I love Evernote! It has become a core tool in all of my business planning, tracking, note taking, and organization. Here are some reasons Evernote is awesome and why you should use it. Plus, it is 100% free for most users.
Table of Contents
Install on All Your Devices
The first thing to do when you sign up for a free Evernote account is to install the Evernote app on all of your devices. I have Evernote on my four laptops, my tablet, and my phone. Evernote makes an app for all of the most popular devices including Window, Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows 8.
Brainstorming
I keep Evernote open in the background all day when I’m working, playing, or anywhere near a computer. When I come up with a new blog post idea, business idea, or thought to improve what I’m doing, I just jump on Evernote and jot down the idea. It is magically available on all of my devices automatically.
Track Reading Material
I always do my best to be an industry insider. Whether I am staying on top of financial information for Narrow Bridge Finance or small business trends for this site, I always work hard to be well versed in news, insights, and current events.
When I get a news email I want to reference later or find an article I want to come back to, I don’t have to bookmark it or keep it open until I need it, I can copy a section or clip an entire article with the Evernote web clipper for Chrome. I’ll be able to find it when I need it.
Receipt Repository
Most of my business spending is online. Whether it is new web software from Copyblogger, office supplies from Amazon, or a new office computer, I buy almost everything from an online vendor. In fact, the Microsoft Surface tablet I am writing this post on came from an online purchase at the Microsoft website.
When I get an online or emailed receipt, I don’t print everything right away. Instead, I clip the receipt and add it to a dedicated notebook for receipts for each business by calendar year. That way, everything is in one place when tax time rolls around.
Project Planning
Working on a new project for your business. Track your progress, notes, and everything you need in one place with a dedicated projects stack (a group of notebooks) with a notebook inside for each project.
I was recently working on a new product and wanted the research and drafts to be quickly accessible in one central place. I put everything in a dedicated notebook and it made the project much easier on me.
Feed with IFTTT
I recently shared a post explaining how to use IFTTT to automate tasks for your business. IFTTT, or “If This Then That,” is a free tool that is great for any entrepreneur trying to save time.
I didn’t mention one huge benefit of IFTTT. It can link to your Evernote account so you can automatically add items to notes or notebooks when you take actions with other apps. You can create a recipe to add any item from your Pocket reading list to Evernote. Or you can forward product order emails. Maybe you will want to create a repository of customer information from a web form? There are virtually unlimited uses for IFTTT and Evernote.
Give it a Try, It Doesn’t Cost Anything
I started using Evernote slowly for listing blog post ideas and storing recipes. Over time, I have begun using it for more and more. I have never spent a cent for anything I need. If you want more power, the premium version can index PDF files and give you more bandwidth to upload larger files like audio and video.
How do you use Evernote? Share your best tips in the comments.
About Carson Derrow
