The who, what, when, where and how of Evernote.
Who? Nestled in Redwood, California is a private company founded by Stephan Pachikov called Evernote. Pachikov worked in optical character recognition(OCR) and handwriting recognition technology for the U.S. Postal Service and Lockheed Martin. Pachikov has a degree in fuzzy logic but there is lots of logic as to why Evernote is so great to use and there is nothing fuzzy about that.
What? Evernote is a productivity and organizing tool. This cloud based software allows you to collect information-notes, websites, scanned documents, files, handwritten notes. It’s very versatile. Here is a short list of the things Evernote can do:
Organize and scan business cards
Create and store audio files and voice memos
Daily journal
Lists, lists, and more lists
Project management
Tag notes
Scan receipts
Clip articles from the web
Store pictures
Collect and store travel plans
Store random bits of information
Organize your life
…and there are hundreds of other things it can do, the list is too long.
When? The beta version began in 2008. I can’t think back on a time Evernote wasn’t a part of my life, so we can clear that up and say 2008. If your new to Evernote, there are several versions. The free and basic version is for the beginner wanting to try it out. Once you fall in love with it, I suggested moving to a paid version-premium or plus.
Where? You can use Evernote on any device-phone, tablet, desk top computer, laptop. You can use it on the go. All the information is stored in the cloud.
Why? We all have thoughts that pop into our head-grocery lists, marketing ideas, things to do. Have you been in a meeting and drawn out thoughts and ideas on a white board? You can take a picture of that whiteboard, store it in Evernote and pull up the information when and wherever you need it. Ever gotten a handful of business cards and didn’t know what to do with them? You can scan them in Evernote, tag them for the people you want to follow up with. Evernote allows you a place to capture it all.
How? Still not sure how to use Evernote? Contact me, I’d be happy to help you choose a plan, navigate around Evernote and help you maximize how you use Evernote.
Margo Crawford is a Productivity Coach and Professional Organizer with Wave Productivity. She is an Evernote Community Leader who is trained to answer and guide people on the best ways to use Evernote. Margo works with entrepreneurs, small business owners and business professionals to help them get more focused, organized and productive in their workplace. If you want to get more organized in your office call 602-677-8275 or email [email protected].