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Apple Notes + Reminders + Calendars — The PERFECT PRODUCTIVITY system

The Ultimate Apple Productivity System: Notes, Reminders, and Calendar

Author

Ark
June 06, 2025

The best productivity system is one that seamlessly integrates and is easily accessible. Apple Notes, Apple Reminders, and Apple Calendar form the perfect trifecta for productivity, working together effortlessly across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. In this article, we’ll explore how to use these apps together to create a unified, powerful productivity system. We’ll cover how Apple Notes integrates with Reminders, Notes with Calendar, and Reminders with Calendar and, finally, how to combine all three for maximum efficiency.

Note: This guide assumes you’re using iOS 18.2 or later. If certain features don’t work, ensure your device is updated. For detailed guides on individual app features, check external resources.

Apple Notes and Apple Reminders

Apple Reminders allows basic text notes, but linking it with Apple Notes can supercharge your reminders with rich content like images, handwritten notes, and web links. Here’s how:

  1. Drag and Drop Text: Create a note in Apple Notes with detailed text. Drag the entire note into the “Notes” section of a reminder in the Reminders app. The text will paste directly.

    • Pro Tip: There’s a known bug where drag-and-drop may not work with iCloud lists but works with other accounts. This should be fixed in future updates.

  2. Share a Note to Reminders: In Apple Notes, tap the share button, select “Send a Copy,” and choose Reminders. Customize the reminder’s title, notes, and list, then tap “Add.” The reminder will include a note icon linking back to the original Apple Note, preserving rich content like images and formatting.

  3. Quick Drag-and-Drop Creation: Long-press an Apple Note, drag it, and open the Reminders app with another finger. Drop the note into a reminder list to instantly create a reminder with a link to the original note. This is ideal for turning ideas in Notes into actionable to-dos.

  4. Reverse Workflow: To save a shared reminder’s details as a note, long-press and drag the reminder to Apple Notes. Drop it, and all data, including text and links, will transfer to a new note.

This integration is perfect for capturing ideas in Notes and turning them into reminders with rich details accessible via a single tap.

Apple Notes and Apple Calendar

Apple Calendar’s notes section can also leverage Apple Notes for richer event details:

  1. Drag and Drop Notes: While creating or editing an event in Calendar, drag an Apple Note into the notes section. All text will transfer instantly, ideal for events needing pre-saved details like agendas or checklists.

    • Note: Unlike Reminders, this method doesn’t create a clickable link back to the original note, but it’s still a quick way to populate event details.

Apple Reminders and Apple Calendar

Reminders and Calendar are tightly integrated, with events created in one app syncing to the other.

  1. Creating a Reminder in Calendar: In the Calendar app, tap the “+” icon to create an event. Choose “Reminder,” add a title, and optionally drag a note into the notes section. Set a due date and time. The reminder appears in both Calendar (as an event) and Reminders (as a task). You can mark it complete in either app, and it syncs across both.

    • If no time is set, it appears as an all-day event in Calendar.

  2. Creating a Calendar Event in Reminders: In the Reminders app, create a reminder and add a due date and time. It automatically appears as an event in Calendar, fully searchable and editable in both apps. You can add hashtags for categorization or mark it complete, syncing the status across apps.

  3. Dragging Calendar Events to Reminders: To make a calendar event appear in Reminders, drag the event from Calendar to a specific Reminders list. This creates a reminder with a calendar icon linking back to the original event. You can then add details like priority, hashtags, or subtasks. For example, tag work events with “#work” and filter them using a smart list in Reminders.

  4. Email Appointments: Calendar automatically adds email appointments, but they don’t appear in Reminders by default. Drag the calendar event to Reminders to create a linked reminder, allowing you to categorize and manage it alongside other tasks.

Combining All Three: A Unified Productivity System

Here’s a real-world example of how to combine Notes, Reminders, and Calendar for a YouTube video production workflow (adaptable to any project):

  1. Capture Ideas in Notes: Set Apple Notes as your lock screen shortcut for quick access. When a video idea strikes, create a note with a title, key points, web links, images, or handwritten notes.

  2. Turn Notes into Reminders: Drag the note into the Reminders app’s “YouTube” list. This creates a reminder with a link to the original note, preserving all details. Add subtasks (e.g., scripting, filming, and editing), set a priority, and add hashtags like “#productivity” for categorization. Smart lists can filter reminders by hashtags for easy organization.

  3. Schedule with Calendar: In the Reminders app, assign a due date and time (e.g., today at 9:00 PM). This automatically creates a linked event in Calendar. The reminder links back to the original note, ensuring all research, links, and visuals are accessible.

  4. Daily Workflow: In Reminders, use the “Today” view to see all tasks and events due today, sorted by time, with links to their respective notes. Alternatively, view tasks in Calendar or filter by smart lists (e.g., “#productivity”). Tap a reminder to access its linked note for detailed information.

  5. Siri Integration: Ask Siri to show reminders from a specific list (e.g., “Show all reminders from my work list”) to view categorized tasks with note links.

This trifecta creates a seamless system where Notes stores detailed information, Reminders manages tasks, and Calendar schedules them, all linked for easy access. For example, at 9:00 PM, a reminder notification links to a note with your video’s talking points, research, and visuals, while Calendar shows your schedule, and smart lists keep tasks organized.

Conclusion

Using Apple Notes, Reminders, and Calendar together creates a powerful, integrated productivity system that’s always accessible on your Apple devices. By linking rich notes to reminders and syncing tasks with calendar events, you can streamline workflows and stay organized. Try this setup for your projects, and let us know how it works for you! Stay tuned for future guides on integrating Apple Mail into this system.

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