Getting Things Done (GTD) in Evernote with Only One Notebook
A while back, I was working a job that required much more effort and responsibility than was reflected in my pay grade — familiar story? Well, combined with multiple side-projects, keeping up with my wife, newborn daughter, two dogs and a plethora of other things that required my time and energy, I was drowning. I started researching ways to get things done more efficiently. That’s how I first came across the cultural phenomena (some would just say cult…) that is GTD. A friend of mine who was “in the know” about such things was nice enough to lend me an audio version of a GTD seminar by David Allen. After about 2 weeks of listening (on the train, before bed, whenever I could), and an attempted implementation, I realized that I needed a system that was less file cabinets and paper and more suited to my digital life.
Enter Evernote… 
Update: If GTD isn’t your thing, check out our post on Action Method Online.
A Bit About GTD and Evernote
In the course of the seminar, I learned a lot about the Inbox. The Inbox is the basis of your GTD system. It provides you with a place to dump all of your thoughts, tasks and ideas as they come upon you; to be processed and organized into their proper place in the flow of things at a later (and regularly scheduled) time. This frees your mind to continue with what it is you are supposed to be doing at that moment, keeping you focused and saving you from the long, slow spiral into chaos that leads to spinning wheels, a nervous breakdown, or, if you are like me, overwhelm that can only be dealt with by marathons of violent and immersive video games. There are essentially five elements to your GTD system:
- Collect (this is the Inbox(es) part)
- Process
- Organize
- Review
- Do
Evernote provides with you one place to do it all, and particularly makes the organizing part easy to handle. More on this later. First…
Evernote is the Mother of All Inboxes
A good GTD system, one that works with your entire life, will require multiple Inboxes. Or, if you use Evernote, your system will have multiple Inboxes that all lead to one big pit of highly organized, bottomless stuff. That’s what Evernote is – a magic bag that you can just keep throwing things into; a magic bag that allows you to easily keep track of where each item is, when you put it in the bag, and what other items in the bag it relates to. Yes, I’m perfectly aware I said magic bag. Yes, I know I am a nerd. Moving on.
Before you can get started in the virtual world that is Evernote, you will need to do a few things in the real world. First, set up some real world inbox trays in the places you tend to frequent. Let other people know that the Inboxes are there, and that they are to use them rather than bother you when you’re busy. Set up your email in much the same way – there is a good article over at Lifehacker about using Gmail for a GTD system.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT check those emails or messages unless there is a blazing fire attached to them! Resist the urge!! DON’T DO IT!!! Just schedule yourself a time to sort through all of your Inboxes (first thing in the morning is usually best) and start the planning process from there.
Aside from Inboxes, you will need a file/folder structure to action all of your Inbox items into. I’ll go into more detail on the different files and folders later, but the basic set up is as follows:
- A File for your goals for easy reference, helping you to define them and stay on track
- Your Inbox(es)
- Next Action Files
- Tickler File
- Lists (Project Lists, etc)
- A Someday/Maybe File
- A Reference & Support Materials File
Evernote is a means to take quick notes from any computer that has the desktop client installed and/or internet access, but it’s more than just one more Inbox. Evernote can be your definitive inbox – and, more importantly, it’s the place where your file system will live.
How to Use Your Inboxes
Every morning, and whenever you have a bit of time available to you, you need to sort through the items in your collective Inbox. Collect every hastily scribbled note from your various real world trays, open up your email and your Evernote client, and go through each item, one by one. Don’t be overwhelmed… this is where things get good! The first thing you need to do is to decide if each item is actionable or not. If it isn’t, then you have four choices:
- Put it in your Tickler file to take a look at it at a later date.
- Put it in your Someday/Maybe file if it is something that you might want to do, sometime.
- Put it in Reference so you can look at it if you ever need to.
- Trash it.
Trashing it can be the highlight of your day, really. There is nothing quite like realizing that something is useless and doesn’t apply to you, and then simply getting rid of it! If the item you’re looking at is actionable, decide right then whether it is a standalone task or a project.
Definition of a project: If the item will take more than one step to complete, it is a project. Period.
Don’t argue with me about it – that David Allen guy is making a serious living off of this GTD business; helping people who run giant multi-national corporations – guy says it’s a project… it’s a project. Put it on your projects list. You can go through your projects later and assign the first step as a next-action task.
