Last updated: 2nd August 2025

As a content creator, I constantly get ideas which I can use to make content. But, sometimes ideas come in the most unexpected times like when I’m at the supermarket waiting to pay or when I’m down at the pub with my friends.

Being able to note these ideas down is essential as it’s extremely easy to forget them. Some of my most successful blog posts come from ideas I had when I was doing something else.

Best Advice I Ever Received

Over the years I’ve received a lot of great advice, but one of the most valuable pieces of advice I ever received was…

“Always carry a notepad and pen with you for noting down ideas”

This was the advice given to me whilst I was studying for my undergraduate degree in Computer Science. It was  given by a graduate student who graduated several years before me and is well into his chosen career path. He said that whilst he was writing his dissertation he carried a small notepad and pen which he used to note down ideas. It got to a point where he would excuse his friends so that he could note down an idea. 

I think that this is a brilliant idea, but I don’t like the idea of carrying loads of things with me everywhere I go. That’s where Google Keep comes in.

Why Google Keep?

✅ Pros

• It’s FREE!
• Fast
• Accessible on various devices and platforms
• Works well with other Google apps
• Easy to use
• Voice Notes
• Labels
• You can make to-do lists

❌ Cons

• No desktop app
• No ability to create separate notebooks
• Apple Watch app has been discontinued

I think that Google Keep is a fantastic app for taking quick notes. It reminds me of Post-it notes which are great for noting down things quickly. While I think that Google Keep is a great app for note-taking, if you are looking for a full notebook app, I would recommend something like OneNote.

The app is great to use as a shopping list, particularly with its checklist feature. I tend to use Keep a lot for that purpose, particularly as I can access my shopping list from my phone and watch.

One of my favourite features is that you can share things to it. For example, if I find an article online but I don’t have time to read it now, I can save the link to Google Keep to read later.

User experience

Google Keep has been designed with simplicity in mind. If you need to make a note, you just press the big “+” and make your note. I find the app to be quick and easy to use, that’s why I think it’s perfect for logging ideas when you’re out and about.

While there is a web app, there isn’t a dedicated desktop app, which isn’t too bad as I can simply install it as a web app using Google Chrome.

How I use Google Keep on a daily basis

I don’t use any specific methods for managing Keep, I like to keep it as simple as I can (no pun intended). I don’t even use the labels feature.

I simply use it to note down ideas as when they come, I then organise those ideas in Notion at least once a week.

I’m a big fan of Tiago Forte’s CODE framework, which stands for Capture, Organise, Distil, Express.

For content creation, I primarily use Google Keep for the Capture stage, I then organise everything in Notion as ideas, I then distill these ideas and finally express them in the form of a blog post. For those of you interested, I use Thomas Frank’s Creators Companion template in Notion.  

On my watch

I like to use Google Keep on my Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 as it allows me to note down ideas using my voice. This makes capturing ideas quick and easy as they come to mind. It stops me from having to take my phone out from my pocket and opening Google Keep, by which time I may forget the idea.

I use it in this way, when I’m out shopping or when I go out for walks. I even use it in this way when I’m out for a run. I think that being able to take notes quickly using my voice and watch is a real game changer and is a feature I use almost every day. 

When taking voice notes on my phone, I try to make them as simple as possible. For example, “Write a blog post about how I use Google Keep for noting down ideas. Include examples of how I use it in everyday life”.

On my phone

I also use Google Keep on my phone, but unlike the watch, I use to it take typed notes. These are often more detailed that the notes I take on my watch.

I primarily use the phone version of Google Keep when I’m sat down on the train, in a cafe or even at home as sometimes I find it easier to simply type the idea. But I guess it all depends on the idea and how detailed I want the note to be.

On my iPad and MacBook

I use it in the same way on my iPad and MacBook, but I also organise the ideas into Notion. 

On the iPad, I simply use the iPadOS app which is available on the App Store, but on MacOS, I simply installed the Web App with the help of Chrome.

The Verdict

There are many fantastic note-taking apps out there, but I like Google Keep for it’s simplicity, ease of use and the fact that it’s always there when I need to note down an idea.

I think that Google Keep is a brilliant app made for capturing quick notes, ideas, and links. 

Have you used Google Keep before? Share your opinions in the comments below!