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How to Organize Evernote for Maximum Efficiency

How to Organize Evernote for Maximum Efficiency
Please note: The way I organize Evernote today is completely different than what I wrote here. You can find my updated methodology here. I have been using Evernote for months. However, I have not really taken time to explore the depth of this incredible program until just recently. Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/STEVECOLEccs However, thanks to Brett Kelly’s very helpful e-book, Evernote Essentials, the Evernote user forum, and a little experimentation, I have begun to see the incredible power of this digital repository. It all begins by establishing a solid organizational structure. If you are just getting started with Evernote, I suggest that you buy Brett Kelly’s remarkably practical e-book, Evernote Essentials, 4.0. First, let’s define some terms: Notebooks: These are collections of individual notes. I tend to think of stacks and notebooks as a vertical (or hierarchical) way of organizing, and tags as a horizontal (or lateral) way of organizing. Here are my current tags: Related:  GTD

The Item Hierarchy in v0.8 Parents and children When we want to get something done - like, say, get a web-package to manage my task list - then usually I can't do it in one action: it gets broken down into several tasks. So, I create a project "get a web-package to manage my task list", and then I set out what the very next thing I have to do, to start making that happen: "search web for existing GTD software". That's a next action, and the sole reason I'm doing it is to get one step closer to making the project happen. A lot of the things I do are very specific, with a definable completion status - they are projects. A description of the hierarchy In 0.8, the hierarchy of projects and actions that form the core of the GTD productivity system, has been extended as follows: Values -> Vision -> Roles -> Goals -> Projects -> Actions This is a synthesis of the hierarchy set out in Covey (needs reference) , with the runway-50,000ft analogy set out in the GTD book. For these four categories: You can use it as you see fit.

Outlook 2010: Mail Alert Notification From Specified Sender Undoubtedly Desktop Mail Alert Notification is a great feature of Outlook 2010, but it happens sometime that you don’t want to be buzzed every time a new email arrives in your Inbox, and only need to be notified when a mail is received from specified persons. So if you have been on the look out for a way to alert you on specific emails only, then this post may help. Launch Outlook 2010, on the File menu click Options, and navigate to the Mail option in the left side column, under the Message Arrival section. Uncheck Display a Desktop Alert. This will disable all the desktop alert mail notifications. Switch to Home tab, select the mail from the specific sender on which you want active mail alert notification, and from the Rule drop-down button, click Create Rule. You will reach Create Rule dialog, click Advance Options. From Rules Wizard, enable the specific sender checkbox on which you want to activate desktop alert notification, and Click Next. Advertisement

10 Tips for Using Evernote Effectively Evernote is a tool for keeping track of, well, everything. At least everything as far as digital information goes, or information that can be digitized. Evernote comprises a Web-based service and clients for Windows, Mac OS X, mobile devices, and extensions for Web browsers. It's a service I've been using for years, and over that time I've picked up a few tips and tricks for getting the most out of the tool. Learn the Shortcuts If you're using Evernote on the desktop, you'll want to start by learning the keyboard shortcuts. If you have something in the clipboard you want to create a note from, you can use Cmd-Ctrl-V to start a new note with whatever's in the system clipboard. Want to search for something that's in Evernote? The Evernote Web site has a full list of Windows shortcuts and Mac shortcuts. Use Evernote as an Address Book and Contact Manager I've yet to find a contact manager/address book that I actually like, whether it's Web-based or native desktop software. Local Folders

How to Get Your Stuff into Evernote It is no secret that I am a big fan of Evernote. It is one of those amazing tools that can radically boost your productivity. I use it probably more than any other program other than Mac Mail. It has enabled me to realize my dream of a paperless office. But Evernote can also be initially intimidating. If you are just getting started with Evernote, I suggest that you buy Brett Kelly’s remarkably practical e-book, Evernote Essentials, Second Edition. Now, after several months of really exploring the program, I have discovered ten different tools for getting my content into Evernote: Type It. Record it. You don’t have to use all of these techniques, of course. Question: Which of these tools do you find yourself using the most? Want to launch your own blog or upgrade to self-hosted WordPress?

A Closer Look at How I Organize My Notes In Evernote Of all of the questions I get in my capacity as Evernote’s ambassador for paperless lifestyle, the one asked most frequently is: “How do you organize your notes?” I’ve written on this subject before, way back in May, when I provided some tips on organizing your digital filing cabinet. But if I have learned one thing about note organization in the months since, it’s that it is an evolving process. At least, that’s the way it has been in my case. So this week, I thought I would dive into more detail on how and why I organize my notes the way I do, and in doing so, take a closer look at note organization in general. ETA (1/30/13): I’ve created a subsequent post that annotates my actual notebook and tag structure because a lot of people asked for it. A Caveat About Organization The question I get asked is “how do you organize your notes.” Defining Goals In my earlier post on the subject, I suggested that the very first step in note organization was defining your goals. Documents.

