Evernote
From Sketch to Reality with my Digital Planning Powerhouse: #Supernote and #Evernote
I’m excited to bring this improvised kitchenette in my office into reality. I created it a while ago as a proof of concept that I’m now ready to bring to the next level using my favorite duo.
The Supernote has been a game-changer for sketching out ideas, and Evernote keeps everything organized for easy access. To learn how I make both work together smoothly, you can check out this video. Back to the project, all the drawings and measurements were automatically sent to my Evernote, where I added the list of materials. The next steps are buying all the items and building.
Can’t wait to share the final result! Any design tips or suggestions?
“The entropy of the universe tends to a maximum”
—Rudolf Clausius
So does the entropy of your notes. It’s okay to not obsess over a perfect system, as it may be a waste of your time. Remember that you cannot predict everything, and variables are forever changing.
If you are an Evernote user, and you are finding yourself lost in the multitude of information you created, try AI-Powered Search. It might surprise you 😉
Why I think using an Inbox is a terrible idea.
What if I told you that years ago I decided to ditch the endless inbox organization in Evernote in favor of a more efficient workflow?
Some people collect ideas, tasks and other types of information in an inbox style folder, or notebook, when using Evernote. A periodic cleaning routine is what makes sure the items will be redistributed to the appropriate spaces from time to time. Other people, myself include, do the opposite. We select the destination when saving the information.
I do it because I consider those periodic routines, that some call revisions, to be a waste of time. One can argue that it doesn’t matter whether you choose the destination before or afterwords, as it will take roughly the same time to organize things. That’s true, but it’s not where the problem lies.
When redistributing information in a future moment, one has to go through all the items to remember what each one is about, and only after that, move them to the appropriate spaces. That time spent with the screening process will not happen when picking the destination at the same time the information is being created.
For example, if I have an idea for a YouTube video, it’s instantly clear to me that it belongs to my Creator notebook in my Evernote. It’s effortless because the topic is fresh in my mind. Meaning that I’ll automatically save the information in the correct notebook.
The other option means that I would have all sorts of note topics, from ideas for videos to meeting notes with clients, in the inbox notebook. It’s too divers, and I would always have to waste time going through many notes to remember what they are, and only after that, move them to the correct notebook. That revision, or whatever you prefer to call it, is time I never waste.
But there’s a catch. If you don’t have or know what are the right notebooks or folders, there’s no way to choose the correct one. That’s why I try to keep all the ones I use frequently as accessible as possible. To accomplish that, I’m constantly paying attention to how I’m doing things. When I notice friction, I always make sure to rearrange things to fit my needs, like I show in the video below.
Have I mentioned that one great benefit of doing things like this is that I don’t experience inbox-zero anxiety?
What about you? Do you use an inbox to process information in the future, or do you pick the destination to save information in the correct place?
🎁 Click here for the Evernote Personal plan with a 15% discount. Valid for returning users or current Free users subscribing to a 1-year Evernote Personal plan. Terms and conditions may apply.Supernote to Evernote: My Productivity Pipeline
Stuck in traffic? Let your mind wander! I turned a frustrating hour into a productive one. My secret? Capturing fleeting ideas with mental repetition and then using my Supernote to Evernote workflow to forever same them.
Last week, while stuck for nearly an hour in the mother of all traffic jams, I had some insights for an online course, and started building its structure mentally. And by frequently repeating the ideas to myself, I prevent them from fading away. This is a strategy I created and perfected over time to be able to remember the thoughts I frequently have when running.
As soon as I arrived home, I grabbed the Supernote out of my bag, wrote everything I had in mind, and exported the note to the Evernote folder. When I opened Evernote the next day, the ideas were right in front of me thanks to the automation I have in place (video below).
By the way, if you’d like to dive even deeper into my Supernote to Evernote workflow, I suggest also watching this other video.
I previously discussed the importance of chronology in my Evernote system, so I will not repeat myself. Let’s talk about what happened when I opened my laptop to work the next day.
My Evernote is set to always open on the home page, where I have the Notes widget showing me the most recent notes I worked on. In this case, it was the Supernote note.
