What do you use to collect your notes?
I use my Moleskine for my day to day notes, especially for meetings.
However, when it comes to electronic notes, I turn to Evernote.
It is hands down the simplest and quickest way to get your notes in the cloud.
Today, I want to discuss 10 ways you can save time using it.
Your Notes in the Cloud
Evernote is a great app for collecting your thoughts, ideas, clippings, whatever. It lets you store all of your notes both locally and in the cloud, so they are accessible from almost anywhere.
Today, I am not going to go into the basics of using the application, but rather some ideas for saving time with it.
“What could you get done if all of your notes were available to you from anywhere?”
After all, having immediate access to your information is a powerful thing.
10 Time Management Ways to Use Evernote
There are myriad ways to use Evernote. And no wrong ways to use it…
In fact, there is even a marketplace to showcase all of the supplemental apps that use Evernote. (It is called The Trunk.)
Here are 10 of my favorite ways to save time using Evernote:
- Take Pictures of Things – I am not talking about for your photo album. I am referring to taking pictures of things you want to remember. A picture is worth 1000 words, so instead of trying to write down a description of that bottle of wine or the hours from that little shop, instead take a picture.
- Access from Everywhere – One of the best aspects of Evernote is that it is accessible from anywhere. Your Desktop. The Web. From your phone. Or your iPad. Most people using Evernote tend to relegate themselves to one access point for Evernote. Don’t forget about all the other options and leverage them.
- Scan Your Notes – What to do with all those paper notes? Scan them, of course. Evernote has OCR, so even many of your handwritten notes will be instantly searchable. (Michael Hyatt has a great post on this here.)
- Your Paperless Library – Trying to go paperless? Evernote is a great way to file all those PDF scans. In fact, you can even set up your scanner to file right to Evernote. Time to get rid of all those bills, papers, and file cabinets.
- Carry Reference Information – You may know clothing sizes, food brands, etc. But, when you are out and about running errands, do you remember the air filter size for your house? Or the type of light bulb needed in the dining room? Use Evernote to keep that “once in a blue moon” information at your fingertips.
- Save Important Receipts and Registrations – Many people don’t know what to do with all those old receipts. Put them right into Evernote. This is especially true of online receipts. You can email them from your inbox right into Evernote.
- Web Clipper – Surfing the web and find something useful? Save it for the future. I use the Web Clipper for Chrome. With a simple click I can quickly clip articles, URLs, or pics. When I think of the idea again, I can find it instantly.
- Solutions to Problems – This is one of my favorite uses. When I solve a problem, no matter how big or small, I store the solution in Evernote. That way, when I encounter the same issue in the future, I am ready for it. For example, I had a problem with my web server several years ago that required a technical list of steps to resolve. When it happened again recently, I simply pulled up my remediation notes from 3 years ago. Save your solutions so that you don’t have to solve problems mulitple times.
- Notebooks, Lists and Collections – Evernote is a great place to store your lists and collections. My wife recently started “notebooks” to store her wine collection and her favorite recipes. When she wants to find a recipe, no more searching through books, magazines, and online articles. As well, Evernote allows you to create shared notebooks. Need an idea repository for you and your business partner? Or a space for you and your spouse to collect notes on that next vacation you are planning?
- Sensitive Information – People get nervous about saving their sensitive information in the cloud. (Especially in light of many recent news articles about hackers.) However, with the proper precautions, it can be safe to put your important personal info out there. A little known feature is that you can encrypt your sensitive info. You can encrypt any note or part of a note. So, while I do not use Evernote as my password manager, I do store sensitive account info, #’s, and passwords in it. I just make sure I encrypt that information.
Saving Time With Evernote
Evernote is a very powerful tool.
You can use it casually, or you can use it extensively to replace almost all of your other filing systems.
No matter how you use it, it can be a great time saver.
How do you save time using Evernote? Share your best ideas below.
