Desk Covered in Sticky Notes? Check out Evernote Instead

This is a revision of a post that was originally posted on April 15, 2011 on Mom Blog Magazine.

As I got ready to head off on yet another trip yesterday, I decided that I was going to take advantage of the Wi-Fi offered on my flight and get some work done. But guess what?? For I think the first time the flight that I was on did not have Wi-Fi! Ugh. It was ok though because I had my music. I had my laptop. I had my iPad full of games (most of which are kids games, but I was entertained). And I had Evernote.

Evernote is a notes application that allows you to keep ideas and important notes in one place. The huge plus in using this app is that it goes with you everywhere. There is a version for almost every device. If you add a new note on your iPad, it syncs to the server. If you edit a note on your laptop, it syncs to the server. Each change syncs to your Evernote account so it is up to date on all devices. This is awesome. This means that whenever an idea hits you, you can grab whichever device you reach first and jot it down in Evernote.

So while on my flight today I used Evernote to draft a couple of blog posts, makes notes for a proposal, and create a to do list related to a project that I am working on. Once I was on the ground and had network access, everything was synced to the server so that I could complete it later.

Below are just a few things that you can do in Evernote.

Blog Post Ideas List

I like to use Evernote to organize my thoughts, list blog post ideas, and other useful info. My different areas are arranged into notebooks. A notebook is like a folder on your computer which contains many documents. I currently have many notebooks for various areas.  Under each notebook I create a variety of notes to organize my thoughts and ideas. Some examples include my “Master Blog Post List”. This is running list of subjects of blog posts that I save for a rainy day. No, I don’t refer to the list every day, but when I hit a wall and think that I have nothing to write about, I can refer to this list. I have one note that is an ongoing list of technology blog post ideas. Currently that list is 30 items long. Will I ever get to all those posts? I hope so. I also have separate notes for items waiting for review, giveaways that need to be posted, and parenting post ideas.

Post Drafts

Sometimes an idea for a post will come to me but I’m not quite ready to put it in WordPress yet because it’s very rough. I start the post in Evernote where it stays safe so that I can add to it at my leisure before publishing, or I just make a bunch of random notes about a post subject which can be organized later.

To-Do Lists

When I first started using Evernote, it did not have an obvious to-do list function.  It still does not have a function called “To Do List”, however if you create a note in Evernote, you will notice a check box button on the toolbar. If you click that before you start typing, each time you hit enter it will add it to the new line. Nice!

Note Taking

I love to use Evernote when I am in a conference session or a meeting.  I can type away and keep the notes organized. And guess what? Evernote has the ability to allow you to record audio right in the same note that you are typing. You can also add photos using your mobile phone or tablet camera. This makes is super easy to refer to later when you need to compile information.

Going Mobile

What I love most about Evernote is that I can carry it with me on all of my devices. There are versions of the program available for iPad, iPhone, and Android. And the apps are great. You can access your notes while on the go to refer to lists, or even edit or create a new list right from your mobile device. Although the apps sync your notes up to the server, you do not have to be online to use it. You can type away and it will sync the next time that you connect.

And if you ever need to use a public computer, or a friend’s computer, you can access your account and notes on the Evernote website.

If you currently use my old system of various notepads, and sticky notes all over the place, please take a look at Evernote. The free version will be enough for most people’s needs. But there is a premium version that adds the ability to share notes, search PDFs, allow larger note sizes, and more.

There are so many different ways to use Evernote. I have touched on only a few. I admit that out of habit I still reach for a sticky note a few times a day, but as soon as I remember, I enter that info in Evernote and get rid of the note.

What do you use for note organization?