Tag: Evernote

  • How I Use Evernote

    I’ve recently started using Evernote as an experiment on how it might improve my workflow and as a way to keep up to date as a technology consultant. I knew kind of what it was, but had no idea what I would use it for. I didn’t know why you would use Evernote instead of Notes on your iPhone. It seemed that everything Evernote did, there was already something out there that already did that, albeit separately.

    I admit I am late to the game as its been around for a while. Evernote was launched in June of 2008 and was made famous by Tim Ferriss in 2011 when he famously told CBS “I couldn’t do my job without it.” My friend, Jason, uses Evernote fanatically and his incessant pitch of the product eventually led me to see what all the hype was about.

    If It Aint Broke

    EvernoteI was used to emailing myself to take notes or storing ideas in Google Sites via Google Apps or creating Google Docs or by creating Word or Excel documents on my computer that I would then sync using Dropbox. It is/was a mess of a system, but I wasn’t really looking for a better way. You could say I was perfectly content in my mess, but I guess I just didn’t know any better. Consultants like David Allen’s Getting Things Done don’t require a specific set of tools like a Franklin Covey Planner or a Moleskine, but that you use a particular method of location-based activities; sorting; decision making; and action. Evernote can help with all of that, and here is how it is different than using separate apps on your iPhone.

    How I Use Evernote

    I am by no means an Evernote expert. I don’t even know everything there is to do with Evernote, but here is how I’ve been using it. I’ve started replacing emailing myself notes to making notes in Evernote. I didn’t know how this would benefit me, but I just did it anyway (asah shamah) and the immediate benefit was a cleaner inbox. All I was really doing by emailing myself was creating subsequent cleanup and organizational work later when I would have to reparse the information into either a document or a Google Site. By storing the notes in Evernote I was skipping a step because the note and the repository of the notes were one in the same.

    The second benefit of using Evernote was also discovered by accident. I wasn’t sure how Evernote was that much different than making notes on the iPhone Note app. On the surface it is not. Both take text and allow you to send it out. Technically both are available online if you have iCloud enabled and enabled to sync your notes, but here’s how Evernote is different: Evernote allows you to put more than just text into a note and it allows groups of notes to be stored in “Notebooks”. It’s an undercover project management tool that’s accessible from any device. You can put images, files, and even voice recordings all inside one note. That’s pretty different than iPhone’s Note app.

    Summary

    While I haven’t yet figured out how to share notebooks with other people, I have had them shared with me and I have shared individual notes with other people using text message and email. There is a paid version, which may be required to do more sharing, I’m not sure. A quick browse of their website indicates Premium is required for allowing others to edit notes and for storing larger files within notes. While on the site I also noticed Evernote has more products so that might be worth exploring too. For right now I have more than enough to explore and use in the free app, which is available for iPhone, Android, PC, and Mac. You can use it to take notes on any device, which means that your notes are available almost anywhere you go. That’s powerful and that’s how I use Evernote.

    Update 8/30/2013

    I’ve been throwing everything into Evernote lately because ‘it’s better than having it sit in my inbox’, but what it’s now starting to feel like is that ‘the action of putting things into Evernote’ is starting to replace actually doing something with the information.

    To come at this topic from another perspective: I hardly ever use my Evernote as a reference – I still just go out and Google again or wait for things to come to me. Maybe this will change over time, but I have to keep in mind the main thing, which is:

    I’m not using Evernote to store information, I’m using it to help me get stuff done better because of it’s organizational power. If I’m not actually getting any more done because of it, I might as well be printing out the web and storing it in a file cabinet.

    I sent this to a friend who said, “I tend to find Evernote is best at info you can’t find anywhere else again. So, paper receipts, bills, work orders, or logs of conversations with vendors all go great in Evernote particularly with OCR.”

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  • Syncing Outlook Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks with Android Using Gmail

    Tips for Outlook users wanting to sync their calendar, contacts, and tasks with their Android mobile devices

    People wanting to sync Outlook with their mobile devices are going to soon discover that syncing software has not quite gone “mainstream”. What programs and apps that are currently available may seem more like a hack, but they will get the job done.

