Let me introduce you to one of my favorite productivity applications. It’s called Evernote.
Honestly, I thought everyone knew about Evernote. You are either using it already or you know what it is at least. Recently, however, I was speaking at a conference, I mentioned Evernote, and several people asked me afterward what I was talking about. I was shocked.
So, here goes.
Evernote is a note/picture/voice taking productivity application used on laptops and mobile devices. I actually wrote a very simple — most simple — e-book about it. No pressure (I said it’s simple, but you can find it HERE.)
I can’t imagine my life being as organized or “mobile” without it now.
If you aren’t familiar with it, I want to share some of the reasons I use and love Evernote:
5 reasons to love Evernote:
Efficiency
Evernote allows me to put a note, picture, or voice recording into the application and then automatically syncs with my other devices. Whether I’m using my iPhone, iPad or my MacBook or Google Chrome laptop. I input once and am updated on all my devices. It is cloud-based, so it does it quickly and without error. I place my notes into files which are searchable and specific to the subject matter. Every blog post, sermon or meeting now starts as a separate Evernote file. I have over 1,000 files now.
Convenience
Evernote is with me wherever I go. For example, I carry my phone with me when I’m walking the dog. I can quickly put thoughts which come to me into a file in Evernote as I walk. (She’s sometimes slow!) If I see a picture, I can snap it and place it in an Evernote file for later use. If I’m at my desk — those same files I was using in Evernote while walking the dog are with me. I also store documents this way if it’s something I need easy access to while away from the office. I keep insurance information, certain church documents I have to occasionally refer to, etc. in separate files. Just yesterday I needed a Tax-ID for something. I did a quick search in Evernote and produced the information. It saved me from having to do something when I got back to my office.
Creativity
Evernote fuels my creativity, because it allows me the freedom to think in the moment. And, I think in the moment a lot. I no longer have to wait until I get back to my laptop to brainstorm. I’m less likely to forget ideas, because I can record them as soon as they come to me in an appropriate file.
Reliability
I never have to lose a thought again! There is seldom a time where I would not have one of these devices with me, so whenever I have a thought, I always have a place to record it, which again, automatically syncs with the other devices. In honesty, a few times I’ve had the application freeze or fail to sync, but Evernote saves even those mistakes for me to filter through. My actual information has never been lost.
Access
Evernote is a free application! You can’t beat the price for such a productive tool. I choose to do the paid upgrade — which is minimal in cost but offers unlimited storage — but it’s not mandatory and most people seem to be able to use the free version with no issues.
There are “tricks” to Evernote I don’t use often and many I’ve probably not even discovered. You can email notes to yourself, for example, using a specialized Evernote email address and it places it right in your application. I’m very simple with it. It’s simply my filing system for all the information I have to keep up with.
If you are looking for a way to stay more organized and be more productive, check out Evernote.
Do you use Evernote?
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