There’s no shortage of note-taking apps today. From feature-rich note apps like Evernote and Notion to open-source options like Logseq or Standard Notes, it seems like every productivity problem already has a dedicated solution. Yet, in practice, some of the simplest tools can work just as well as the advanced ones.
For me, the unlikely solution has been email drafts. Yeah, just regular drafts sitting in my inbox. It probably sounds ridiculous to you right now. Why use that when there are apps built specifically for this purpose? That was my thought, too. But after actually trying it, I realized it works well, and in my view, it might just be the easiest way for you to corral all those passing thoughts, quick reminders, and half-baked ideas.
The always-available inbox advantage
Your notes follow you everywhere
My email accounts live everywhere: on my phone, tablet, laptop, and desktop. The second I crack open a browser or an email app, my inbox and drafts are right there.
That universal access makes using drafts for notes almost frictionless. I don’t need to worry about whether a note app works on every device or whether syncing is broken somewhere. Email systems, and in this case, draft folders, are built to sync reliably across devices. Even when I’m offline, many email clients allow me to create drafts locally; once I reconnect, they’ll sync automatically.
Notes that don’t get lost
Drafts live in one folder
One of the things that trips me up with note-taking is simply remembering where I put the darn note. Was it in a note app, a half-finished thought in some text document, or a reminder I typed into yet another task app? More often than not, I’d forget where, even if I remembered the what.
Drafts changed that for me. I don’t have to dig through random files or wonder which app I was using that week. Every email service has that Drafts section sitting right there in the sidebar, and I’ve trained myself to think of it as my notes’ shelf.
Search is also a major strength. If I can remember even one keyword from what I wrote, I just type it into the email search bar, and there’s my draft. Email search is already optimized for speed and accuracy, so it doubles beautifully as a way to retrieve old ideas.
You can format for clarity
Bullets, bold, links, and even images
What I like about email drafts is that they sort of trick me into being more organized. The subject line doubles as a title, a little label for whatever half-formed idea I’m trying to catch before it slips away. Then the body is just a wide-open space. I can ramble, make lists, paste in links, or sketch out a thought in rough text.
If I need to attach an image or drop in a file, that works, too. Most email clients allow you to treat the draft just like a message you are going to send: add attachments, embed images, and format text (bold, bullets, and possibly headings). It may not have every fancy feature that a dedicated note app has, but it’s more than enough for sketching out ideas, laying out bullet points, or highlighting key details.
Of course, there are trade-offs. Different devices or email clients may handle formatting slightly differently (sometimes in unusual ways). If you’re toggling between plain text and rich text, things might shift. However, for many of the notes I take, such as rough thoughts, to-do lists, links, and reminders, this mix of structure and freedom strikes a sweet spot.
How to make note-taking in drafts work even better
Small hacks you can apply
If you decide to lean into using drafts as notes, a few tweaks can make the whole thing smoother:
- Pick a consistent subject prefix. I label all my note drafts with words like “NOTE,” “REMINDER,” or “IDEA.” This way, they stand out when I am scanning or searching.
- Take advantage of integrations whenever possible. For instance, if your email service allows you to turn a draft into a calendar event or create a booking page, you can take advantage of that feature. (In Gmail, click the three vertical dots for options such as Set up a time to meet).
- Archive when done. Once a draft has served its purpose, such as an idea you’ve acted on or a reminder you no longer need, either delete it, archive it, or move it to another folder, like “Old Notes.” This keeps your Drafts folder clean and makes the active ones easier to find.
Pick a system and stick to it. But the secret is consistency. If I slack off on naming or leave old drafts, it all starts to feel messy again.
Your email draft works just as well as a note app
Email drafts weren’t designed as a note-taking tool, but sometimes, the best solutions come from repurposing what’s already there. They’re accessible, synced across every device, backed up automatically, and simple enough to get out of your way.
No, they’re not going to dethrone the full-featured note apps if you’re the kind of person who lives inside notebooks, tags, and color-coded folders. But for quick thoughts, lists, reminders, or just catching ideas before they evaporate, drafts are solid.
