Yesterday, I had a wonderful conversation with Rachel Blom of YouthLeadersAcademy.com on why she has used Evernote for so long, how she optimally uses it throughout the week, and some concerns I may have on beginning to use it. As the conversation progressed, I found myself wanting that freedom from using ten different apps to keep track of my life and so I decided to try out a 21 Day Evernote Challenge. This is my outlined attempt at being successful with Evernote.
It should be noted I will not be utilizing Evernote to its fullest right away. Instead of cannonballing into using it with going paperless with a scanner and what not, I am going to ease into it, knowing that there is more potential in the future for better organizational possibilities. This first step approach is to help me organize my digital life and then if successful, will move on to IRL (In Real Life) details.
- Create As Many Notebooks As Possible
I have several digital investments, including this blog, eBooks I am writing, and all of the research I am doing for a future project. The ability to manage separate notebooks and keep everything compartmentalized is how I mentally process life and will be great to parallel that with Evernote. - Clip Everything I Feel I Need
Whether I am clipping PDF files to read later for research, grabbing a screenshot of a blog design idea to implement when I have spare time, or temporarily jot down notes for a future blog post, I will be clipping everything I do. To do this well, I am using Google Chrome’s WebClipper and the Evernote iOS app. - Be Diligent With Tags
Tagging is one of those things that one must be consistant about and I am afraid I will not take the time to do this part well. Part of this challenge will be to use tagging effectively and frequently. The payout in the end is worth it, but I need to spend the energy now or it will not work right. - Actually Use This Information For Something
I actually did something like this before on this website through Links of the Week where I noted specific links that I loved and would want to read later for different blog posts or projects. The problem is that I never went back to use them. Some of that is because WordPress blog posts are not designed to do that and some of it is because I did not put in the extra effort.
I hope to check in on June 18th with an update on how this process is progressing and any future hopes for the app. At the same time, I know that there are numerous plugins and even a premium feature available and if you have experience with this, I would love to hear what you use and how it is working out for you.
What am I missing from this challenge that you think I should add?
bradyshearer says
To key to Evernote is consistency. And that’s why the 21-day challenge is valuable because it forces you to invest a certain amount of time. I’ve tried to get my friends into it and they’ve given up quickly because it didn’t seem ‘worth it.’
But the more time and content you put into it the more valuable it becomes. Now I use it more than every other app and I can’t go a day without it!
seventy8Productions says
The fear for me wasn’t even consistency but the HUGE overhead to getting started. If I were to go all in with paperless, I feel compeled to do it right and get all of my bills this year in there and that is daunting. So I am starting with the digital to get the habit and if I love it, I’ll hopefully see that value coming to fruition as you stated.
bradyshearer says
That’s smart. Step by step.
Tim Young says
Love Evernote Jeremy! This challenge will be easy for me as its one of my main tools 😉 …also if you haven’t used it yet, check out Evernote’s ‘Clearly’, it scrapes off the fluff so you can pull in clean content into Evernote.
seventy8Productions says
Is clearly Chrome, iOS, or something else?
Rachel Blom says
Awesome that you’re going to try it, this 21 day challenge seems like a perfect way to really see how you like it. Keep us posted on how you’re doing!
seventy8Productions says
Will do!
Robert Kennedy III says
Evernote is the BEEZNEEZ! Use it everyday so I’m not sure if I need a challenge right now :-). But, I love it love it love it!
seventy8Productions says
How do you use it effectively?
seventy8Productions says
Thanks for the share!