Comment by fidotron
2 days ago
Do not Mac sticky notes do all that, except they don't live in the physical domain?
Isn't it just reflective of the fact that you are more disciplined about tidying up your physical world than the virtual one? (And this might be the basis for why the hack works).
I switch virtual desktops.
Physical objects don't disappear.
I switch tabs.
Physical objects don't disappear.
The power goes out.
Physical objects don't disappear.
Hard to understand in 2025, isn't it?
Mac Stickies absolutely can be set to float above everything else, and survive power outages (battery permitting) and reboots. It is true they are tied to the Space they are in though.
They also have the advantages associated with not being physical of course.
But they cover up things you might want to interact with on the screen!
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I see it like when you compare digital books vs physical books: physical requires less context in your mind, and it provides direct rather than abstract stimulus to the brain.
When you go digital, your brain is writing the sticky note, but also has in its cache the instructions for the menu, the apps you normally use, that annoying notification, etc, plus your rl context. But on physical, you only have loaded the instructions for the pen and paper (and your rl context).
Having too many things in mind can reduce your executive function battery. Hope this helps! (ofc, this is an oversimplification of ADHD)