Time management systems - how to choose from the leading systems. Time Management Systems - There are many time management systems available today. An effective system is a key part of getting control of your time. Most people need some sort of a system to save time and make time -- because it is pretty much impossible to keep it all in your head.We like to save you time so we have summarized the key aspects of some of the leading systems available. The Systems we have selected for this overview are: Getting Things Done - GTD - David Allen Time Management Franklin Time Management -- Fraklin Covey Time Power -- Brian Tracy Time Managament from the Inside Out -- Julie Morgenstern Firstly lets look at why you should consider using a System at all. The idea of a System is that it captures all key information. Next we move on to what we suggest you look for as a starting point for your System. Look for a System that includes: 1. Please note, that we are talking about a system here, not a planner or diary. So, we have summarised 4 leading systems for you.

Set Up Single Inbox Folder For All Accounts In Outlook 2010 Undoubtedly, Outlook 2010 stands out when it comes to managing multiple email accounts, but it does not present any direct way to create a single Inbox folder, containing all mails from different email accounts. For example, if you want to view emails received from all configured email accounts including Yahoo Mai, Gmail, Hotmail etc., you cannot set a single folder for receiving or mirroring emails received in each email account. Fortunately, the Rules feature has the ability to set up a single folder for receiving mails from different email accounts. It allows you to set up a generic Inbox folder for receiving all mails in one folder. Thus, you don’t need to check each account for new emails manually since all emails will be collected in a single folder. Launch Outlook 2010 and from the left sidebar, select an account, right-click it and hit New Folder.

9 Evernote Products You Have to Try You've heard a ton of positive stuff about Evernote, but rather than learn about its seemingly endless functionality, you've left the app sitting lonely and unused in the Productivity folder of your iPad. After all, Evernote offers so many features, it can get overwhelming — especially when you'd so much rather take a big old nap. In an effort to help you learn more about Evernote's potential, we explored its branded products and partner apps. Apart from Evernote's basic note, memo and archive tools, these products expand the functionality of the app for a richer, more organized experience. SEE ALSO: 7 Photo Editing Apps to Use With Instagram Use these tools to document your travels, save online content, sketch over photos and even create food porn. How do you use Evernote?

How To Encrypt Evernote On Mac OSX In yesterday’s post, we discussed how to encrypt your Evernote database on Windows. Today, we will be going through how to do the same thing using Mac OSX. Unfortunately it is slightly more cumbersome, but it is certainly do-able. Encrypting Text Inside A Note The “official” way to do encryption in Evernote is to simply encrypt any sensitive text in a note. This is easily done in the Evernote UI Step 1: Select the text you want to Encrypt. Step 2: Right-click (or Command-Click) and choose Encrypt Selected Text. Step 3: Make up a passphrase that you will later use to decrypt this text. Step 4: Your text will now show as encrypted in Evernote. Encrypting Your Evernote Database Here is where things get fun. What is an encrypted sparsebundle? When you read this it might look kinda technical, but its not that bad. Note: You are going to be be moving around your Evernote files. Step 1: Click on Applications, then Utilities and choose Disk Utility Step 2: Go to File, then New then Blank Disk Image

6 Ways To Secure Your Dropbox Account Dropbox is a hugely popular cloud storage service beloved by many. Unfortunately, it’s had a history of security problems, ranging from compromised accounts to once allowing access to every Dropbox account without requiring a password for several hours. If you’re using Dropbox, there are a variety of ways you can secure your account against unauthorized access and protect your files even if someone does gain access to your account. Enable Two-Step Verification Dropbox now supports two-step verification, also known as two-factor authentication. With two-step verification enabled, you’ll have to enter both your password and a security code from your mobile phone whenever you sign into the Dropbox website or add a new device to your account. To enable two-step verification, log into your Dropbox account, open the Settings page, and click the Security tab. You can receive codes by either text messages or via a smartphone application such as Google Authenticator. Get Email Notifications

GTD in 15 minutes – A Pragmatic Guide to Getting Things Done GTD—or “Getting things done”—is a framework for organizing and tracking your tasks and projects. Its aim is a bit higher than just “getting things done”, though. (It should have been called “Getting things done in a much better way than just letting things happen, which often turns out not to be very cool at all”.) Its aim is to make you have 100% trust in a system for collecting tasks, ideas, and projects—both vague things like “invent greatest thing ever” and concrete things like “call Ada 25 August to discuss cheesecake recipe”. Sound like all other run-of-the-mill to-do list systems, you say? One of the basic assumptions of GTD is that you are dumb—or, rather, that your subconsciousness is quite dumb when it comes to thinking about things you should have done. Jessica Kerr put it perfectly: Pretend your brain is a white board. A great part of the “magic” is to convert both tasks and whims into physical and visible actions as you soon will see. Awesome! Agenda contexts But… why‽

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