Six questions for the notes app team

What goes in the weekly digest?

About 8 minutes to read and answerWritten 2026-10-16For: the notes app teamExample with made-up data

The weekly digest is one short email that brings an old note back, and six questions settle what goes in it.

Keep in your head (only these)
  1. The digest is one short email a week.
  2. Six questions, about eight minutes in all.
  3. Your answers stay on your device until you copy them.

Six questions, and the first one

Answer in any order

Name the email and the one thing in it that earns the click.

Take: start with question 1, which you can answer from what you do today. The dots keep count of the other five.

  1. What is the digest for?It brings people back to a note. Question 2.
  2. What could the email hold?Five blocks, and about three fit. Question 3.
  3. How long should it feel?A glance or a proper read. Question 4.
  4. When should it arrive?Four send times to put in order. Question 5.
  5. What would make you turn it off?Leaving takes one tap. Question 6.

Chapter 1 of 5, about 1 minute

What is the digest for?

Before this: the answer says the digest is one short email that brings an old note back.

Some people write one note and never open the app again. About 3,400 people use it each week, and the digest is how we ask the others back. It is one email, once a week.

  1. Write a noteOn a Monday.
  2. A week goes byThe note goes quiet.
  3. The digest landsOne note comes back.
  4. Open the appAnd keep writing.

Take from this: the digest is the bridge between a note you wrote and the next time you open the app.

What should the digest lead with?

Pick the one you would most want at the top of the email.

Remember: the digest exists to bring people back to a note they wrote.

Chapter 2 of 5, about 1 minute

What could the email hold?

Before this: the digest is one short email that brings people back to a note.

Five blocks could go in the email. About three fit on a phone before the reader scrolls. Each block costs a few seconds, so each one has to earn its place.

A phone email called Your week in notes with five possible blocks in order: an old note, last week, a prompt, shared notebooks and a tip. The first three fit before the reader scrolls. The last two are dashed because they sit below the fold. Your week in notes 1. An old noteone you have not opened in a while 2. Last weeknotes you wrote or changed 3. A promptone question to start a new note 4. Shared notebookschanges from people you share with 5. A tipone feature you have not used About three blocksfit before the readerhas to scroll Below the foldthe reader must scroll A phone email called Your week in notes with five possible blocks in order: an old note, last week, a prompt, shared notebooks and a tip. The first three fit before the reader scrolls. The last two are dashed because they sit below the fold. Your week in notes 1. An old noteone you have not opened in a while 2. Last weeknotes you wrote or changed 3. A promptone question to start a new note 4. Shared notebookschanges from people you share with 5. A tipone feature you have not used Blocks 1 to 3 fit before the reader scrolls.Dashed blocks sit below the fold.
Take from this: five blocks could go in, and only about three are read for sure. The rest is a choice.
Which blocks belong in the first digest?

Tick the ones you would keep, and three at most if you can.

Remember: a short digest holds about three blocks, and each one has to earn its place.

Chapter 3 of 5, about 1 minute

How long should it feel?

Before this: a short digest holds about three blocks.

Three blocks can be a glance or a proper read. A glance is three lines and one button. A proper read shows the first lines of each note.

20 sA glance: three lines and one button
2 minA proper read: the first lines of each note

Take from this: the same three blocks can take 20 seconds or two minutes. Length is the choice.

How long should the digest feel, from a glance to a proper read?

1 is a glance of 20 seconds. 5 is a proper read of two minutes.

Remember: length is a choice, because the same three blocks can be a 20 second glance or a two minute read.

Chapter 4 of 5, about 1 minute

When should it arrive?

Before this: the digest can be a 20 second glance or a two minute read.

The email lands once a week, in the reader's own time zone. Four send times seem sensible, and each meets a different habit.

A week from Monday to Sunday with four candidate send times marked. A is Monday at 08:00, at the desk. B is Friday at 16:00, the end of the week. C is Saturday at 09:00, a slow morning. D is Sunday at 19:00, planning ahead. Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun A B C D 08:00at the desk 16:00end of the week 09:00a slow morning 19:00planning ahead Shaded days carry a candidate send time. The pins match the letters in question 5. A week from Monday to Sunday with four candidate send times marked. A is Monday at 08:00, at the desk. B is Friday at 16:00, the end of the week. C is Saturday at 09:00, a slow morning. D is Sunday at 19:00, planning ahead. MonA08:00at the desk Tue Wed Thu FriB16:00end of the week SatC09:00a slow morning SunD19:00planning ahead The pins match the letters in question 5.
Take from this: four send times fit a weekly habit, and each meets the reader at a different moment.
Put these send times in the order you prefer, best first.

Use the arrows, or send a time to the top. Press This order is right if you agree as it stands.

  1. A. Monday, 08:00
  2. B. Friday, 16:00
  3. C. Saturday, 09:00
  4. D. Sunday, 19:00

Remember: the digest lands once a week, and the send time decides which habit it meets.

Chapter 5 of 5, about 1 minute

What would make you turn it off?

Before this: the digest lands once a week, and its length and send time are still open.

An email that annoys people gets switched off, and a switched-off digest brings nobody back. People must be able to leave in one tap.

  • Unsubscribe linkAt the foot of every email. One tap, no sign-in.
  • Switch in SettingsUnder Email, then Weekly digest.
  • Pause for four weeksPlanned for 2.4. Not built yet.

Take from this: leaving is easy by design. The open question is what would make people want to.

Name the thing, and say how often it would have to happen.

Show how your answers get back to Mara

Answers save in this browser as you type, so you can close the page and return.

  1. Press Copy all answers. The bar at the bottom appears with your first answer.
  2. Paste the text into the team chat. Or use Download .md and send the file.
  3. Mara merges every copy. The merge page groups the answers by question.

Remember: leaving takes one tap, so the digest has to stay worth keeping.

Recap

  1. The digest exists to bring people back to a note they wrote.
  2. A short digest holds about three blocks, and each one has to earn its place.
  3. Length is a choice, because the same three blocks can be a 20 second glance or a two minute read.
  4. The digest lands once a week, and the send time decides which habit it meets.
  5. Leaving takes one tap, so the digest has to stay worth keeping.