.
What is Readwise?
Readwise is an app that helps me manage and organize highlights from ebooks, articles, and email newsletters.
I’ve always enjoyed highlighting or writing marginalia in my books. Sometimes, I even keep a notecard in books to add notes or reference certain pages for future review. When I found out about Readwise, I was excited to try it out because it sounded like the digital version of what I’ve been doing for years.
A few weeks into the 30-day free trial, I subscribed, and It has become an essential part of the workflow that I use daily.
How I Use it
My favorite part of Readwise is the highlights emailed to me every morning at 7 am. It’s a great way to start the day because It can help set the tone and spark inspiration and creativity.
The email also encourages taking a deeper look at each quote and provides options to process it further and decide if I want to favorite it, share it, tag it, or even discard it. The same opportunities for review are available on the Readwise app and site via the Highlights Feed. There is also an option to browse the entire library on the site that I use regularly.
Readers of 24 Letters will note the weekly quote that I share. I always pull them from my highlight feed. Kindle is set up to sync into Readwise, and the bulk of my highlights are from books that I have read on that platform, although some are from newsletters and websites.
I can export my data in various formats and styles, including CSV, Markdown, and the graphical format I frequently use here, perfect for the web or Instagram. The data remains accessible, and that’s important to me.
There are several syncing options, currently in beta, for many of the aforementioned knowledge management apps like Notion and Roam. My preferred app, Craft, is not included at this time. I’m hopeful that Craft X will help build a bridge.
There is a robust search feature where I can use author names, titles, keywords, or tags to find what I need. Search can be narrowed to specific books or the entire collection. I use tags to track what’s been shared here before. I want to explore creating tagged collections based on the content or theme for personal and shared use.
How it Fits in
Readwise is a vital tool in my workflow. It’s the beginning of many things. In addition to the weekly quote I publish, sometimes a highlight gets imported into Craft and becomes the inspiration for a new idea or helps feed an existing project. Other times, it gets moved to my commonplace book for further consideration. It also helps me remember and reflect on what I’ve read in the past and sparks creativity and curiosity. That’s why it’s a daily use app for me and why I recommend it to anyone looking for a tool of this kind.
The read-it-later app that Readwise has in development looks exciting too, and could prove useful for the gathering stages of the PKM process. I’ve requested early access via beta, and look forward to trying it out and sharing my thoughts when I can.
Are you a Readwise fan, or perhaps you have another productivity app that you think I should look at? Email me and let me know. Your feedback about this series and 24 Letters is welcome, too.
One Thing
I found this very simple app called One Thing over at 512 Pixels a few weeks back. It does just what it says, allows you to post one sentence in the menu bar of your Mac.
I opted for a quote from Seneca that feels especially appropriate right now. I appreciate the simplicity of this and thought you might too. Check it out here on the Mac App Store.