For standalone items, a general rule of thumb is, if the item will take less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. Get it off your plate and enjoy the feeling of gratification that comes from a job well done. If it will take longer than two minutes, decide what the next action is, and log it in the next-action files – even if that action is just to send an email (that takes longer than two minutes to write) to the person that you are delegating the task to. Move on to the next item. Rinse. Lather. Repeat until your Inbox sits empty before you and you hear the angelic tones on the air that only an empty Inbox brings. It’s a beautiful thing.
Now you’re ready to get to work.
Setting Up Your File System in Evernote
Tags, Tagging & Yes, More Tags
What is all this talk about next-actions and appropriate folders? Well, this is where things get truly organized and Evernote becomes your best friend. David Allen is old school. He likes to work with paper folders and files and a filing cabinet. He will even (at least he would have at the time that the seminar was recorded) print out key emails and place the printed copies in their appropriate folders. In my first attempt at getting set up, I thought I was quite clever and all environmentally friendly and such by organizing my email client with folders and labels that reflected my other filing system. A decent idea, but all of my items were spread out in at least two different systems and were quickly becoming redundant and hard to manage. I needed a way to keep everything in one place that did not require me to kill trees on a daily basis. The light dawned, the birds sang, and the Elephant called. This was an easy thing to do with Evernote.
You can add your emails into your Evernote GTD system for easy reference by forwarding to your Evernote email address; which is provided to you when you sign up, and you can find in the Account Settings area of your Evernote account, online.
At first, when adapting Evernote into my GTD system, I used multiple notebooks. My default notebook was used for my Inbox, and I created several others others for specific GTD folders and separate projects, each with their own category and sub-category tags. It was effective but a bit unwieldy when I needed to find something in a hurry, and I found it difficult to keep my tags in line. I started thinking more about tagging. Then I thought a bit more. Ever so slowly, my overstuffed filing cabinet of a brain realized that multiple notebooks were unnecessary for what I needed Evernote to do! All I needed was one notebook and a highly organized nested-tag structure.
Who Are You? Where Are You Really Headed? — Broader Focus
I started out with a "Broader Focus" tag. Evernote’s tag lists will sort alphabetically, so I prepended a 0- in front of it and encased it in asterisks to make certain that it will always come at the top – like this: 0 – *Broader Focus*. I then added a list of sub-tags called Goals, Objectives, Values, and Visions. In each of these is a few notes expounding on those ideals so that I can always refer to them to keep my life on track.
One Inbox to Rule Them All
Next, I added "0-Inbox". I drag everything that goes into Evernote into this tag and move each item out as it is dealt with. This tag is actually redundant, as the default notebook will contain all things untagged and they will be at the bottom of the notebook’s note list if you are diligent about keeping up with things. I like it though. I’m visual, and it helps me immensely to have an actual Inbox that I can look at with just one click.
Random Thoughts
I also use a Random Thoughts tag to keep things that are snippets of ideas that do not really have a home or even a goal attached to them yet. This is a good place to go for inspiration when working on something, or looking for something new to do.
Next Action Tags – Where You Really Get Things Done
Now come the Next Action lists. I use several nested tags to keep me organized in different places and at different times, such as whenever I am at work, or at home, or near a phone or computer.
The reason I have prefaced everything with the words "Next Action" is to make it easier on me when I’m searching for something, as well as to make certain that the tags are unique throughout the entire notebook. This is important, as Evernote will not allow duplicates, and you don’t want to accidentally put in a tag that is too similar to another tag, as that will cause confusion later. Think your naming conventions through before committing them!
As mentioned in the "A bit about GTD" part, above, as you go through your Inboxes, decide on a Next Action for each actionable item and then drag the item into the best place for that action to be completed. For example, if it is something that can only be done on your computer, put that item in the Next Action – At Computer tag. If it can be done on your computer at home or at work, then put it in both the Next Action – At Computer AND the Next Action – At Home tags. That way, when you are in front of a computer, or at home and wondering what is next on your list of things to do, you can click on either one of those tags and find that task waiting for you, thereby ensuring that it gets done in the most efficient manner possible. See? Tagging is fun!
The Tickler File – Check it Daily… No Funny Business!