Hands down. I completely agree being an insane Evernote user myself. Thanks for writing about it 🙂
Hands down. I completely agree being an insane Evernote user myself. Thanks for writing about it 🙂
My favorite Evernote tip is using my Livescribe pen to write, then adding the PDF to Evernote. I still like writing on paper, but this helps me digitize everything. 🙂
@goodwillstacy Stacy, I have heard good things about the Livescribe pen.
I have not used one to date. Love my paper notebooks too, like Moleskine and Ecosystems. However, I use a traditional pen. 🙂
Love to hear your experiences with the Livescribe.
One of my favorite use cases for Evernote is tracking where I’ve been. When I’m in a remote city or at a new restaurant, I’ll routinely snap photos of street signs, menu covers and such, which are automatically geotagged and timestamped. It’s like building my own little travel diary and I can pull up the whole mess fairly easily using the following search:
resource:image/* source:mobile.*
This searches for notes that contain images that were created using my iPhone – it’s not a super-precise search, but it makes it easier to locate the type of notes I’m talking about if you have lots of notes, which I do.
Great post – and thanks for mentioning the ebook. Glad you enjoyed it!
I have Evernote but i never used it but your post was full of great ideas like encrypting your info I did not know it did that. I will give Evernote another look and also going to download the ebook. Thanks.
@adamgrave If you are new to Evernote, be sure to visit the Trunk page as there are a couple of notebooks you can download for FREE that have all sorts of suggestions and tips to help you best use the application. It’s VERY user friendly and the more you use it the more uses you will dream up for it.
My favorite Evernote tip is using my Livescribe pen to write, then adding the PDF to Evernote. I still like writing on paper, but this helps me digitize everything. 🙂
I have been using Evernote for meetings and going paperless for a couple of years. Now I’m starting to use automation to get my stuff into Evernote. For example, I put mentions of me on twitter directly into Evernote using If This Then That (http://www.ifttt.com/wtf/).
@allendean Allen, sounds cool. And a great use of Evernote.
Really like the idea of your automation. I have not used ifttt, but like the concept.
One of my favorite use cases for Evernote is tracking where I’ve been. When I’m in a remote city or at a new restaurant, I’ll routinely snap photos of street signs, menu covers and such, which are automatically geotagged and timestamped. It’s like building my own little travel diary and I can pull up the whole mess fairly easily using the following search:
resource:image/* source:mobile.*
This searches for notes that contain images that were created using my iPhone – it’s not a super-precise search, but it makes it easier to locate the type of notes I’m talking about if you have lots of notes, which I do.
Great post – and thanks for mentioning the ebook. Glad you enjoyed it!
I have Evernote but i never used it but your post was full of great ideas like encrypting your info I did not know it did that. I will give Evernote another look and also going to download the ebook. Thanks.
I have been using Evernote for meetings and going paperless for a couple of years. Now I’m starting to use automation to get my stuff into Evernote. For example, I put mentions of me on twitter directly into Evernote using If This Then That (http://www.ifttt.com/wtf/).
Fantastic post on an app that many find useful, but probably don’t know how to use it to get the absolute best experience! I know I learned more about how I can use Evernote to my advantage. Thanks!
Fantastic post on an app that many find useful, but probably don’t know how to use it to get the absolute best experience! I know I learned more about how I can use Evernote to my advantage. Thanks!
Great post, Craig. I only use Evernote right now one dimensionally, looking forward to exploring it’s more advanced uses. Michael Hyatt just had a great post about using Evernote as a blogger, worth checking out: http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-use-evernote-as-a-blogger.html
@al.pittampalli Al, yes Michael Hyatt is a big user of Evernote. He has written many great pieces on it lately. (I link to one in my article above.)
Thanks for pointing out another one!
Great post, Craig. I only use Evernote right now one dimensionally, looking forward to exploring it’s more advanced uses. Michael Hyatt just had a great post about using Evernote as a blogger, worth checking out: http://michaelhyatt.com/how-to-use-evernote-as-a-blogger.html
I had been an Evernote user until recently someone pointed out the ToS/ToU in Evernote. It is a dangerous place to store your ideas. The agreement does not have provision to prevent Evernote from peeping into your notes and copying your ideas.
