How I Replaced Notion with Reminders, Numbers, and Notes

Joan Westenberg
The Realist
Published in
11 min readOct 3, 2024

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I was initially pretty captivated by Notion. Its flexible platform for note-taking, project management, and database creation seemed to offer everything I needed in one neat package.

But two issues started to nag at me:

  1. It was yet another monthly subscription to add to my growing list, and
  2. The last time I put all my data in one app, it was Evernote and I eventually got wildly fucking fucked over.

That’s when I had my lightbulb moment. I realized that my Apple device already came equipped with a powerful trio of apps that, when used together, could rival Notion’s functionality. Even better, they offered the seamless integration that only native apps can provide.

I’m talking about Reminders, Numbers, and Notes — Apple’s own productivity powerhouses. I’ll admit, I had overlooked these apps for years, always looking for flashier third-party alternatives. You know. Whatever had reached the top of ProductHunt or Hacker News. But as I began to explore their capabilities, I was genuinely surprised. These apps offer a depth of functionality that has transformed my productivity workflow.

I want to show you how I use these three apps to create a productivity system that’s both powerful and elegantly simple…

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