If an item isn’t quite ready to be processed, or doesn’t need to be looked at right away, you can put it in your Tickler File. A Tickler File is something you check into daily to see if there is anything that you need to remind yourself to look at. David Allen uses an entire file cabinet drawer – Evernote can save you some space and is a lot more portable! All you need is a tag that is sub-tagged with each month, and a tag called Days that is sub-tagged from 1-31. You toss the items into the appropriate month, and when that month comes along, you review your tickler items and either set them up in the Next Action lists or drag them to the best corresponding day in the Days sub-tags.
Check the Tickler File’s Days section daily to see what you might need to be tickled on that day (say that five times fast…) and then process it accordingly (Next Action, change day/month, trash, reference, whatever you need to do with it).
Your Project List – Check It Weekly
In your Lists section, you can put all your various lists, i.e.: groceries, DVDs, music you love, and, most importantly for our purposes… your Project List. The Project List is where you put everything that requires more than one step to complete.
You can further sub-tag by project category, as in the image, and even go further by adding tags for the names of your larger projects, if you want to keep all of your project planning notes in Evernote as well. That’s a whole other post, though. The main thing to remember here is that the Project List needs to be reviewed weekly to make sure you’re on track. With each review, you will doubtless find new things for your Inbox or Next Action lists until the project is complete.
Someday/Maybe, If I had a Million Dollars
For items that are not actionable, or you are not ready to tackle now (but are not important enough to be tickled on) there is the Someday/Maybe list. I broke down my Someday/Maybe items into categories that are important to me for easy reference and reminders.
Reference & Support Materials – Your Personal Encyclopaedia
One of the most important tags in your notebook will be Reference & Support Materials. This is where everything ultimately ends up that you don’t trash. As with everything, organize it in the way that best suits you. Me, I took David Allen’s advice and set up a filing cabinet drawer (albeit a virtual one) with a "folder" for every letter of the alphabet.
When I file something, I file it under the letter that makes the most sense, whether it is the first letter of the company (e.g. General Motors), the first letter of the word that comes to mind immediately when thinking about it (e.g. Cars), or the first letter of the subject that the item would fall under (e.g. Bankruptcies in 2009). For easy remembering, you can tag it for all three, an advantage that Evernote gives you that a filing cabinet just can’t — at least not without killing a tree or five.
Pros, Cons & Tips
The main thing to remember here is to be disciplined about your review schedules. Everything else actually has some degree of flexibility, but you really do need to make sure you clear your Inbox every morning, check your Tickler File daily, update the Tickler day tags every month, and every week do a review of your Project List to make sure you are on top of things. And don’t forget to update your tags on each note as you move it around the file system. It is as easy as dragging and dropping notes on the tag itself (and you should delete any unneeded tags as well).
Even if you only adopt the rudiments of what is in this article, you will be well on your way to managing your workload better. Not to mention that you will have an entire filing and reference system almost anywhere you are! In fact, the accessibility of Evernote is its most prominent feature. You can access your notes or take new notes on any computer with a web browser and web access. If you have the Evernote mobile client on a supported smart/pda phone (I use an HTC Touch Windows Mobile 6 phone, and it is also available for Blackberry and iPhone, with Android on the way), you can keep your notes in your pocket.
Having the mobile client also eliminates the need for a notepad and pen. You can take notes anywhere, as long as you have battery life. As soon as you connect to the internet your mobile client will synchronize with your account. Watch your data, as data charges from your carrier will apply. Another tip for mobile use is to take pictures of notes that people leave you in your various real world inboxes. These will then upload to your Evernote account and the text will be searchable with Evernote’s built in HCR capability. You can process them at your leisure. Personally, though, I would rather process them as I look at them, as opposed to the additional step of taking a picture — and it would be a good idea to get a premium account if you are going to go the picture route; could be a lot of image uploading involved, and 45mb is smaller than you might think.
The main drawbacks I’ve found to using Evernote as a GTD system, whether you use one notebook or many, is that Evernote does not have a calendar or task monitoring feature. It is basically a pen and paper system online, with easy tag and search options. The API has been out there for a while though… I am still waiting for someone to connect the thing to Google Calendar. How about it? Anyone?
How do you Get Things Done? Do you use Evernote? If so, how?