When the automation sent that note to Evernote, that moment was set as the creation date of the note, making it the most recently used note in my Evernote.
Anyway, because my notebooks are ordered in revers chronological order, the first note in the Timeline notebook was also the Supernote note. In other words, it was remarkably easy to find the ideas I had the day before.
What I’m doing now is structuring all my thoughts in a notebook. First, I created a Summary note, which I pinned to the top of the notebook. Then I started creating a note for each chapter and dragging them to the Summary note. Chronology will mess up the order of the notes in the notebook, but that’s okay, as the Summary note will keep them in the right order.
It might be possible to have the list of notes ordered correctly by adding chapter numbers to the titles and setting the notebook order to alphabetical. But this would create too much friction every time I wanted to reorder chapters or add a new one in between existing ones. In other words, there’s no point in doing this, as I can easily do it on the Summary note by dragging the items up and down.
I have tried to use Evernote for this several times, but I have not been successful in the past. It was never as fluid as it is now. At first, I thought the new pinned note feature was making me more confident this time. It’s definitely helping because when I’m writing, I tend to jump from one chapter to another a lot.
However, another thing I frequently do when writing is reordering ideas (the chapters). So, after a while, I came to the conclusion that the not-so-new option to drag items up and down in a bullet list is also playing a significant part.
The book, or an online course, or both, is still in its very early stages. But if you are a supporter on Patreon or YouTube, there is a video for you where I demonstrate the notebook in my real account while discussing my process.
One-Time Setup, Longtime Rewards: Evernote Advanced Search
Unlock the hidden power of Advanced Search! One simple setup can transform the way you use Evernote.
Evernote search was always excellent, but before the AI-Powered Search, the only way to go a step further was by using the Advanced Search, also known as Evernote Grammar. The simplest way to describe it is as a set of commands that we can combine with each other and type in the search box to filter notes in a very specific way.
The Grammar is so powerful that it serves as the backbone for the AI-Powered Search. When you perform an AI search, the AI first converts the information you typed into an Advanced Search syntax. That’s what is used to filter a group of notes that are sent to the large language model, which then generates the answer you end up seeing.
The commands, also known as terms, are not that difficult to understand, but some are pretty hard to memorize. Which means that with the introduction of the AI-Powered Search, there’s no point in using them for everyday searches. However, I see them as super useful for creating dynamic Saved Searches or Widgets.
I could, for example, use the codes below to create a Filtered Notes Widget on Evernote Home that would show me all notes in my ‘Creator’ notebook without the tag ‘Done’.
notebook:Creator -tag:done
If you type the above into the ‘Keywords’ box of the Filtered Notes Widget, you’ll create a dynamic group of notes. Every time you add the tag ‘Done’ to a note in the ‘Creator’ notebook, that note will automatically be removed from the widget.
There’s a series of videos I’m producing to help you understand and use the Advanced Search. You can check out the most recent one below about Reminders to understand how powerful it is. If you decide that the Advanced Search can help you create a better system for your Evernote, take a look at the other videos and have fun.
Evernote: The Aha! Moment That Ended My Lifelong Organizing Struggle.
I spent years searching for a solution! Here’s how Evernote finally helped me conquer information overload and organize everything.
While enjoying some old pictures yesterday, I noticed something that brought back a very specific memory.
Some of them, which date back to my childhood, have a code on the back. I can’t remember exactly what it means, but I know that the comma separates two types of information.
One is related to the order of that picture in a sequence. The other indicates the group, which would translate into something like the digital albums some people create nowadays.
In the example below, it would mean something like the second picture of a group (album) with the number 13. It may also be the other way around. I don’t know which one it was. The codes would be written in a paper notebook with additional information, such as descriptions of the album and pictures.
I used a variation of this system for many yeas. For example, when I started using a computer to write my letters, I had a two-digit code associated to the name of each person and the date in reverse order. Something like AC19930429. Similar to the pictures, the codes had a description associated with them, but at that point I was using a spreadsheet on my computer to log everything.
