You’ve probably heard of Evernote. Some call it a note-taking service, or an organization tool, or an archiving platform, but none of those terms are enough to convey just how much you can do with it. Evernote is, quite simply, an online spot to store anything and everything you might find of interest, to read or utilize later. The more you add, the more useful it becomes.
You can add to or access info on Evernote from the Web, full desktop programs for Windows (which we give a full five stars in our review) and Mac, or via mobile devices like iPhone, iPad, Android, or Windows Phone. Every single one of those interfaces has earned our Editors’ Choice award. That’s a lot of awards.
However, there is a new wrinkle: as of Aug. 19, if you have the free basic version, you can only sync notes to a max of TWO devices (not counting the Web-based interface). If you want full access on everything, as in the past, you need to pay for Premium Evernote.
There are also Evernote extensions for Web browsers, a handwriting and drawing app for iPads, even hardware that makes it especially helpful to input hard copy info into the service, including a special scanner.
That doesn’t even take into account the ecosystem of third-party software, apps, and services that make it a breeze to add items to your Evernote repository. There is even a version for Business users who want document sharing and collaboration tools in their teams.
Extras are great, but they don’t spell out just how to use Evernote. There are no lack of methods and best practices for getting the most out of the service. From what you can store to how you store it, there’s plenty to try. The competition from Microsoft, the totally free OneNote, is also worth considering as it’s better for taking typed notes—but as an info storehouse, Evernote can’t be beat.
Evernote’s got some issues, business-wise. It was one of the first Silicon Valley “unicorns,” a company valued at a billion dollars before it made a cent. Now, it’s having trouble monetizing its platform: a buzzwordy way of saying it needs to make money, and that’s why it’s killing products like Clearly and charging for things that used to be free. But that’s the price we’ll pay if we want to keep this service around.
So here’s our take on the top tips you need to get the most out of Evernote. If you do it right, it’ll be the database of your entire existence, make your day-to-day life that much simpler, and hopefully keep the company in business for many years of storage to come.
2. Clip the Web
3. Email to Evernote
The subject line will become the name of the note. You can make sure it’s filed right by adding @notebook, !date for a reminder, and/or #tag. Here’s an example:
Lowes Hose Purchase @Receipt !2014/05/05 #household.
You can also add emails to existing notes by using a + at the end of the subject line, adding it to a note with the same title as your subject line.
8. Secure Your Research
9. Track Expenses via Smartphone
There are many third-party apps like CamScanner (free for iOS and Android) that make the process of inputting the images even easier. In fact, Evernote makes one for iOS only, called Scannable—another Evernote product that got our Editors’ Choice award.
10. Create Notes With Apps
11. Auto Detect Post-it Notes
12. Use Moleskine for Better Notes
Optionally, you can get the $199 Moleskine Smart Writing Set ($199.00 at Moleskine)
with a smart pen that works with Evernote and other services—it’s our PCMag Editors’ Choice for smart pen input devices.
13. IFTTT: Save Notes from Everywhere
No app is more powerful in this regard than If This, Then That (IFTTT). Because it ties in with so many other services, you can use it to create recipe after recipe. Among the most popular things you can send to Evernote instantly: tweets, starred Gmail messages, favorited items in Pocket or on Twitter, Instagram photos, Feedly articles, reminders made with Siri, any RSS feed, and Foursquare check-ins. You can even create a diary of Facebook messages. The list is practically infinite, limited only by your creative coupling of services and their triggers. Dump everything in Evernote and search/sort it later.
14. Scanner Time: Go Truly Paperless
If you’re really brave with your paperwork, send it all to Shoeboxed.com via snail mail. They’ll scan them and put them in your Evernote account. After a free trial, the basic service is $9.95 a month for 50 docs per month, up to $49.95 a month for 500 docs per month. You can get five docs scanned per month for free.
15. Integrate with Webmail
16. Blog by Notebook
17. Academic Success Via Evernote
19. Map the Mind of Evernote
22. Watch a Folder
28. Learn the Search Syntax
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQsUrXFb33k
For example, use “tag:” (without quotes) followed by a term just to search tags. The “created:” or “updated:” operator, followed by a date in the form YYYYYMMDD can find specific dates; follow it with something like “day-2” and it’ll find everything from the last two days. If you’re looking for your task lists, the “todo:” operator only looks for notes with check boxes. Look just in the title of a note with “intitle:” and in a specific notebook with “notebook:”. The “source:” operator followed by “web.clip” or “mobile” limit searches to those sources. Learn them all. The video above will help.
29. Master the Shortcuts
Ctrl + N = New note
Ctrl + Shift + N = New notebook
Ctrl + Shift+ T = New tag
Ctrl + K = Add a hyperlink
Ctrl + Q = Quit Evernote
There are plenty more to be found in the Essential Evernote Shortcut list.
30. Use Evernote Like PowerPoint
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RImpdq3wmX8
31. File Your Statements Automatically With FileThis
32. Search and Transfer Notes/Files with Otixo
34. Pair Better with Google Drive (Soon)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dycD60u-dys
35. Integrate Evernote with Microsoft
36. Transfer it All…to OneNote
Of course, there are better ways to make the “backup” between the two services a constant thing: use IFTTT or Zapier to connect separate services. It works best for Evernote-to-OneNote transfers, not so much the other direction. However, Evernote’s Greg Chiemingo notes that there are a lot of file types Evernote supports that don’t transfer, such as ink notes, note links, and any item you have encrypted.
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