Related posts:
- 10 Ways to Unclutter Your Mind using Evernote
- An Early Peak at Evernote’s Next Windows Version
- Evernote Windows Hack: Clip Web Pages as PDFs
- Combine Readability and Evernote Clipping With One Bookmarklet
- 7 Creative Uses of Evernote on the iPhone
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Great first article, Bobby. This is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while, but just didn’t know how. I think during my next free weekend I’m going to have to set aside some time to set up an Evernote GTD system, using your post as a guide. My current rudimentary GTD system has an inbox, and then boxes for “Do Now,” “Do Next,” and “Do Someday.”
Thanks Evan!
I honestly never figured myself for a GTD guy… but, as I get older, and therefore busier, I find my time to be more and more precious. There’s just so much I both want and need to -do-! So far, this is the best system I have found to make sure I am not just flitting about and accomplishing nothing.
Fantastic post – and this may be the answer for me. I had actually considered buying still another filing cabinet, because things are getting out of control at my house.
I love Evernote but had only been using it to save notes or stuff I find on the web, so I am eager to try this system.
Glad I could help Christie! I hope it works for you!
If you are trying to whittle down your current filing cabinet as well, and are not into spending a lot of time scanning or taking pictures of notes for later upload into Evernote, you may want to check out Shoeboxed (www.shoeboxed.com). They will take items you send them and (for a fee) scan it all into Evernote for you. I am not certain if they handle more than just receipts and business cards, though…
You have posted some interesting and thought provoking ideas.
One Inbox to Rule Them All
Next, I added “0-Inbox”. I drag everything that goes into Evernote into this tag and move each item out as it is dealt with.
Question: If you drag the note from 0-Inbox to another tag, the note continues to be tagged with 0-Inbox. Is there an easy way to get the 0-Inbox tag removed?
The Evernote method to remove a tag seems far too tedious if you have a lot of tags.
Sorry, but I must be missing something in the blog.
For instance, in the Tickler Section:
You toss the items into the appropriate month, and when that month comes along, you review your tickler items and either set them up in the Next Action lists or drag them to the best corresponding day in the Days sub-tags.
So, if you have a note tagged with October and you want to move it to August, do you drag it into the August tag, and then manually remove the October tag? I must be misunderstanding the concept, because that seems to be too much busy work.
Hi jbenson2,
Great questions! Basically, you are looking for a convenient way to remove tags in Evernote, am I right?
I know of 2 ways to do that (in the Windows client, anyway):
1. Point your mouse at the tag you want to remove, just at the tail-end of the word, and click to edit, then click again to remove the highlight, and either drag across the word and backspace or delete (or just manually type in your new tag. I find this fairly simple and quick to do.
2. When you have selected the post you want to edit, click the Tag button on the toolbar above. It will open a small pop up that lists your tags with check boxes. Since they are all in numeric/alphabetical order, it is a fairly simple matter (with good naming conventions) to then scroll down to 0-Inbox or October and deselect the tag(s) you don’t want. You can then scroll to and click the tag(s) you do want, or begin typing the tag in the Add box (it will auto-suggest as you type), or close the pop up and drag the item to the desired tag.
I hope that helps. If anyone else knows of a better or more convenient method to play tag, please let us know.
Using the web client or mobile clients, of course, will function somewhat differently. Mobile especially can be a pain, as the editing features are somewhat screwy, but I have yet to discover a situation with tags (for me) that can’t wait till I am on the desktop client — I live with my laptop though.
Appreciate the fast response. What I was looking for was a fast and easy way to remove a tag from an existing note. (your option #2)
The numerical system you are using certainly makes it easier to deselect a tag and then select a new tag, but it is more tedious for me because I have hundreds of tags. I use Evernote for a very large variety of personal, historical and political topics. Fortunately, I don’t have to change any of my tags.
Your system brings a new perspective to tags. So, I have added your numerical format to the top of my list of tags and will give it a try.
Yeah, I can see that the only way this would work for you is to have a specific modifier added to your tags to keep them all together and at the top of your list. It is too bad that Evernote does not support independent tagging per notebook, as that would solve your problem in a much cleaner fashion.
Best of luck! I hope you manage to configure things to suit your particular needs.
For implementing GTD you can use this web-based application:
http://www.Gtdagenda.com
You can use it to manage your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
A mobile version is available too.
That Dan fellow shows up with nearly that exact statement on many a post about Evernote and GTD… That being said, it seems like an interesting product, although it does not integrate with Evernote in any way that I can tell.
Maybe Dan can suggest it to them as a possible addition?
Good writeup! Evernote is great for GTD.
