The secret to organizing your work and personal life

I wrote half of this blog post while sitting in the waiting room of my doctor’s office, as the minutes ticked by and my appointment time became a thing of the past. I didn’t use pen and paper, though. All I needed was my Smartphone and a handy little app called Evernote.

From capturing ideas for the project you’re working on to meeting notes to shopping lists and more, Evernote allows you to keep your important information in one place. In this fast-paced world, every minute counts and an app that can make your life easier by capturing your thoughts can be a lifesaver.

The basic, free version of Evernote is a useful tool whether you’re at work or off-the-clock. Here are seven of its top features:  

1. Access anywhere – via Smartphone, tablet or desktop computer.
2. Add attachments or photos – either from your existing library or in real-time from your phone or tablet.
3. Create tags for easier searching.
4. Set reminders.
5. Record audio to listen to a note later.
6. Share with others.
7. Save in the cloud.

But with a little more time – and money – you can go even further.

For example, if you use Google Chrome, you can download an extension that allows you to save websites to your Evernote account as you search the Web. Called Evernote Web Clipper, the functionality is similar to Delicious but better – you can actually save the full visual or part of page, rather than just the link (but you can save only the URL, if you prefer). Check out this cool video that shows you how to use it.

And, if you want to go paperless, you can sync your scanner to Evernote. Just download the scanner app, and you’re off and running. Better yet, if you’re willing to invest a cool $495 for ScanSnap, a scanner developed by Evernote and Fujitsu, you may find the task to be even easier. But be warned: the basic version of Evernote only allows 60 megabytes of uploads per month, with some limits on attachment and note size. (Read all the details from Evernote here.)

Need more space? Try Evernote Premium. For $5/month (or $45/year), you are allowed 1 gigabyte of uploads per month with a maximum of 100 megabytes of note size. This version also offers a presentation mode that allows you to easily turn your notes into an appealing visual layout.

But if that’s not enough, recognizing that a majority of its users use Evernote for work purposes, Evernote Business launched in 2012. This platform offers even more functionality geared toward companies. While I haven’t used the application – which costs $10/month per member – according to its website, features include a central directory where you can access and share company content; presentation mode; the ability for employees’ personal and business accounts to be connected; and even more storage and upload capacity.

Do you use Evernote for business or personal uses? Love it? Hate it? Leave a comment here to share your thoughts.

References:

1. Ang, Sarah, “Getting to Know Evernote Business,” Mashable.com, July 10, 2013, accessed February 27, 2014, http://mashable.com/2013/07/10/evernote-business-2/.
2. Dachis, Adam, “How I Went Completely Paperless in Two Days,” Lifehacker.com, January 7, 2013, accessed February 27, 2013, http://lifehacker.com/5973033/how-i-turned-three-years-of-paper-into-a-highly-organized-searchable-document-database-in-two-days.
3. Evernote, “What’s New in Evernote Web Clipper.” Evernote.com. http://evernote.com/webclipper/whats_new/?firstlaunch (accessed February 27, 2014).
   —, “What are the limits of my Evernote account? Upload quota, note size, notebook count, and more?” Evernote.com. http://evernote.com/contact/support/kb/#!/article/23283158 (accessed February 27, 2014).
   —, “Business Features,” Evernote.com. http://evernote.com/business/features/ (accessed February 27, 2014).
   —, “Life Decluttered,” Evernote.com. https://www.evernote.com/market/feature/scanner?utm_expid=6007595-7.uDDJlX6mRVWCY_Zl7Fz3jQ.1&utm_source=en_blog&utm_medium=en_blog&utm_campaign=The%20Best%20Scanning%20Experience:%20ScanSnap%20Evernote%20Edition%20Scanner (accessed February 27, 2014).
   —, “Scanner Pro,” Evernote.com. http://appcenter.evernote.com/app/scanner-pro/ipad (accessed February 27, 2014).
4. Rubin, Jamie Todd, “Going Paperless: Scanning to Evernote, Revisited,” jamierubin.net, April 30, 2013, accessed February 27, 2014, http://www.jamierubin.net/2013/04/30/going-paperless-scanning-to-evernote-revisited/.