When I learned how to use databases, the system further evolved. In addition to storing the codes, the database had keywords from letters, documents, books, and articles from printed magazines.
I spent too many years perfecting this system, but the reality is that it was horrible. Probably because the digital database was only capable of cross-referencing the keywords I added to it. All the related information was still in physical media, and archiving and retrieving it was never a pleasant or efficient experience.
Time to simplify things
I eventually gave up. In addition to being a terrible system, this happened during the 1980s and 90s, a period known for rapid development of computers and the lack of cheap and reliable backup solutions.
However, I was not abandoning the idea of creating a system for my memories. As an early user of the Palm Pilot at the end of the 90s, I created a basic version of my system that I could carry with me everywhere.
Years latter, when Apple released Spotlight, it blew my mind. I understood that I would no longer need to organize information. At some point in the future, I would be able to simply ask for it and the computer would show me the related documents.
Little did I know that that dream would take many years to come true. Furthermore, there was a practical issue to consider. Spotlight was a Mac-only feature, and I needed something that would also run on my Palm Pilot, or simply Palm, as it was known at this point.
Despite there being no apparent solution, I kept adding my personal and professional stuff to that remarkable little computer, which I carried with me everywhere. I was so passionate about it that a website dedicated entirely to it ended up being my first online venture. And in October 2000, I was even asked to write a piece about how the Palm was going to change the world.
In the end, the smartphone did what I thought Palm would do. That’s okay. But one thing that saddens me is that I always thought that shared knowledge would make us a better civilization. I was probably too naive, since I never thought we would become so divided as a society. But that’s a topic for another moment.
16 years ago
I officially began using Evernote exactly 16 years ago today. I know this because I saved the welcome email using Web Clipper. However, it took me many months to fully commit to it.
That was the first time I had to deal with a chronological system to organize notes, with only one level of folders (notebooks). Back then, stacks didn’t even exist. As someone who had only used folders, a complicated coding system, and databases, I guess my perception of Evernote was destined to be the most negative possible.
I stopped using it several times in the first few months. The only thing that kept me coming back was being able to synchronize my notes across multiple platforms. Remember that back then, even the Apple ecosystem would not allow us to synchronize Mac notes with the iPhone.
But what ultimately made me stay was the fact that I decided to fully embrace the simple structure of notes inside a notebook and the chronological order of the notes, which I stand for until these days.
Like magic
I couldn’t see it at first, but Evernote instantly merged the two parts of my unusable childhood system. I could finally have the information and the database in the same place. Even better, I didn’t even have to build the database. It was finally just a matter of searching and finding.
Other times it was just a matter of looking at Evernote and finding. The way it arranges and presents our notes evokes a sense of clairvoyance. But it’s simply the way our brains work.
If I just used a note, it is highly possible that I’ll need it again shortly. Evernote has many features, such as Recent Notes, Switch To, and even the Notes Widget, which displays notes ordered by recently used. If you need to find something, visiting one of these places can be magical.
Even though I graduated as an economist, I always liked reading psychology books about memory. They helped me see how chronology plays a big part in how we remember things. The more I studied and learned, the more I realized how bad of an idea it was to keep excessively categorizing things.
However, it was the book Algorithms to Live By, which I read in 2016, that really connected all the dots. I consider that book to be my manual for organizing everything in both the real and digital worlds.
Old habits die hard
Thanks to a simple 2,13 code on the back of a black and white picture, I now understand that the system I’m currently building is the culmination of something I started many decades ago. I could not accomplish it back then because technology was not there yet.
We now have access to advancements well ahead of anything I could ever imagine. Not only is Evernote finding and showing me related notes, but it is also giving me answers based on my notes.
You’ve been watching me dismantle my entire collection of notebooks in Evernote and letting the tags and chronology help me find related information. What you probably don’t know is that I started sharing some of these ideas many years ago in my workshops, podcasts, and blogs, but I never fully embraced it until very recently.