From now on, I put my trust on traditional paper notebook like my Moleskine to record ideas.
@hoeadrian I hear your concerns there. The cloud brings a lot of discussion about ownership, access, and more.
I have not heard of an issue w Evernote. But, many of the online providers are being questioned about access, ownership and their terms. (Dropbox just faced a large challenge about their terms and access.)
You are correct, that the only true form of security is *not* to put your stuff online.
I think that the benefits outweigh the risks, as long as you take proper precautions, deal with companies you trust, and encrypt the data that is most sensitive.
Thanks for sharing! Great topic.
I had been an Evernote user until recently someone pointed out the ToS/ToU in Evernote. It is a dangerous place to store your ideas. The agreement does not have provision to prevent Evernote from peeping into your notes and copying your ideas.
From now on, I put my trust on traditional paper notebook like my Moleskine to record ideas.
Interesting use of evernote! Even if the author of the eBook reacted (inkedmn), maybe he was to humble to advise his interesting eBook Evernote Essentials…;-) I will do it for him with a trick I use a lot with evernote…
http://goo.gl/AUb8b (affiliate link)
ddejonghe – Not sure I understood your last comment. Feel free to re-post.
I did link to the Evernote Essentials getting started book above in my post. Thanks.
@al.pittampalli Al, yes Michael Hyatt is a big user of Evernote. He has written many great pieces on it lately. (I link to one in my article above.)
Thanks for pointing out another one!
@allendean Allen, sounds cool. And a great use of Evernote.
Really like the idea of your automation. I have not used ifttt, but like the concept.
@goodwillstacy Stacy, I have heard good things about the Livescribe pen.
I have not used one to date. Love my paper notebooks too, like Moleskine and Ecosystems. However, I use a traditional pen. 🙂
Love to hear your experiences with the Livescribe.
My husband uses Livescribe all the time and loves it. Uses it at conferences and meetings.
@hoeadrian I hear your concerns there. The cloud brings a lot of discussion about ownership, access, and more.
I have not heard of an issue w Evernote. But, many of the online providers are being questioned about access, ownership and their terms. (Dropbox just faced a large challenge about their terms and access.)
You are correct, that the only true form of security is *not* to put your stuff online.
I think that the benefits outweigh the risks, as long as you take proper precautions, deal with companies you trust, and encrypt the data that is most sensitive.
Thanks for sharing! Great topic.
Wow what an article..great work sir..fantastic job sir..looking more for such kinda articles always from you..It would have been better if you would have touchd the topic of <a href=”http://qualitypointtech.net/webtimesheet/index.php ”>time sheet</a> in your post…any way nice work.
About the “Access from Everywhere” feature, I love the ability to send/fw by email into the EN Inbox: when technically replying to a colleague/customer, a additionnal CC to my EN Inbox allows me to build a indexed library of technical notes.
About the “Access from Everywhere” feature, I love the ability to send/fw by email into the EN Inbox: when technically replying to a colleague/customer, a additionnal CC to my EN Inbox allows me to build a indexed library of technical notes.
I’m a recipe saver, this is by far the fastest and best way to save and organize, I tried saving blog ideas here but I don’t seem to be coming up with any, but I would if I had some.
@irishis me too? ctrl+C . clicktoapp, evernote.. ready!!
I’m a recipe saver, this is by far the fastest and best way to save and organize, I tried saving blog ideas here but I don’t seem to be coming up with any, but I would if I had some.
Somebody has tested http://clicktoapp.com with Evernote??
Somebody has tested http://clicktoapp.com with Evernote??
My students will use Evernote this year to keep their assignments and activities they are working on for school. I think they’ll love it, especially when they sync to their mobiles and don’t have to carry home an assignment book.
@leele09 Love the fact that your students will be using Evernote! That is great.
Let us know how it works out. 🙂
@leele09 GREAT IDEA!
