How I Use Apple Notes as a Daily Planner on My iPhone

I’ve tried a bunch of planner apps over the years.

Some were too complicated, some looked great but felt slow, and most? 

I’d stop using them after a week.

So I went back to something I already had — Apple Notes.

Now, I use it every single day to plan my tasks, track what matters, and keep my day in check.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how I set it up on my iPhone — from the layout I use, to the little tricks that make planning feel easy (and even kinda fun).

If you’re looking for a super simple way to stay organized without downloading another app, this might be what you need.

Let’s build it.

1. Why Even Use Apple Notes for Planning?

Here’s the truth — you don’t need some fancy planner app to stay on top of your day.

You need one place that’s easy to open, quick to update, and doesn’t slow you down with 10 features you’ll never use.

That’s where Apple Notes comes in.

It’s already on your iPhone. 

It syncs across your devices. 

And it’s fast — like open-and-type fast. 

I tried all those apps before — the ones with calendars, priorities, color-coded tags, and all that noise. 

But you know what? I spent more time organizing the app than actually doing stuff.

Apple Notes just works. 

You can:

• Type out your plan in seconds
• Add checklists with a tap
• Pin your planner note to the top
• Use headings to break up your day (like Morning / Afternoon / Evening)
• And boom — your day’s mapped out

So if you’re the kind of person who just wants a simple, no-stress setup that helps you get things done, you’re gonna love what we’re about to build.

2. How I Set Up My Daily Planner Note in Apple Notes

Alright, this is the first thing I did — and honestly, it takes like 60 seconds.

No templates. No downloads.

Just open the Notes app and start fresh.

Step 1: I Made One Note for Everything

I called mine Daily Plan — but you can call it whatever you want.

Something that catches your eye.

Could be:

• Today’s Stuff
• Let’s Get It Done
• Daily Focus

Doesn’t matter what you name it, just make sure it feels like you.

Step 2: I Pinned It

Swipe right on the note → Tap Pin.

That’s it. 

Now it lives at the top of your Notes app. 

You don’t have to scroll through random lists or grocery notes to find it.

One tap, and boom — you’re in your planner.

Optional: I Dropped It in a Folder

This part’s not required, but I like things tidy.

I made a folder called Planning and moved my pinned note in there.

Now all my planner stuff — daily notes, goals, reflections — stays in one spot.

That’s literally all I did. 

No apps. No setup stress. 

Just one note that I open every morning to get my day going.

Also read: How I Secure Sensitive Information Using iPhone Notes

3. How I Built a Simple Daily Template That Actually Works

Once I had my notes set up, I knew I needed a layout that I could stick to.

Not something fancy, just something I’d actually use every day without overthinking.

So I made this super simple template.

Here’s exactly how it looks:

That’s it. 

Clean, easy, and takes me like 30 seconds to fill out in the morning.

Why I Keep It This Simple

Because if it feels like homework, I won’t do it. 

I’ve tried those crazy “hour by hour” planners before… and yeah, nah. 

I’d skip it after two days.

This one’s quick. 

I just list what matters and get on with my day.

A Few Little Things I Do:

• I use emojis — they break up the sections and make it fun to look at.
• I bold the section titles sometimes (just tap “Aa” → Heading).

And if I’m keeping multiple days in one note, I drop a line like this (—) between them.

You can copy-paste that template every morning, or if you wanna get fancy, set up a Shortcut to do it for you (we’ll talk about that later).

4. How I Use Checklists to Stay on Track

Alright, so once my template’s ready, the real magic happens when I turn those tasks into checkboxes. 

Because let’s be honest — checking stuff off just feels good.

Here’s What I Do:

I tap the little checklist icon on the keyboard.

And then I start typing my tasks like this:

• Clean desk
• Reply to emails  
• Do laundry  
• Stretch for 10 min  

Once I finish something, I tap the box — boom — done. 

It’s simple, but it helps my brain feel like I’m making progress.

Reordering Stuff? Easy.

If I want to move something up or down:

• I just tap and hold that little checklist icon on the left side
• Then drag it wherever I want

So if “Reply to emails” suddenly becomes more important than “Clean desk,” I can move it up in two seconds.

Clearing Things Out

At the end of the day, I do one of two things:

• Uncheck everything if I wanna reuse the list tomorrow
• Or just delete that day’s section and start fresh in the morning

No rules. Just whatever feels right.

