Help me get my thoughts organized - technology version

[cinnaminny]

You need a Google Docs account and app on your phone. (I think you might need a gmail account.)

You can write a doc on your computer and read it and edit it on your phone or any device or vice versa. I use it for everything, notes, lists...everything. I even planned my WDW trip on it and used as a guide when I was there. You can even share it with others.
https://www.google.com/docs/about/

 

[kaytieeldr]

You say your smartphone is 3 years old. Is it an iPhone? I think that would put it around an iPhone 7, so you might have Siri and Reminders already.

I'm more thinking along the lines of storing thoughts, ideas, questions, comments I have on different topics and creating a "folder" for each of them that is easily accessible from my phone

what about the voice recording feature of your phone?

 

[kimblebee]

Slow down. Do fewer activities. When your kids are grown, are they going to remember that Monday they had baseball, Tuesday was swimming, Wednesday was dance and so on or will they remember the time dad sat down with them and played a board game?

Just because parents wants kids over scheduled doesn’t mean the kids want it too. But, they say they love it? They’re saying it for your approval.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I used to have the issue of having great thoughts, but I never could remember them later. The issue finally resolved itself, I just stopped having great thoughts.

Now if I really want to remember something I will put it in the "notes" app on my phone. I don't dictate it, I just type it in.

 

[Klayfish]

Slow down. Do fewer activities. When your kids are grown, are they going to remember that Monday they had baseball, Tuesday was swimming, Wednesday was dance and so on or will they remember the time dad sat down with them and played a board game?

Just because parents wants kids over scheduled doesn’t mean the kids want it too. But, they say they love it? They’re saying it for your approval.

Honestly, they aren't saying it for our approval. All three of them are heavily invested in what they do because it's what they want. When they want to stop, we're the first ones to support that. DS15 quit football just last year and we stood behind him 100%. DS11 may stop after this year and we'd support it too. So I completely get what you're saying, but they are "driving the bus" with these activities. We support and encourage them. We share in all of these experiences with them. For example, I just spent this past weekend driving from Atlanta to D.C on Friday and then back home on Sunday to bring my boys to a tournament. I watched every game I could (sometimes there were schedule conflicts) and we had a great bonding experience driving up and back, and just spending the weekend together. Two weeks before that, I was in Florida with DD11 doing the same thing, and the week before that our entire family was in Denver for a tournament. So we very much don't make it a drop them off and see them later thing.

I'll definitely take a look at One Note, Evernote, Notes and Files as those sound more like what I'm looking for. It's not that my life is total chaos. It's insanely busy, but we keep it together. As I mentioned, my goal with this is to just help me capture and organize thoughts, as that is a challenge I have sometimes.

 

[Southernmiss]

I'll suggest a different avenue. What about looking into memory boosting techniques-old school.

I had an 8 week personal empowerment training class taught by HR at my previous employer.

One of the topics was improving your memory. Several techniques were taught. A couple I still use today are assigning thoughts to numbers or people or things.

Like quick trips to the grocery. If I think I might have time to get to the store for those less than the items things, I count how many items there are. Okay I need 6 items. Then I read the items a couple of times. Almond milk, toilet paper, nuts, bananas, eggs, chicken. Then I remember 6 items and plant that in my head.

After work, I needed 6 items what were they. Might take a minute but the items come to me.

Same can go for thoughts. Random idea on saving for Disney pops in the head. Consciously think of that idea a couple of times on the drive in to work. Before you get out of the car jot the idea down old school on a notebook you keep at all times.

On a road trip or heading to practice with the kids, get them to hot your idea down.

 

[tcufrog]

One of the reasons I prefer to handwrite lists and thoughts is that the physical act of writing it down helps you remember your thoughts better than typing it does. Here's an article explaining that.

 

[Imzadi]

My phone is an Android, an Alcatel to be specific. If I upgrade, it definitely won't be an Apple product. I'm not a fan, to say the least. I also am just not on board with the idea of leasing or renting a phone. I think that's nuts. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be negative. I'm fine buying a new phone, or a smart watch, I want to. But I'd want to spend $100-$200ish on an Android that will do what I need it to do, and I own it. Even my cheap old Alcatel allows me to do talk to text, which I utilize often.

I have an Android too. I totally don't believe in the Apple business model of paying $500+ for the same or similar enough technology that can be bought for $100-$200.

I get my smartphones through Tracfone. They do have smartphone plans now, depending on how much you use your phone. (Tracfone really only is a non-contract service plan. Not the carrier. The phones work on the major carriers: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile. Tracfone's sister service plans are Net10 & Straighttalk for different pricing. )

I have a ZTE ZFive C which works on the Verizon network. Brand new is now $29.99. I bought mine several months ago for $39 reconditioned. They have some reconditioned now for $14.99, which is basically customer returns that they've reset back to factory setting & are reselling. I usually get reconditioned Tracfones.

https://shop.tracfone.com/shop/en/tracfonestore/phones/tf-zte-zfive-c-lte


I downloaded a free note app called ColorNote. It allows you to make as many lists as you want, the same way you make folders at work. You can color code each list. You can either enter in separate entries as a Checklist in which you can individually delete or add entries as you want. And move each entry up or downwards as you remember you need to do something else first or later. And/or you can make whole text (paragraph) entries.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socialnmobile.dictapps.notepad.color.note


There are also some note taking apps which allow one to simply hand write the notes with one's finger. That may be faster than typing them out on a keyboard. I haven't looked much into them though.

Google's keyboard, called Gboard has Voice Typing technology already installed in it. You simply need to open a document or text to yourself, click the speaker and start talking. You may already have it on your smartphone as Google owns Android. It's the little speaker icon in the top right of the keyboard. Or you can download the Gboard for free - even on the phone you have now.

To see if you have Gboard already installed or if it needs to be updated, go to your phones Settings. Then click on Language & Input. Look for what keyboard you have on as default. Change to Gboard. And set the voice typing ON.

Or download it from the Google Play Store:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.latin

 

[ahutton]

My thought was OneNote as well. You can create various notebooks (think old school spirals) and each notebook can have multiple pages and sections. As a Microsoft product it can be put on OneDrive and then accessed from both phone and computer.

 

[hopemax]

what about the voice recording feature of your phone?

This is what I want. A good note taking app that takes voice. But considering how messed up my texts come out when I try to use the voice option, I haven't devoted much time to finding one. Typing can take too long, especially if you are trying to be social, or are walking down the street. Mostly, I want something that when I'm on vacation I can simply record the things of what we did or if something interesting happened. I've tried journaling, but it's hard "in the moment" and then when we get back to the hotel room, I'm too tired, need to get organized for tomorrow or just need to get to sleep.