One of the interesting things I’ve found is how many different ways it can be implemented.
I like how you’ve implemented the tickler system using the tags, its very true to the original idea from David Allen. I just find that it’s easier to drop anything date related into my Google calendar. The downside being that you end up using two different systems, but I’m in Gcal all the time anyway, so it’s not a huge burden.
One other thing you might try: instead of using an Inbox tag, my inbox consists of any notes that don’t have any tags at all. This way everything captured automatically starts out in the inbox until it’s processed.
I set up a Saved Search to identify any untagged notes and that represents my inbox. You can read more about exactly how to do this here:
http://examinehealth.com/personal-productivity/69-gtd-and-evernote.html
@Ben – good catch on using the Saved Search to identify untagged notes and having THAT be your inbox.
I also like your “Saved Searches as Dynamic To-Do Lists” idea…implementing now!
E
Nice idea! I have been interested in incorporating saved searches in my system for a while, but have not yet decided to implement it.
I recognize that the way I handle the inbox is somewhat redundant, but works for me. I can see that the method you propose may be a good answer and may implement it when I get to the saved searches.
As for Gcal… I am turning blue in the face waiting for someone to connect Google Calendar and Evernote. The APIs are there… it can be done!
…If only I knew how to code well enough to do it.
Bobby Travis´s last blog ..CommentLuv now live on 40Tech, and Commenter vs. Commentator
Yeah, at first I got carried away with Saved Searches. Now I’m down to just the one for my “Inbox” and then I have one for “All To Do” that basically combines all my contexts together. Sometimes I just want to see everything on my plate at once. This accomplishes that.
100% agreed on the Gcal connectivity. It can’t be far off!
Ben Anderson´s last blog ..Do You Have Control of Your Mind?
On the Mac version, I don’t see a way to do the collapsable tags.. is that an option?
I am pretty sure Evernote for Mac has -more- options than the Windows program, not less — I am not familiar with the Mac version, however, so can’t confirm.
Check out this pdf, there is a Tags chapter in it that looks to support collapsing tags:
http://www.evernote.com/about/support/Evernote-Mac-Guide.pdf
I’ve spent this week working through the original GTD book and setting up all my stuff according to David Allen’s system. I found your article just in time. I was already convinced that Evernote was the way to go and, while my initial search for GTD + Evernote turned up some useful links, your implementation hits the nail on the head. (BTW, I’m using a Mac and, yes, it does support hierarchical tags; just create a new tag and drag it onto an existing tag) Another site turned me onto using search to identify non tagged items as Ben suggests. Thanks for documenting such a clean and straightforward how-to guide. It has really helped reinforce my understanding of how I’m going to use this system. You Rock!
One thing I added is a “Key Word” tag which I use as another heading. I put all the other random tags that I add to files under this heading. That way I can collapse the list of key words to keep the Tags hierarchy from stretching out too long.
Hi Allen!
I am gratified that you find the article useful! I like your keyword tag idea, too!
Pop back now and again and let us know how the implementation works out for you.
Bobby,
I am new to GTD and Evernote and I really appreciate your insightful article. Since I got my IPhone a couple months ago, I have been looking for ways to become more mobile and efficient in my personal projects in a paperless fashion (as for work, I am a government employee and have severe restrictions with the technology I can use).
I noticed that you are trying to find a way to incoroporate Evernote to your Calendar and Task on a mobile. Well, Reqall allows has a built in capability to automatically search a Task to Evernote if you use the right keywords with your task to the item in question by clicking “Related Items.”
Reqall also will post items to your Google Calendar and iCal. So Reqall might be that missing link that you are looking for until something better comes along.
You should consider submitting your article to Evernote directly, and get credit for your idea. Perhaps they can feature it in one their podcasts or make it into a YouTube Video.
Glad you found the post helpful, Amateo!
And thank you for your tip on Reqall. We have talked about the new Reqall/Evernote integration elsewhere on the site, but it never made it into a post update. I believe you have to be using the paid version Reqall for full integration don’t you? And iPhone only? I use Reqall for Windows Mobile, combined with my evernote email address to accomplish some semblance of that functionality, but it is sadly lacking and too much of an extra step. Hopefully there will be apps with better integration on all platforms at some time in the near future. Hope springs eternal!
Maybe I’ll take a moment and submit the article to Evernote — I’m more than happy with your general recommendation though!