This part makes the whole thing feel active, not like some dead list you ignore halfway through the day.

5. How I Organize Stuff with Folders (When I Actually Need To)

So, look — when I first started using Notes as a planner, I didn’t even bother with folders.

One note. That’s it.

But once I started adding stuff like weekly goals, reflections, and other random planning notes… things got messy real quick.

That’s when I started using folders — but only a couple.

Here’s What I Do:

• I made a folder called “Planning”
• Dropped my daily planner note in there
• Now every planning-related note (goals, monthly overview, even future ideas) goes in that same folder

That way, whenever I open Notes, I tap into that one folder and all my important stuff is right there. 

How to Create a Folder in Apple Notes

Super quick:

1. Open the Notes app
2. Tap Folders (top-left corner)
3. Tap the New Folder icon at the bottom left
4. Name it something like “Planning” or “Daily Stuff” — whatever feels right
5. Done. Your folder’s ready to go.

To move a note into that folder: 

Swipe left on the note → Tap the folder icon → Pick your new folder.

That’s it. 

Takes like 10 seconds, and your Notes stop looking like a junk drawer.

Should You Use Folders?

Honestly, if you’re just using one daily note, don’t even bother.

But if you’re starting to add stuff like:

• A note for long-term goals
• A reflection note
• A project planner
• A habit tracker

…then yeah, drop them into one clean folder and call it a day.

No need to overthink this. 

You don’t need a “2025 / Q2 / Personal / Goals” type setup like you’re managing a corporate filing system.

Just keep it simple so your brain doesn’t tap out.

6. How I Make My Notes Actually Look Good (Without Trying Too Hard)

Alright, here’s the deal — when a note looks messy, I don’t wanna use it. 

So I found a few little tricks to make my planner feel super clean without doing anything fancy.

I Break Things Up with Headings

Instead of typing a long list with no structure, I use headings to separate stuff. 

Makes it way easier to scan — especially when my brain’s half asleep in the morning.

Here’s how:

• Tap the “Aa” button in the toolbar
• Choose Heading or Title
• Use that for sections like:
  • Morning / Afternoon / Evening
  • Top 3
  • Notes
  • Time Blocks

Just makes the whole thing feel organized.

I Add Screenshots or Photos (When It Makes Sense)

I don’t do this every day, but sometimes I’ll drop in:

• A screenshot of a grocery list
• A pic of a whiteboard sketch
• A photo of something I wanna remember

To do that: Tap the Paperclip icon in your note → Choose Photo or Scan Document → Done.

It’s super helpful when I’m planning stuff like meals, projects, or content.

I Link Notes Together

Let’s say I’ve got:

• A daily plan note
• A goals note
• A tracker for side projects

Now I can link them, so everything stays connected.

Here’s how I do it:

1. In your planner note, type “>>”
2. Pick the note you wanna link

Now I can jump between notes without digging through folders.

None of this is required, but once I started doing it, my Notes just felt smoother. 

And when it looks clean, I actually want to use it.

7. How I Use Siri, Widgets, and Shortcuts to Make This Faster

I don’t wanna dig through apps every morning just to plan my day. 

If it’s not easy to open, I’ll skip it. 

So I found a few ways to make this whole setup super quick to access — even if I’m half-awake and still in bed.

Siri = My Lazy-Day Assistant

Sometimes I just say:

“Hey Siri, add ‘Buy eggs’ to my Daily Plan note.”

And boom — it goes right in. 

If you name your note something like “Daily Plan” or “Today’s List,” just say that name when Siri asks which one.

It’s perfect when I’m walking, driving, or too lazy to type.

I Use a Notes Widget on My Home Screen

This one’s a game-changer.

You can literally tap once and be inside your planner note.

Here’s how:

• Long-press on your Home Screen
• Tap Edit (top left corner) → Add Widget → Select Notes
• Choose a widget style → tap Add Widget

• Tap on the widget → pick your “Planning” folder (or whatever you called it)

Now your planner is one tap away — no scrolling, no hunting.

Shortcut = Instant New Daily Note

I got tired of copy-pasting my template every morning, so I made a shortcut.

Here’s how I set it up:

• Open the Shortcuts app
• Tap the “+” icon to create a new shortcut
• Search for Create Note and select it

• In the Create note with box, tap Contents
  • Paste your daily planner template right there
• Tap Folder
  • Choose the folder you made for your daily planner (like Planning)

• Tap the dropdown next to Create Note at the top → Rename it to something like Start My Day → Add to Home Screen
• Hit Done

Now I can tap the shortcut or just say:

“Hey Siri, start my day”

And it opens a brand new planner note for me.

