Evanescent
Evanescent forgets it, so you don’t have to
What is Evanescent?
Evanescent is a unique macOS reminder app that helps you truly remember important information by making you actively work to retrieve it. Unlike traditional reminder apps that simply notify you, Evanescent uses the psychological principle of “desirable difficulty” to strengthen your memory.
As time passes, your reminders gradually fade away—characters become transparent and eventually disappear entirely. This visual decay simulates how real memories work, encouraging you to engage with the information before it’s gone. When you need to recover a faded reminder, you’ll answer questions or play memory games that reinforce the content in your mind.
The app runs quietly in your menu bar, seamlessly integrating into your workflow without being intrusive. Whether you’re trying to remember important facts, study materials, or personal notes, Evanescent transforms passive reminders into active memory-building exercises.
How to Use Evanescent
Getting Started
- Download and Install
- Download Evanescent from the Mac App Store
- Launch the app—it will appear in your menu bar as a small icon
- [Add screenshot: Menu bar icon in macOS menu bar]
- Creating Your First Reminder
- Click the Evanescent icon in your menu bar and select “New Reminder”
- Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut ⌘N when the main window is open
- Type your reminder text in the text field
- [Add screenshot: New reminder dialog with text field]
- Setting Due Dates (Optional)
- Toggle “Due Date” to set when the reminder should be fully visible
- Use “Never expires” if you want the reminder to decay naturally over time
- [Add screenshot: Due date picker in new reminder dialog]
Understanding Decay
How Reminders Fade
After creating a reminder, it starts fully visible and clear - Over time, individual characters become increasingly transparent - Eventually, characters disappear completely, leaving only faded outlines - [Add screenshot: Reminder showing various stages of character decay]
Decay Timeline - Fresh reminders: All text is fully visible and clear - Early decay: Some characters start becoming slightly transparent - Advanced decay: Many characters are heavily faded or missing - Critical decay: Most text is illegible, recovery options appear
Managing Your Reminders
Main Window - Click “Show” in the menu bar menu to open the main window - View all your reminders in a clean, organized list - Use the search bar to quickly find specific reminders - [Add screenshot: Main window showing list of reminders in various decay states]
Sorting and Organization - Sort reminders by creation date, due date, or decay level - Toggle between ascending and descending order - Filter reminders using the search functionality - [Add screenshot: Sort dropdown menu and search bar]
Recovery Methods
When a reminder becomes too faded to read, several recovery options become available:
Interactive Recovery - Click on individual faded characters to restore them one by one - Each click brings back a character with a subtle animation - [Add screenshot: Reminder with some characters clicked and restored]
Question-Based Recovery - Click the “Recover” button when it appears (after significant decay) - Answer questions about your reminder content - Questions include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and completion tasks - [Add screenshot: Recovery dialog with multiple choice question]
Memory Card Game - Available as a last resort when other methods are challenging - Match pairs of cards to unlock full reminder recovery - Fun, engaging alternative to traditional question formats - [Add screenshot: Memory card game interface]
Settings and Customization
Access settings through the menu bar menu or by pressing ⌘, in the main window.
Startup Options - Choose whether to run Evanescent at login - Control whether the main window appears on startup - [Add screenshot: Startup settings section]
Font Customization - Select default font family, size, and weight for new reminders - Preview changes with sample text - Existing reminders keep their original formatting - [Add screenshot: Font settings with preview]
Decay and Recovery - Adjust the decay threshold for when recovery options appear - Lower values show recovery options earlier in the decay process - [Add screenshot: Decay threshold slider]
Notifications - Enable notifications for due dates and decay milestones - Get alerted when reminders reach 50%, 25%, and 10% visibility - Receive notifications when recovery options become available - [Add screenshot: Notification settings]
Advanced Features
Keyboard Shortcuts - ⌘N: Create new reminder (when main window is active) - ⌘S: Show main window - ⌘,: Open settings - ⌘Q: Quit application
Menu Bar Integration - Quick access to all main functions - Unobtrusive presence in your menu bar - Right-click for context menu options - [Add screenshot: Menu bar dropdown menu]
Tips for Best Results
- Write Clear, Meaningful Content: The more specific and personal your reminders, the easier they’ll be to recover
- Regular Review: Check your reminders periodically before they decay too much
- Use Due Dates Strategically: Set due dates for time-sensitive information
- Embrace the Challenge: The difficulty of recovery is what makes the memory stronger
- Start Simple: Begin with shorter reminders to get comfortable with the system
Support
Having trouble with Evanescent? We’re here to help!
Contact Support
For technical issues, feature requests, or general questions about Evanescent, please email us at:
evanescent@paulogarcia.com
What to Include in Your Support Request
When contacting support, please include: - Your macOS version - Evanescent version number (found in Settings) - A detailed description of the issue - Steps to reproduce the problem (if applicable) - Any error messages you’ve encountered
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why can’t I edit a heavily decayed reminder? A: Reminders must be at least 95% visible to be editable. Use the recovery options to restore visibility first.
Q: Can I backup my reminders? A: Reminders are automatically saved to your local device. For backups, consider exporting important content before it decays significantly.
Q: How do I change the decay speed? A: Currently, decay speed is automatic and cannot be adjusted. The decay threshold setting controls when recovery options appear.
Q: Can I use Evanescent on multiple Macs? A: Each installation maintains its own reminder database. Cloud sync is not currently available.
Q: The app isn’t appearing in my menu bar. What should I do? A: Check your System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items, or try relaunching the application.
System Requirements
- macOS 14.0 or later
- Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel processor
- Approximately 50MB of available storage space
Evanescent - Transform your reminders into lasting memories.