Hey Bobby – many thanks for this article. On the strength of your recommendation I am checking out Evernote and attempting to use it to create my own GTD system modeled on yours
One thing that wasn’t clear to me from your article was exactly how you are converting an incoming note, email, voice memo, etc. to an actionable “Next Action” or to-do list item. I know Evernote lets you insert to-do style checkboxes into a note, but it doesn’t seem ideal to manage a bunch of separate items with their own checkboxes…I’d rather have some sort of consolidated top-level view of which tasks have been done and which haven’t.
I am contemplating adding a 2nd piece to the puzzle just for tracking open To-Do’s or Next Actions – something like Things (for the Mac) or even just a master Excel spreadsheet or something…but would appreciate it if you could expand a bit on how your are doing it within Evernote.
Thanks much…and thanks again for a very helpful article!
Erik
Hi Erik,
Glad you enjoyed the article!
Mainly, the GTD process or inbox review takes care of much of the incoming items, it just requires a slight bit of transcription, which is actually good as it puts you in a thinking/categorizing frame of mind. For digital items, especially email, you can simply forward the message to your evernote email, which will send items directly into a new note (you still have to add tags to it, so there is a tiny, tiny bit of double processing). You can do the same with the evernote webclipper and if you are an Outlook user, there is a plugin just for you. — You can also use Evernote Mobile and your phone’s digital camera to take pics of everything from a dinner menu to a post it note to a whiteboard, and send it automatically to Evernote, complete with GPS co-ordinates.
You can also use programs like ReQall to either send stuff via your evernote email or via program integration (see the comments just above this set). ReQall is a great way to capture notes via the site, app or even over the phone and will add a calendaring aspect to your tasks that can also be integrated with Google Calendar or iCalendar and the like.
As for task lists with checkboxes, this system actually discourages that. Each note should be an actionable item or categorized into one of the other tag sets. Once the item has been actioned, its status changes and the note should therefore be moved to a new tag or deleted entirely. This is done either on the fly, as you move forward or finish the item, or in the weekly project review or daily inbox review.
If you are finding it hard to get away from the need to check off tasks and make them disappear or contain a little check box — which many people need to feel they are moving forward — add a checkbox to the beginning of each note by using ctrl+shift+C (not sure about the Mac command) and check it off to indicate it is finished and then handle moving the note in your review process, or combine your system with something like the Adobe Air app DooMe, Remember the Milk, or the Action Method system (covered here as an alternative: http://www.40tech.com/2009/11/10/gtd-not-working-for-you-try-action-method-online/).
Finally, if you are looking to hammer out a custom workflow, check out Tarpipe (www.tarpipe.com) and see what you can do with it. They are integrated with Evernote and many other services.
I hope this adequately answers your questions!
Have fun with Evernote!
Bobby, thanks for the comments – I appreciate it very much.
Just to clarify, it sounds like you are basically creating a separate Evernote note for each individual Next Action, is that right?
At this point I am using Evernote as a “universal brain dump” for reference material – some percentage of which needs to get parsed into Next Actions (or Projects).
If incoming stuff is actionable, it seems easier to me to distill the specific Next Action into one line on my master to-do list, where I can put it in my “ASAP Stack”, assign it to a specific day or simply defer until time becomes available. I like having a top level view of all open Next Actions, and I’m not sure how you would get that using Evernote (unless you are re-titling each note with its Next Action…which might impede your ability to keep track of project-associated reference material, no?)
I totally “get” using Evernote as the master capture tool (and digital file cabinet for reference stuff) in my personal GTD workflow. At least for now, though, I am thinking I’d probably want to track individual Next Actions elsewhere…and will check out those other options you mentioned (e.g. Remember The Milk etc).
Anyway, thanks for the insight – I really appreciate it!
You are correct, sir!
And yeas, a top down view in Evernote would be a difficult task. You may be able to use a task list creator that will send you an email of your list (sent to you Evernote email) to send you regular emails of your list in evernote. This could help you with your brain dump, in any case.
For what you want to do though, I highly recommend continuing with Evernote as your filing cabinet and checking out Action Method Online. It may suit you better, overall, in the way it handles tasks (similar to GTD, but different methodology).
Best of luck and let me know what works out for you!
