Heres a bit of batch script for creating a text file named the current date and/or for opening it if it already exists. Works great for keeping a journal or just for general note-taking for anyone who is perpetually in notepad. 

@echo off

set YYMMDD=%date:~12,4%-%date:~4,2%-%date:~7,2%

if exist .\%YYMMDD%.txt goto exists

:exists

start NOTEPAD .\%YYMMDD%.txt

:end

Open notepad, paste it in, save the file as TICKLER.bat and give it a whirl. Make sure you place it in the directory you want the text files kept. Integrate this with Windows Live Mesh if you're on Windows, or Evernote, or even Dropbox for cross-platform synchronization. 

Do this!