Why Tot is the perfect scratchpad for Mac and iOS

Let’s talk about text. Not the paragraphs you agonise over in Google Docs or the emails you endlessly tweak before hitting send. I mean the tiny scraps of text you jot down throughout the day—an idea, a quick to-do, a formula you often use, a phone number someone just rattled off. The stuff that’s too fleeting for a full-on notes app but too important to vanish into the ether.

That’s where Tot comes in. It’s a delightfully simple text scratchpad for Mac, iOS and watchOS, and once you start using it, you might wonder how you ever lived without it.

Another notes app? Seriously?

I hear you. Between Apple Notes, Notion, Evernote (if anyone’s left over there) and an endless sea of productivity tools, it’s fair to ask: Do I really need this? But Tot isn’t trying to replace those apps. It’s not for storing meeting notes or planning your week. Instead, think of it as your digital sticky note—a space pieces of text can live for as long as you find them useful.

Unlike full-fledged note-taking apps, Tot keeps things brutally simple. You get just seven pages, each represented by a dot. That’s it. No folders, no tags, no organisation system to obsess over. Just seven spaces to dump whatever you need.

How Tot makes you faster (without trying)

The real beauty of Tot is how it respects your time. The interface is minimal, so there’s nothing to configure—just open it and start typing.

Some ways I’ve found Tot incredibly useful:

• Quickly capturing URLs and snippets. Found something interesting but don’t want to clog up your bookmarks? Drop it in Tot.
• Drafting short messages. Whether it’s a tweet, a Slack reply, or a text, Tot gives you a quiet place to refine your words before sending them out.
• Temporary task lists. Not everything needs to go into a full-fledged to-do app—sometimes, a simple list for the day is enough.
• Holding onto copied text. Ever copied something, only to get distracted and lose it? Tot can be a handy clipboard buffer.
• AI prompt formulas. If you’re experimenting with AI tools, Tot is a great spot to store and tweak prompt templates for quick reuse.

Tot also plays nice with Markdown, so if you like lightweight formatting, you’re covered. It also has both light and dark modes, with a font that’s crisp, clean, and just a joy to type in.

A few pro tips to make Tot even better

If you’re sold on Tot, here are a few ways to make the most of it:

1. Use the menu bar icon for quick access. On Mac, Tot lives in your menu bar, so you can pop it open instantly—no window management, no fuss.
2. Embrace the seven-note limit. It’s easy to think of this as a downside, but the constraint forces you to clear out old notes instead of hoarding them.
3. Use emoji as labels. Since there’s no tagging system, dropping a 🔥 or ✅ at the start of a note can be a fun way to categorise things at a glance.

Tot isn’t trying to be everything. It’s trying to be just enough—a tiny, frictionless space for short-lived thoughts. And in a world overflowing with productivity apps that demand structure, organisation, and endless tweaking, that’s a breath of fresh air.

If you’re constantly juggling bits of text and don’t want them lost in the noise, give Tot a shot. It’s free on Mac, and while the iOS version isn’t on the cheap side at £19.99, it’s a a one-time purchase (no subscriptions, thank you very much).

You might not think you need it. But once it’s in your workflow, you won’t want to go back.