ReQall is terrific. I use the paid version on my Blackberry and it is integrated with my Evernote. I use the Scansnap with my Mac on which my Evernote resides. It has helped me vastly reduce the paper piles I seem to collect. If I have any doubt I just scan it into Evernote and throw out the paper. With the tags I can always find it if I need it.
Hi,
Just discovered EN in Nov. 09. Have clipped, photographed and sent everything I can find into it since then! FABULOUS! Husb is SICK of hearing about it, so I just downloaded it on his IPhone. He says he’s “too busy” with “too much to do” to keep track of it all….ahhhhhhhhh the pleasure of EN! He’ll get it and the overtake me in its uses,
Here’s what happens when you introduce someone to EN. Yesterday(1/26/10) I shared what En with the Real Estate Technology committee. They were discussing as a goal becoming more organized and efficient using technology.This got me the assignment of presenting a CLASS on EverNote in April! I REALLY want to show a clear,visual,tangible
presntation of how EN works for EVERYTHING in a business or personal environment.I want all of them to use EN. Is there a flow sheet, or a powerpoint that I could get to demonstrate this? If not, why can’t YOU just make a flowsheet, send it to me and I will make it into a powerpoint?! Seems reasonable to ME!
I like this article and the organizational thinking, but then I’m a little OCD. For my use, I use JOTT and EN. I send a voice to JOTT, which converts it to text and sends it into En(address in contact list). I add a tag at the end of the note,along with next actions and that’s that.I can sort efficiently. Thanks for all you do, congrats on the 2Million Mark. Help me with the class. Make TOTE bags with the logo and beach towels. St. Simons is a beachy resort with techy types and they would love it! I’m a self taught user but market well. Come visit, I’ll sell you on the area and good housing at reduced prices. You could do a class at the local college and Chamber of commerce….It would be a write off and good PR! Not to mention that the weather is wonderful and the Southern Hospitality is terrific!
Babs, this is either the most impressive bit of stream of consciousness I have ever seen in a comment, or the most creative spam piece I have ever come across! Props where props are do. I’m keeping this one up…
Thanks for the comment!
Bobby, do you use either Jott or ReQall to log voice-to-text messages in Evernote? Love to hear your feedback, if any. Muchas Gracias!
I use ReQall as it is freely available to me in Canada (where I be from, eh…). I looked in to Jott, but found that it wouldn’t work for me — though that was well over a year ago.
You may also want to check out Dial2Do — my partner here, our illustrious founder and fellow Evernote worshipper, Evan — uses both Dial2Do -and- ReQall (he posted about Dial2Do recently, should still be on the front page of the blog).
Hey Bobby – just some quick feedback on your “One Notebook GTD” method
I’ve been using my own riff on your tagging system for the last couple weeks and it has been working awesome. I pretty much killed Things, OmniFocus and Remember The Milk in favor of using Evernote as my “all in one” app in the manner you describe. Having individual EN items as “To Do’s” or action items has actually been a lot more intuitive than I thought – stuff simply gets deleted or re-tagged as it gets “done”, and I do not miss having a checkbox to tick (like in Things or OF). Plus, having an EN note for each next action item gives me a handy place to deposit notes or needed information relevant to a particular item.
Now if I could just figure out the best “voice-to-text” service it would make things perfect! (I like Dial2Do a lot, but no iPhone app yet…
Anyway, so far, so good… but just wanted to say thanks!
So glad I was able to help, Erik! As you further modify things to suit your needs, please post back and let us know what you come up with!
Try ReQall. I love how it works with Evernote. You can use it for free and try it. It can be connected with Evernote. I have ReQall on my Blackberry. I am just an average techie user, not a super sophisticate. I find it very easy to use and totally rely on it now that I got acquainted with it. Just go to http://www.reqall.com.
I have to agree with Ann, Erik. We’re big fans of ReQall over here — not so big as Evernote, mind you, but we like it lot’s…
Great Post– Just got the free EN weg. I am having trouble creating sub-tags. I tried creating a new tag and then dragging it into an existing tag, but nothing happens..?
is there another procedure to do this?
Im using Windows XP.
thanks!
Hi djFritzo — I’m not having that problem with older versions of Evernote or with the latests 3.5.1. Make sure you have the latest version, and if the problem persists, I suggest contacting Evernote technical support. I’ve found them to be pretty good in the past.
It actually works, but only after I refreshed the page! Again thanks for the reply and a great post.