The idea of self-texting was introduced to me by a former colleague a few years ago. This was when messaging apps didn't even have the "self-text" feature, and it required a few extra steps to get messages delivered to yourself. I wasn't particularly interested in it back in the day, and it — quite frankly — felt like a weird thing to do. But little did I know that I'd been let in on a big secret or the "ultimate hack," if you will. I say that because I text myself every day now, and it has made me use messaging apps differently.

So what exactly do I text myself using the "self-text" feature on a lot of these messaging apps? I started using this a few months back to send myself notes and reminders for quick or immediate consumption, meaning I would use it to dump stuff that I would need in, say, a few minutes as I am in the middle of a conversation or making some plans. But as someone who is conditioned to use messaging apps a million times a day, I quickly released its potential of replacing my notes app entirely. Fast-forward a few months, and this has become my preferred way of saving not just notes but also other things like daily to-do lists, important links, photos, and more now.

Texting myself to stay on top of my activities

A lot of messaging apps, in case you didn't know, allow you to text yourself rather easily. I personally use the self-text feature in WhatsApp, Slack, and Discord to stay on top of my day-to-day activities, but there's a good chance you'll find a similar feature in your messaging app of choice too. If not, I'll leave links to download the three apps I use below for you to check out.

Here’s what my workflow looks like. I save all my work-related notes and important stuff in Slack, while everything related to gaming and my mechanical keyboard hobby gets saved in Discord. Anything which doesn't fall in either of those categories is saved in WhatsApp's self-text chat window.

Using different applications to store relevant information allows me to separate them for less clutter and helps me find exactly what I need at that particular time, depending on what I am doing. I log in to Slack and open the app on my Mac every day before starting my work, and I skim through all the important work-related notes and to-do lists every morning. Similarly, anything and everything related to gaming or mechanical keyboards are saved in Discord because it's my preferred messaging app to communicate and hang out with those communities. It's easier to save or pull important notes or, say, links to a cool keyboard or a gameplay video I saved on my Discord while I am on a video or a voice call on the same app.

Anything else, meaning pretty much every other note, reminder, or things like shopping lists, etc., is saved in WhatsApp because, well, it's my primary messaging app that I use to stay connected with friends and family. I literally open this app hundreds, if not thousands, of times every day, and it probably gets the most screen time on my phone. Opening WhatsApp to check new texts or sending one is like an ingrained behavior now, and I find it simple and convenient to use its self-text feature to jot down useful and important stuff.

All these apps are also on my homescreen, meaning all my saved info is just a few taps away. Also, having used these apps for years has trained my muscle memory to tap all the right buttons to get to my notes or save a new one. It requires no thinking, and I love how delightfully simple it is. Oh, and these messaging apps are cross-platform, meaning I have access to all my important notes on both my phone and PC. It may seem a bit daunting to get to the information you've saved, but you can simply use the search function — just like you would in a note-taking app — within the chat window to find everything you need. Some chat platforms also let you look for files and links you've shared separately, so you can use that as well.

Using self-texting for more than just notes and to-do lists

In addition to saving notes and occasionally talking to myself, I also use WhatsApp's Message Yourself feature for small file transfers. I believe it's the easiest way to transfer files between a Mac and an Android phone. I don't recommend it for large files or a bulk transfer, but it's definitely the way to go if you only have a few documents or photos. It only takes a few minutes to capture photos on my Samsung Galaxy S23, edit them, and transfer them to my Mac to be embedded in an article like this. Just ensure you're sending the photos as a file attachment to retain the quality. It's one of the ways I make my Mac play nice with an Android phone, and I can't recommend it enough.

I also use my Discord server to paste images from the web to convert any particular file format to PNG automatically. Sharing an image via Discord, in case you didn't know, also strips its EXIF data, so you can use it for that. I am sure there are a dozen other ways to convert an image file format, but this is how I've been doing it for quite some time. I find it easier, and it also just works every time without any issues, and that's pretty much the whole point of this piece, isn't it? Just make sure to find what works for you and use it.

Closing thoughts

This isn't about convincing people to use the self-text feature over a note-taking app on your phone to save important notes and links to refer to. I say that because that wasn't my intention when I tried using it for the first time, either, but it has become a key part of my everyday life now. It's more of an educational/awareness post about a life hack for those who still email themselves files, reminders, and other important notes. I've done it before, and I know at least a handful of people in my circle who do that to this day.

A lot of messaging apps, as I mentioned previously, allow you to text yourself. In addition to the ones I've mentioned as my go-to apps, you can message yourself in Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger, and even on Instagram. Signal also has a 'Note to Self' feature now, which essentially works like WhatsApp Message Yourself. It goes without saying that this comes with a bit of a learning curve, but it's nothing you can't get used to within a few days.

I recommend starting with a single platform if you want to experiment and give the self-texting feature a shot at making your digital lives easier. You can also start off by saving things like your grocery list or links to important articles or videos before moving to things like a to-do list. I am sure the simplicity of saving all the important and relevant information within the same messaging platform you're already using the most will make you text yourself more.