How I Use flomo for Everyday Observations and Product Ideas

I started using flomo in 2023. I did not write much at first, but I used it a lot in 2024 and 2025. On some days I added several memos. I thought I was having new insights every day, which is funny to look back on now.

I use it less often now—usually a few memos a week, mostly on my phone. I write something down when it comes to mind. There is no streak or target.

Just to be clear, this isn’t sponsored. I use flomo’s free plan. This isn’t a review either. I’m just sharing what I’ve used it for over the past few years.

For me, flomo is mainly a quick place to put things. I save the thought first and decide what to do with it later.

What I record

These are the things I write about most often. The categories overlap, and I do not worry much about where each memo belongs.

1. Observations from ordinary life

Most of these memos have no clear purpose. Something happens, a thought pops into my head, and I write it down.

Once, an older passenger on a bus could not get a transit QR code to work. I usually paid with a different app, so I had to work through the unfamiliar setup on the spot. When the reader finally beeped, he turned and said, “It worked.” The memo I wrote afterward ended with a short line:

High-tech systems, little thought for people—older adults left behind.

Looking back, that line was too broad. One passenger having trouble with a transit code does not mean that every older person is trapped by technology. But it did make me think about how technology can become more convenient while becoming harder for some people to use.

Another time, I was washing my hands and looking at the hot water from the tap when I suddenly thought about how lucky I had been: I grew up with my parents around, my family did not have much debt, we had food, and we had clean and hot water. The thought came out of nowhere. If I had not written it down then, I probably would have forgotten it.

2. Ideas about behavior and society

I am interested in psychology, human behavior, and other social-science topics. When I encounter an idea that stays with me—or notice a pattern in everyday behavior—I write it down in my own words.

These are only my thoughts at the time, and they may be wrong. I may add to them later or realize that I misunderstood something.

3. Small business ideas

I also save interesting product decisions, ways of communicating, and small business details. Most are never useful. Every now and then, I remember one while working and go back to find it.

4. Reading notes and short lines

I occasionally save a passage I like or write down a thought prompted by a book. Some entries are only a sentence. One of mine reads, translated from Chinese:

We never perceive time itself—only movement and a world in change.

I usually leave a line like this alone instead of trying to turn it into an article right away.

5. Product and feature ideas

I save product and feature ideas too, but there is no fixed rule. If an idea is clear enough to work on, I usually put it in Apple's Reminders app. If it needs more writing, it may go into Notes. If it is still just an idea, I leave it in flomo.

What one memo captured about Inks

I looked through my old memos and couldn’t find one that was clearly an idea for an Inks feature. I wrote the note below in Chinese on July 17, 2026, at 10:17 a.m. Inks was already in development, and I was changing the product direction. This is an English translation:

The product is completely different now from the first version. Before, I was forcing users to take part in the sense of ceremony I wanted 🤣 Now it is an ordinary app, but also a little different.

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The whole thing is more restrained now. It works more like Live Photos.

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With a Live Photo, you still open the camera and take a picture. But later, when you look back at how it was taken, sometimes it can feel unexpectedly warm.

I used Live Photos as an example because I wanted people to just write the letter as usual. Later, if they want to, they can see how they wrote it.

That is roughly how Inks works now. A letter opens with the finished text. The writing process appears only after you tap Replay. For more about the design, see Why Preserve the Writing Process and How to Keep a Letter Journal.

The tools I use now

I also spent time setting up Notion and Obsidian because I wanted a more complete system. The tools were fine. I just spent more time building the system than actually writing things down.

These are the main tools I use now:

I wrote more about how I divide things between these tools in How I Use flomo, Reminders, Notes, and Inks Together.

This is not a fixed system. A thought may start in flomo, become a reminder the next day, and turn into an article later. I still put things in the wrong place, forget to organize them, or never open them again. That is normal.

Why I still use it

I keep using flomo because I can open it and start writing. A memo does not need a title, folder, or layout. flomo explains the same choice in its quick-input guide and design philosophy.

I also use flomo to generate share cards for posts. I use this fairly often because I do not have to rebuild the layout myself.

I also remember reading the company's explanation of long-term operations. flomo's operating principles say it keeps money aside to cover seven years of server costs and basic maintenance. If the product ever enters maintenance mode, that money would be used to keep the service running. Users can decide each year whether it is still worth renewing. I find this more useful than a vague promise that a service will last “forever.”

It is not for everything

flomo's product introduction also says that it is not designed for documents, tasks, or outlines, and recommends other tools for those jobs.

This article only covers how I use flomo. It is not a full review, so I am not going into every detail about sync, privacy, or paid plans. flomo is a cross-platform cloud-sync service and supports HTML export. If these details matter to you, check its current storage and export guide and privacy policy before deciding what to store there.

I make Inks, and I also use flomo. Quick thoughts go into flomo. I use Inks when I have something I want to write to myself or another person.

If you do not know what to write, try 24 Journal Prompts. If you only need to save one sentence before you forget it, use whichever tool is easiest for you.

8 min read · 2026-08-25 · 2026-08-28

By Wenpeng Wang, Developer of Inks.