Affiliate Disclosure
So about a year ago was when I first started thinking about starting a blog and considering a slightly more unconventional route for my future. When I started doing my research I would have one workbook for things I found online and one for anything interesting I found on podcasts. I am also a pretty avid reader so would take notes on interesting things I read. This is worthwhile in my opinion but also very time consuming when done the conventional way. I also had a notebook for any offers that needed completing for matched betting and there was also my year abroad in Spain that I was preparing for. Any new vocabulary needed to be put in a separate book too…
The result? An overwhelming amount of notes that took an age to both write-down and go back to. There was a lot I was trying to learn and that system just wasn’t working.
That’s when I first heard about Evernote. An incredible note-taking app/database which I have been using daily since I first got it. This is definitely a tool you will want to consider if you ever feel overwhelmed with notes like I did, if you are at university or college and need to complete work which requires a load of notes and research (also me), or you just want a tidier, digital method of storing your favourite book quotes.
Without further ado, let’s dive in…
Key Features of Evernote
Create Separate Notebooks
Within the database, there is an option of creating separate notebooks. Those stacks and stacks of paper notebooks for each subject are no more in my household. It’s all on there together and each is accessible at the click of a button. All of my notes come up when I click on a specific notebook and you can cut/copy notes from one notebook to another.
Search for keywords in your notes
This is probably my favourite feature. Ever remember writing something important down but then scanning through pile after pile of paper looking for it when you need it again? Evernote fixes that with its search feature.
E.g. I have a notebook with all of my favourite emails saved from Seth’s blog. If I search ‘strategy’ for example, all of the notes that contain strategy in them get pulled up. So much time-saving it’s unbelievable.
Clip web articles direct into Evernote
Rather than taking manual notes from an interesting article you read or an online academic paper you need to study for, you can just clip the whole thing into Evernote into whatever notebook you want it to go in. This saves it for a later date with easy access or if you want to read it offline at some point (notes can be accessed offline). Just click the little elephant icon that comes downloadable with Evernote, choose where you want it to be saved and in what format then hit ‘Save’. Easy as that.
Sync across devices
Evernote gives the option of a downloadable application for your computer, access to your notes via the Evernote website and an Evernote app for your phone. All you need is an internet connection for your notes to automatically sync across all devices. So those notes you took last night on your phone are readily available on your computer to work with again in the morning.
Scan documents, books from the mobile app
This feature is perfect when you have just read a juicy bit of your book and you want to save some of that juice for a later date. Simply open the app, create a new note, open the camera and the app automatically scans and uploads it for you. The definition is good quality as you can see. The best part? The scanned version of your book or notes is also searchable for when you want to find those specific parts again.
Other features
Some other worth-mentioning features are that you can create checklists in notes, set reminders/notifications on notes, upload your own images or files to notes. The truth is that I’m still discovering more stuff on this each day and so far it has really blown me away.
To wrap up and an EVERNOTE DEAL FOR YOU
Alright, so now your day has just become one of your best days ever because you now know about Evernote – the solution to all of your problems (or some important ones at least).
You can sign up to Evernote Basic which is completely free and has some of the fantastic features that I have spoken about already. This incldues the search feature, web-clipping, unlimited total storage and Notebook sharing. This is the path that I took.
But then I discovered Premium which syncs across all of your devices, permits offline access and provides Evernote agent support for any issues you may have. All of these definitely provide a greater degree of flexibility which I am thoroughly enjoying.
And now for the even better news: you can get 1 month of premium completely free if you go through my referral link HERE. I also get 1 month of premium free when you sign up so we can both go out and keep bossing it.
There’s no credit card info required so when your month expires that’s it, no slimy auto-renewals. You can decide if you want to stick with premium from there or just revert back to the basic version. Both are pretty sweet options.
If you are a student and want to continue with Premium then I just keep coming at you with good news, because students get 50% off 1 year of Premium which is what I am currently enjoying. Jump on that as soon as your free month is up.
No matter what your goals, I know that Evernote will have some use for you, so make sure to check it out!