My students will use Evernote this year to keep their assignments and activities they are working on for school. I think they’ll love it, especially when they sync to their mobiles and don’t have to carry home an assignment book.
@leele09 Love the fact that your students will be using Evernote! That is great.
Let us know how it works out. 🙂
our school uses evernote (well my class actually) My friend broke her mac because of it and alot of people lost their work X3 inluding me
~a student
@irishis me too? ctrl+C . clicktoapp, evernote.. ready!!
I use Evernote last year in organizing my task every day, since I use it I already do all the task every day in an exact time and date in which I can ‘t do before.
@black mold removal I love evernote. I use it more for clippings than for todos. But, it is very flexible and powerful. 🙂
@black mold removal I love evernote. I use it more for clippings than for todos. But, it is very flexible and powerful. 🙂
I use Evernote last year in organizing my task every day, since I use it I already do all the task every day in an exact time and date in which I can ‘t do before.
I use Evernote last year in organizing my task every day, since I use it I already do all the task every day in an exact time and date in which I can ‘t do before.
@black mold removal I love evernote. I use it more for clippings than for todos. But, it is very flexible and powerful. 🙂
I use it to organize my recipes, old documents, emails and lists. I have a notebook in Evernote for driving directions that is immensely helpful. If someone emails me directions to their house (have a lot of friends that live in VERY rural areas that are impossible to GPS to) I save the emails in evernote and then next time I go there all I do is pull up the note and follow the directions again.
I also use evernote for blogging ideas. Lots of times I get a snippet of this or that and think it would make a great blog post but don’t have time to “flesh it out” at that moment so I store it in Evernote to be further developed later when I am at my computer with more time and resources.
I am currently studying for and going through an alternative certification program to become a teacher after being laid off from a 15 year HR career and I have a file in evernote for “teaching stuff” and helpful websites that I know will come in handy once I am working in a teaching position and I also store sites that are helpful when studying for my exams.
I have a folder in evernote called “The Parking Lot”. Got this idea from the Daytimer Blog site and the parking lot is a loosely organized list of ideas and thoughts I want to develop later. They might be projects, or things I’d like to learn more about or potential business or moneymaking ideas. When I have some free time I review the “parking lot” and sometimes decide to discard those ideas, or maybe develop them further.
I am a horseowner and use Evernote to organize my horses shoeing and vet records, as well as track when I purchase feed and hay so I can know how long they last and how efficient my feeding program is.
I LOVE the sharing features available in Evernote. Since I store all my recipes in there I am often asked by friends to “share” a recipe and all I have to do is pull it up in Evernote and from there I can email it or share to Facebook or Twitter, or even print a copy if needed.
In my opinion this application is a LIFECHANGER and as you mentioned Craig, I access Evernote via my cell phone, the internet or the downloaded app on my laptop. The laptop application is great if you are working “offline” as once you go online again it will automatically sync so your work is available on your phone or on the net.
Just can’t say enough about helpful this app is…if you have not tried it…YOU MUST DO SO NOW!
Great post and I love evernote! #7 is great … especially when going through your read later! Frances :o)
Great post,
I use Evernote extensively for info storage and now managing my tasks. I used Daniel E. Golds Evernote eBook and thesecretweapon.com as guide in setting up my system. I wrote about my experiences here:
http://tabletproductive.com/evernote-is-running-my-life-on-my-ipad/
I learn new things about Evernote everyday!
– Chris
Craig, I absolutely love Evernote, but do you ever feel overwhelmed by all that you have in it? Like, I almost wish I had two different accounts – one for work and one for home. But maybe I’m overthinking it – should I just rely more on the incredible search options that it offers? I know you work with it a lot, so any personal insight you have would be appreciated!
Jocelyn
Would you recommend using just tags or notebooks? I use both but at times I wonder if that’s a bit of a time waster too since you can retrieve by just typing in a keyword.
I tend to just use a few notebooks. I don’t both as much with tags because I can simply search for the note I am seeking.