Let’s Get Started With Evernote-006

Before we begin, let me explain this post. The post goes hand in hand with the podcast episode #006. If you want to get the most out of this post I recommend you listen to the podcast. I will give you visual examples and links here, but will go into greater detail on the podcast. Here is an outline of the podcast:

Part 1 Overview of Evernote

Part 2 Understanding and Setting Up a Structure in Evernote

Part 3 What Can You Do With Evernote?

Part 4 How To Use Evernote-Example Workflows

Okay, get your earbuds on, speakers turned up, let’s get started. Hit play.

Part 1 Overview of Evernote

What is Evernote?

Evernote makes modern life more manageable by letting you easily collect and find everything that matters. From work notes and to-do lists to recipe collections and travel plans, add everything to Evernote to help you get organized without the effort.

Available Plans for Evernote and Pricing

You can start using Evernote for free on the Basic Plan. The Basic plan is a good place to start if you are using Evernote for the first time. The following links outline pricing and features:

Basic-Plus-Premium–Business Plans

Evernote is Available On All Your Devices and Syncs Across Devices

Setup Your Account

You can setup an Evernote account from a web browser or download the app for PC or Mac, iOS and Android.  I suggest you set up the desktop version first and then set up the mobile versions. To create an account, go here.* (when you first create an account Evernote gives you a notebook using your name. This is your default notebook. You can change the name of the notebook later, as an example “Inbox”) Evernote will look a little different on each device:

Evernote iPhone

Evernote Web Browser

Evernote Mac

Part 2 Understanding the Evernote Structure

Notes-Everything in Evernote is kept in a note. So things like text, images, pdf’s, emails, audio clips are all kept in Evernote as a note. The note is helpful because we can title it and we can give it a tag or multiple tags (more on tags later) to help in searching for it later.

Notebooks-In Evernote, we set up Notebooks to keep notes in. This is one way to organize notes. A notebook is simply a place that contains notes. Here is an example of a simple Evernote system on the Mac desktop version, three notebooks, Inbox, My Big Goal, Trash (Evernote comes with the trash notebook):

Stack-A Stack is a named container for Notebooks. In the example below, I have three notebooks in the Stack (My Big Goal Stack), Daily Goal Notebook, Monthly Goal Notebook, My Big Goal Notebook:

Tag–A keyword or term assigned to a piece of information (Note in Evernote) to help locate this infomation later. Tagging your notes in Evernote is another way to group your information beyond the notebook/stack organization. Notes can be associated with multiple tags:

Now it’s your turn. Create your first note in Evernote. Move the note into your first notebook, and tag it. Great! You are on the way to Evernote bliss!

Part 3-Examples of Evernote Uses

Here is a list of things to do with Evernote. The more experience you have with Evenote the more ways you will find to use it.

• Medical Records
• Trip Details: car rental, flights, hotels, restaurants, city attractions
• Recommended Contractors List: plumbers, electricians, moving company etc.
• Movies to Watch
• Books to Read
• Scan Business cards: using the Evernote App Scannable
• Meeting Notes: add action items with reminders
• Save Articles from the Web using Evernote Web Clipper
• Snap photos of anything you want to remember: architecture, colors, billboards, locations, etc.
• List of Gifts to Buy
• Bills to Pay (setup reminders-see Part 4)
• Packing List
• City List: Favorite Places to Go
• Business Expenses: using the Evernote App Scannable
• Bible Reading Highlights: Olive Tree Bible Study App-Syncs to Evenote
• Record All Your Tweets to Evernote: using IFTTT
• Save Important Email to Evernote: Evernote Plus Feature
• Automobile Service Records
• List of Famous Quotes
• User Manuals (download from the web, recycle paper manuals)

Part 4-Evernote Workflows

1. Bills to Pay: using Evernote Reminders and a Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500*
2. Create Links To Reference Material: in OmniFocus
3. Creating a Table of Contents in Evernote (see screenshots below)
4. Going Paperless With Evernote and Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500*

Links To Evernote Goodness

Evernote

YouTube Evernote Channel

Evernote Essentials 4.0*

Micheal Hyatts Evernote Achieves

Evernote App Center

*Affiliate Link: If you click on the link and purchase this product, I receive a small commission. I only recommend products or services I use myself. Thank you in advance for supporting the Productivity DJ.