How I Organize My Life Using Apple Calendar, Reminders & Notes | iPhone Tutorial

Overview

• Uses only Apple’s built-in apps (no “fancy” productivity software): Calendar, Reminders, and Notes—as a connected system to:
  • plan the week
  • complete tasks
  • support thinking/goal clarity
• Core idea: less scrolling/searching/thinking by capturing once and storing in the right app, with links between notes and reminders.

How the system is set up (by app)

Apple Calendar = time

• Uses separate calendars for different life areas and color-codes the week for quick balance checks (at a glance).
• Uses repeating time blocks only for things that don’t change, such as:
  • waking up
  • a daily workout
  • walking the dog
• Schedules two main deep work blocks for work:
  • one before lunch
  • one after lunch
• The specific work inside those blocks changes based on:
  • the day
  • energy levels
  • deadlines
  • home responsibilities
• Treats calendar blocks as a guide, not strict rules:
  • blocks can move if life happens
  • prevents pretending you have more time than you do

Apple Reminders = actions and habits

• Maintains a real to-do list, but avoids one giant list by using separate reminder lists for focus:
  • daily and weekly tasks
  • life admin (examples mentioned):
    • bills
    • trash day
    • subscriptions
  • habits (examples):
    • drinking water
    • workouts
    • designed to avoid “streak app pressure”
  • reference lists:
    • shopping
    • meal prepping
    • packing needs for holidays

Apple Notes = thinking and reference (“external brain”)

• Keeps Notes from becoming cluttered with simple structure:
  • personal folders + work/reference folders
  • smart folders filtered by tags
  • pinning the notes currently in use
• Organizational approach:
  • tries to keep one main note per project/topic
  • uses tags so related notes connect across folders
  • can link related notes to the main note for easy retrieval
• Notes are optimized for finding information quickly, not perfection.

Linking notes ↔ reminders ↔ calendar (key workflow)

• Captures something once in the right app; if it needs action, it gets linked:
  • If a reminder has a date/time, it automatically appears in Calendar.
  • Reminders can be viewed alongside time blocks to plan the day in one place.
  • Reminders can link back to the source note, so you can jump without losing context.
• Uses Quick Note to add notes anytime.

Example project setup (subtasks + reuse)

• Example workflow:
  1. Create/edit a main note for a project (e.g., creating/uploading a YouTube video).
  2. Turn that note into a reminder by dragging it into an appropriate reminders list.
  3. Add subtasks needed to complete the project.
• To avoid retyping subtasks for every new project:
  • link an Apple note containing reusable subtasks to a Project Reminders list
  • copy/paste subtasks into new project reminders
• Add:
  • due dates
  • tags
  • priority levels
• Subtasks can also have their own due dates and metadata.

Tip

• Turn on scheduled reminders in Calendar so tasks and time blocks appear together, with quick navigation among Calendar → Reminder → linked Note.

Goal system (clarity → execution → tracking)

Notes for goal clarity

• Write:
  • why the goal matters
  • possible roadblocks
  • what “success” looks like
• The goal note is meant to be revisited during low motivation (“when you feel like quitting”).

Reminders for execution and progress

• Example mentioned for running:
  • a run checklist
  • prep tasks
  • recovery tasks
• Uses repeating reminders to reduce excuses.
• Uses recurring time blocks (treated like appointments) for running.
• Checks the goal plan daily by viewing repeating time blocks alongside scheduled reminders.

Ongoing check-ins to stay on track

• The system depends on regular review via:
  • weekly check-ins
  • monthly check-ins
• Done within Reminders.

Notable products / locations / speakers (from the text)

• Products/tools: Apple Calendar, Apple Reminders, Apple Notes, iPhone
• Locations: none mentioned
• Speakers/creators: narrator references creating/editing/uploading a YouTube video (no specific guest speaker named) and later says “see you in the next one.”