EssentialJen's Essentials - Simple Gmail Notes

One of the Chrome extensions I use every single day is Simple Gmail Notes. As the name suggests, it lets you add little notes to your Gmail messages—and while it may be simple, it’s had a big impact on how I manage my inbox.

If you’re like me and juggle multiple clients, projects, or follow-ups, it can be tricky to keep track of the context behind every email. With Simple Gmail Notes, I can leave a quick note right on an email thread to remind myself what it’s about or what I need to do next. The notes are private (only I can see them) and stored in my Google Drive, so they’re accessible anywhere I’m logged into Chrome.

It’s also incredibly useful when I’m managing a client’s inbox. We can leave notes for each other directly on specific emails—things like “Handled—no reply needed,” “Please review this one,” or “Flagged for Thursday’s meeting.” This makes communication seamless and cuts down on back-and-forth messages or the need for a separate task tracker. Everything stays in context, right where we need it.

I use it constantly to keep my Gmail inboxes organized. For example, after a client sends over a request, I might add a note like “Waiting on final files before starting this project” or “Remember to check back on Friday.” When I circle back to that email later, I don’t have to dig through my memory or reread the whole thread—I can get the gist at a glance.

What I love most is how lightweight and unobtrusive it is. The notes appear as little yellow boxes above the email subject line—easy to spot, but never in the way. It blends right into my Gmail interface, which makes it feel like a natural extension of my workflow.

If you’re looking for a way to bring a little more clarity and organization to your inbox without adding yet another complex system, Simple Gmail Notes is worth checking out. Sometimes the smallest tools make the biggest difference!