By Christopher Lawley, creator of Parchment
Give appointments, tasks, and thoughts a place
An appointment has a time. A task needs an action. A note captures the details you want to remember. Keeping those distinctions makes a daily plan easier to use: a meeting belongs in Calendar, sending the follow-up belongs in Reminders, and the discussion belongs in your daily note.
Parchment displays the events and reminders already available to Apple’s apps alongside its own daily note. You can update an event or complete a reminder in Parchment, and the change applies to the same item in Calendar or Reminders.
1. Choose the calendars and lists you need
Grant Calendar and Reminders access, then open Parchment’s General Settings and select your calendars and reminder lists. Start with the sources you actually use to plan the day.
A Google or Exchange calendar can appear when its account is set up on your device and its events are visible in Apple Calendar. Parchment uses the system calendar database; it does not add or manage those accounts itself.
Calendar setup and permissions help →2. Review today before adding more
Open today and look at the appointments that already have a time. Review the reminders alongside them. Use the daily note to write the main outcome you want from the day and any context that does not belong in an event or task.
When something new comes up, use the agenda’s plus button. Try “Lunch tomorrow at noon” for an event or “task Submit invoice Friday at 5pm” for a reminder.
3. Keep a daily note as the day happens
Capture meeting notes, ideas, and decisions on the date they happened. Markdown headings and lists can separate topics without creating a folder system. On iPad, switch to handwriting mode when a sketch or Apple Pencil note fits better.
A short template can help you start:
## Focus
What matters today?
## Notes
Ideas, meetings, and decisions
## Reflection
What should I remember?Use Reminders for tasks you want to complete from the agenda. A checkbox written inside the daily note is part of that note.
Get a Shortcut for adding a daily-note template →4. Close the day with context you can find again
Complete finished reminders and add a few lines about what changed or what you learned. Later, search for the words you remember: Parchment can search typed notes, recognized handwriting, events, and reminders, subject to your permissions and selected sources.
You can share a daily note as text or PDF, or export a broader archive from Settings. Your working journal stays in Parchment.
Explore search and more Parchment tips →Questions before you download
Can I use Parchment on iPhone, iPad, and Mac?
Yes. Parchment is made for all three. Apple Pencil handwriting is available on iPad, and synced handwritten pages remain visible on iPhone and Mac. See the App Store for current device and operating-system requirements.
Does Parchment replace Apple Calendar or Reminders?
Parchment works with their system data. It brings your selected events and reminders into a daily view beside your notes, so you can keep using Apple’s apps too.
Does it sync with Apple Notes?
The daily note is stored in Parchment. It is not an Apple Notes notebook. The shared export Shortcut can send a copy of a daily note to Apple Notes.
Where are my daily notes stored?
On your devices and, when you enable iCloud sync, in your private iCloud account. You do not need a separate Parchment account. Read the privacy policy.
Is Parchment a subscription?
No. Parchment is a one-time purchase with Family Sharing. Check the App Store for the current price in your region.