I’m finally letting it go and trusting Evernote like never before to find what I need. As you know, the few notebooks I still have are there to help me do my work, not to be a knowledge or storage category. I’m still using tags, though. But I hope to also let that go as the search results start serving me the correct information.
2,13 is long outdated and has to go.
To celebrate my 16 years using Evernote, I released a video for supporters on Patreon and YouTube showing and talking about (almost 🫣) all the items I have in my big collection.
A little tweak to my system.
The YouTube notebook was renamed to Creator. Here’s why:
- Notes in the YouTube notebook already had to have the “YouTube” tag because that’s how I can filter them once they are moved to the Timeline notebook.
- I was already using the YouTube notebook for other creator related notes, like ideas for my articles.
What’s good about having all the Creator related notes in a single place is the fact that when I have an idea, I usually don’t know if that will become a post like this, a video, or an article. I just write it down.
Moreover, it’s not unusual for an idea to become a video and an article. Which means that I can now use a single note with two different tags.
These are the tags I’m currently using for the notes in that notebook:
- YouTube
- Articles
- Posts
PS.: If you missed the explanation about the ECE notebook, please watch this video.
Simplify for Evernote Efficiency
It’s unlikely that sugarcoating will make our system more efficient.
I used to keep notes for each session with my clients or meeting with partners, and other notes for each team member, and even some for other purposes. Since they were all connected, the system worked pretty well.
This was mostly done for two reasons:
- To have that information automatically dated, as each note has a creation date.
- To be able to reuse the information in other notes. For example, a team member note would be dragged to and linked to a meeting note.
Furthermore, the number of different types of notes would automatically provide statistics based on the backlinks. For instance, I could know how many meetings a client had or how often a team member attended meetings. However, if you ask me how many times I have used this information so far, the answer will be an overwhelming zero.
As you already know, I have been simplifying things on my Evernote. Recently, I decided to try to organize all the above information in single notes with the the help of new Evernote features like headings, links to headings, calendar entries, etc. No statistics, of course. But that’s okay. Although they were always quite cool to look at, I didn’t use them at all.
Anyway, I’m still not quite there yet, but I’ll keep working on it. And, as usual, I will share the results on my channel as soon as I’m satisfied with the new system.
Perhaps we avoid it because it is challenging to simplify things. That’s the reason I keep reminding myself that there are always things that can be removed, especially unnecessary processes.
It’s rare that sugarcoating, categorizing, and a myriad of other routines will result in efficiency.
Evernote Just Made My Life Easier.
Recent quality-of-life improvements to Evernote are making my system even better.
Better Synchronization
Remember that video I published a few months ago about Evernote moving away from the monolith? If you haven’t watched it, think of the project as a lot of work under the hood to enhance the user experience.
Evernote has taken another big step in that project. Synchronization is currently being upgraded to a more modern system. All web clients have already been upgraded and the rollout of desktop and mobile apps is already underway. This is huge news!
All of my apps have recently been upgraded, and after a few days of testing, I’m amazed at how efficient synchronization is now. The video below explains how to know if your account is already running the new system.
Mobile Clients
Based on the results of a recent poll on my YouTube channel, most of you are using the new Create page on the mobile client to create your notes.
That’s not my case. As you already know, I have the app on my phone set to always open on the Shortcuts page, where I have access to the notebooks I use most of the time. In other words, I always open a notebook first, and then I create a note. So much so that I simply don’t remember the Create page exists and rarely go there.
Evernote 10.95.2 (mobile) underwent minor cosmetic modifications that I am in love with. If you go to the notes page, you’ll see a “new note” icon in the bottom-right corner. The same is true for notebooks, tags, and tasks. Not the calendar, though. At least for now. But don’t worry, it’s coming.
The shortcuts page was also upgraded. It’s a small change, but I also loved it. The list of recent notes is now gone, and that translates into more space for my shortcuts, which are a pivotal element of my new system.
You can find further information about the new features and my thoughts in the video below.
Shortcut for the 'Open in New Window' menu.
I’ve been begging for this keyboard shortcut for ages, ever since Evernote 10 was released. Fortunately, as a Mac user, I am able to rely on a workaround.