One tap. All ready.

If you set even one of these up, your whole planning routine becomes way faster. 

No friction = more consistent days.

8. Why I Added a Tiny End-of-Day Reflection (And How It Helps Me)

So yeah, planning your day is cool.

But what really changed things for me? Looking back at the end of it.

I’m not talking about journaling for an hour or writing deep thoughts. 

I’m talking like… 2 minutes. Max.

What I Write

At the bottom of my planner note, I’ve got a little section that says:

End-of-Day Check-In  

• What went well?  
• What felt off?  
• What should I change tomorrow?

Sometimes I write two lines. 

Sometimes I just say, “Wasn’t my best day, but I showed up.” 

And that’s enough.

Why It’s a Game-Changer

• It helps me spot patterns (like when I’m wasting time)
• It reminds me of what actually matters
• And honestly… it just feels good to close the day with some kind of reflection

It turns Notes from just a to-do list into something way more useful.

You don’t have to do it every single day. 

But having that little space sitting there at the bottom? 

It gently nudges you to pause, even for a second.

And I kinda love that.

9. What Apple Notes Can’t Do (And How I Get Around It)

Alright, let’s not pretend Apple Notes is perfect — it’s not. 

There’s stuff it just doesn’t do.

But instead of switching apps, I found simple ways to work around the missing stuff.

Here’s how I deal with it:

No Calendar View

You can’t drag tasks into time slots or see a full timeline.

What I do: I just block out my day manually like this:

If I really need a reminder, I just use the Reminders app for that one thing.

No Recurring Tasks

There’s no “repeat every day” setting.

Fix: I just keep the tasks I want to repeat right in my template, so they’re already there every day. 

Simple stuff like:

That way, it’s already there when I start my day.

No Fancy Tag System (But Yeah, It Does Have Tags Now)

Alright, so technically, yes, Apple Notes supports tags now. 

You just type a hashtag like #goals or #dailyplan anywhere in your note, and it becomes a tag.

Apple even gives you a little Tags Browser (Folders view → Scroll down → Tag) so you can tap on any tag and see all the notes that use it.

But let’s be real… this tag system is super basic.

Here’s what you can do:

• Add hashtags like #work or #personal at the bottom (or top) of a note
• Tap a tag to filter notes
• Set up Smart Folders that only show notes with certain tags (like: a “Planner” folder that auto-fills with everything tagged #plan)

If you wanna go deeper into this stuff, I broke it all down here — Smart Folders, tags, and how I actually use ’em.

Here’s what you can’t do:

• Tag individual checklist items
• Color-code notes or tasks
• Add tags through a menu — you have to type them manually
• Visually group things like you can in Notion, Trello, or even Bear

What I actually do:

Honestly? I don’t rely on just hashtags.

I also use emojis and clear section headers inside the note. 

They’re faster, easier to spot, and I don’t have to think about organizing stuff later.

Here’s how mine looks:

It’s cleaner. It’s quicker. 

And my brain instantly knows what’s what.

But if you like tags, use ‘em. 

Especially if you’re managing multiple notes.

Can’t Add Just One Note to the Home Screen

Widgets only work with folders, not individual notes.

What I do: I made a folder called “Planning” and put my daily notes in there. 

Then I added a widget for that folder.

One tap → I’m in. 

No digging.

Bottom line? Yeah, Notes isn’t loaded with features. 

But that’s kinda the point. 

It stays out of your way.

And when you use it smartly, it’s more than enough.

My Final Take

So yeah… this ain’t some fancy productivity system.

It’s just Apple Notes — the same app you’ve probably used for shopping lists or random thoughts. 

But the way I set it up? It became my go-to daily planner. 

Simple. Fast. No distractions.

And honestly, that’s why it works. 

There’s no pressure to “do it right.” 

No complicated tools. 

Just one clean note that helps me show up every day and actually do the stuff I said I would.

If that’s all you’re looking for — try it. 

Set up one note, add a little template, and see how it feels for a week. 

That’s how I started.

Now? I can’t imagine planning my day any other way.

If you’ve got your own spin on this, shoot it over. 

I’m always down to hear how other people are using Notes in the wild.

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