I am still using Evernote as my primary task manager and I am not looking back! That is not to say I have not had some problems over the past two weeks, but I can say that Evernote has improved how I manage my time.
What have I learned from Daniel’s eBook that I did not know already? Well, a lot actually. I knew very little of the power of Evernote to integrate information in a simple and logical way. In fact, I always tried to setup Evernote like a paper filing system would be setup, just more complicated. I used to have notebooks for many, many topics as well as many tags to give piece of mind in finding stuff. The reality is this duplication is overkill and unnecessary given the power of Evernote searching whether from your iPhone, iPad or computer. To that end, here is a simple list of stuff I picked up by reading Daniel’s Evernote eBook. Yes, many of these things could be found by hanging around the Evernote Knowledge base, but what Daniel does is provide real context around the functionality below; specifically context wrapped around the Getting Things Done System.
Things I learned from Daniel
- Note links, how to prepare for a meeting by linking to different notes; love this feature. Check here for details on the Evernote Blog.
- New spin on using EN with Outlook to process email (and Gmail for that matter)
- Sharing notes and notebooks; already knew that this was possible, but never really tried it
- Discovered the Evernote Knowledge Base
- The case for hiding un-used tags for a specific notebook, must try this
- Linking notes to calendar entries; saves time
- Consolidating task lists using one note and check boxes
- Master Project Note, Master Contact Note and Master Meeting Note; all templates included with Daniel’s book
- Starting to like the idea of the Master Next Action and Master Project Note
- Leaning towards using one note for TODAY and NEXT with Master Project Notes for each project; keep track of overall tasks by project in the project note and then copy to TODAY/NEXT daily as needed according to context
- Heavy usage of note linking, as copy a task to TODAY, link back to the Master Tracking note; check-off each check-box
- Checkboxes may not be totally necessary, but they are a quick way of showing completion since adding/removing tags got kind of clunky
- Overall the process of reorganizing my productivity with Evernote has allowed me to dig deep into each of my projects thereby creating a focus that I did not have. Daniel’s elegantly simply templates are an excellent way of doing this. Yes, they are based on GTD, but that is what makes them elegant
There you have it. For me, Evernote is working. I can now easily move between all of my projects and tasks very quickly on any of my devices and I now have the flexibility to change my setup and process however I need to. You can’t do this with any of the out of the box apps.
The main issues I have found in the experiment have been around crashes on my iOS devices as well as an annoying lack of indent feature on the MAC version of Evernote. None of these issues have been show stoppers, just small annoyances along the way.
That’s it for now. Next up, tweaking here and there and maybe a review of QuickOffice Pro HD. I may even dig into thesecretweapon…another interesting way to use Evernote to manage your day.
Stay tuned!
You have to check this article out that came across my Zite feed this morning. I had always suspected that FaceTime would make a great virtual rounding device for very little capital outlay. Actually an Ortho PA who used to round at my hosptial had floated the idea right around the time the iPad2 came out. Unfortunately he left the group and went on to a job in a healthtech company so we never had a chance to pilot the idea. However, the above article describes the flow a surgeon uses as well as the encyption processes used to assure privacy for the patient. Very cool, simple and low cost way to extend the bedside!
Now, compare the simplicity of the iPad to the complexity of of this! Which do you think will be deployed more widely?
As I wrote here, I have switched from iOS Reminders to Evernote to manage my tasks. One week in and I am still using Evernote as my task manager! I can say that the transition has not been seamless, but overall the experience has been positive. I still have a long way to go to perfect this system, but with Daniel’s help I am confident that the move to Evernote will be revolutionary!
- Easy transition from Outlook to Evernote given my already existing Evernote connectivity in Outlook
- Easy to send my tasks to Evernote, just highlighted them and clicked the Evernote Outlook Plugin Button
- Incredibly flexible with the ability to add notes, attachments, etc. to tasks
- Initial setup was using a combination of my notebooks and tags to organize
- Syncing is not automatic on the desktop, but done on a timer-basis, have to make sure and sync if leaving your desk and want immediate access; although iOS seems to sync with each new task automatically
- Has been difficult for me to conceptually figure out when to use tags and when to use notebooks regarding actions and reference material. A lot of this has to do with how I had setup Evernote, i.e. with tons and tons of tags and just as many notebooks. This has made it difficult to keep track of my actions. Daniel’s book provides an excellent template for laying out a failsafe tagging and notebook setup.
- Don’t mind the user interface, but Evernote is clearly not setup as a true task list. As a result, I have had to become familiar with moving between Tag and Notebook views to track my items.
Overall, I can see the power of Evernote as a task manager. The ability to integrate tasks with notes and project information in one place is extremely powerful. The issue of course is that a lot of thought must be placed into the setup and your process to make Evernote work well as a task manager.
I have worked through Daniel’s book throughout the week and as a result I adapting my workflows accordingly. The above thoughts have been captured here and there throughout the week. I will write further posts as I perfect my workflows with Daniel’s assistance.
In closing, using Evernote for tasks is ABSOLUTELY possible and for some the setup and workflows will come easily. However, for me I am really leaning on Daniel to help work through the workflow issues to create the ultimate task safety net.
Stay Tuned for more posts!