    The Run-Down

    With the iPhone, iTunes is used to sync Outlook, but with Android devices, you have Gmail. Android users must use Gmail to sync Outlook to their mobile devices, which generally occurs in two steps:

    1. A program on the computer running Outlook uploads and downloads information to and from Gmail.
    2. An app on the mobile device running Android that pushes and pulls information to and from Gmail.

    Programs and Apps

    Syncing the Outlook Calendar with Gmail

    For syncing the Outlook calendar with Google Calendar, the most widely used program is Google Calendar Sync (free) from Google. This program runs on the computer running Outlook and can sync 2-ways or 1-way from Outlook to Gmail or from Gmail to Outlook. It works with XP 32-Bit, Vista, and Windows 7 for Office 2003, 2007, and 2010.

    Once Outlook’s calendar has been synced with Gmail, your Android mobile device will sync up the Android calendar app natively, provided the same Google account is used. In this way, your calendar is synced from your computer running Outlook to your Android mobile phone or tablet computer using Gmail as the ‘middleman’.

    Syncing the Outlook Contacts with Gmail

    There are two popular programs to sync your Outlook contacts with Gmail (both free) and they both run as an add-in inside Outlook rather than a stand-alone program like Google Calendar Sync. The first one is GO Contact Sync Mod and the second is Outlook4Gmail.

    Each have their options for syncing such as who wins out when their is a discrepancy and whether or not to delete a contact when deleted in either place. One thing I noticed about GO Contact Sync Mod though is that discrepancies cause a Window’s pop-up and Outlook asks for permission to allow the add-in when it begins to run. If either of those annoy you, you might try Outlook4Gmail.

    As long as the Gmail account used to sync from Outlook is the same as the one in use on the Android device AND the account is enabled in the contacts list (People), the contacts will be synced. Please note that if you chose to respect the deletes from Gmail, there is a chance that if you delete a contact on your phone or tablet that it will be deleted from your Outlook.

    Syncing the Outlook Tasks with Gmail

    Outlook tasks can be synced to Gmail with Gogtasks ($9) and gTasks is the app used on the Android device to retrieve and view them. It’s worth noting that in Outlook, tasks are organized by “Categories” and in Gmail tasks are organized by “Lists”. gTasks defaults to showing all of your categories/lists at once, but there is an option to show one at a time if you want.

    Looking for one program that does it all?

    CompanionLink (pictured) has Outlook to Gmail syncing software ($49.95), but it’s going to cost you over five-times as much as the other three solutions alone. A less costly option is gSyncit ($19.99) from Fieldston Software, which also syncs Outlook’s calendar, contacts, and tasks, but it also can synchronize notes and tasks with Toodledo, Evernote, Simplenote, and Dropbox.

    For tasks, regardless of if you go with CompanionLink or gSyncit, you’ll still have to use gTasks to view Outlook tasks on your Android device. This is because Android has no native app for tasks even though Tasks are native to Gmail.

    Want a comprehensive list of all of the Android sync programs?

    SyncDroid is a great resource for all of the apps and programs used to sync items on your computer to your Android device. Their metrics include: Price, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, Encrypt / Password, Email, Android Apps, Uses Gmail, Uses USB, Uses Wireless, Uses Wi-Fi, Uses Bluetooth, Exchange, Auto Sync, Outlook Version, Platform, Support, Android Version, Calendar Subfolders, Contact Subfolders, Calendar Categories, Contact Categories, Multiple Contact Folders, Multiple Calendars, Sync Contact Notes, Sync Contact Photos, Sync Direction, and Free Trial. You’ll find that no one program or app does it all, but this is very helpful for honing in on the what you need synced and what level of support you need for the syncing.

    For Android support in the Indianapolis area, call Erich Stauffer at 317-572-7521 or send us an email to setup an appointment. The first hour is $95, followed by $65 an hour after that billed at 15 minute increments. We look forward to being your Indianapolis Android support technician.