Using Evernote

Evernote is a notebook application that you can use on your computer and ipod to keep yourself organized. Here are some of the ways I use it:

• A cookbook to store recipes I find online
• A place to keep my to do lists
• A place to save maps
• A notebook for creative writing ideas
• A shopping list
• A list of movies I want to see and books I want to read
• A list of things I want to change on my website

There are lots of other ways you could use Evernote – in fact, there are endless possibilities.

What makes it so cool, is that you can search all your Evernote notebooks like you would search with Google. Just type in a search term and it will find the note you’re looking for. And you can sync your notebooks across all your computers, ipods and ipads, so your notes are available whereever you go. Let’s get started!

1. Download and install Evernote on your computer and sign up for a free account.

1. Go to http://www.evernote.com and click the Download Now button.
2. Click Save As and save the file to your desktop, or somewhere you can find it.
3. Double-click the file and follow the instructions to install Evernote and sign up for a free account.

2. Create a notebook.

You can create any number of notebooks depending on how you want to organize things. A notebook is like a folder in Windows – a way of keeping similar notes together.

1. Click File, New Notebook.
2. Enter a name for the notebook.
3. Select Synchronized notebook if you want the notebook to be available to you on another computer or ipod. (If you don’t select this option, the notebook is only available on the current computer.)
4. Click Make this my default notebook. (If you don’t want this to be your default notebook, obviously don’t select this option.)
5. Click OK.

3. Add a new note.

Any time you have an idea that you want to remember, you can create a note in Evernote and enter it. Or use a single note to keep a list of ideas. It’s up to you.

1. Click New Note.
2. Give the note a title.
3. Type in the content of your note.

4. Clip a selection of text or take a screenshot.

If there’s something on your screen that you want to save, like a recipe on a website, you can select the text and save that as a note, or you can take a screenshot and save that as a note.

1. Right-click the Evernote icon in the system tray at the bottom right of your screen. (If you don’t see the icon in the system tray, you might have to open Evernote and make sure you are logged in.)
2. If you have selected some text to save, select Copy Selection. A new note is created in the current notebook.
3. If you want to take a screenshot of the webpage or application, select Clip Screenshot. When the crosshairs appear, draw a frame around the part you want to save. A new note is created in the current notebook.

5. Sync your notes.

If you want your notes to be availabe on another computer or on your ipod, you can sync your notes to update them on the server.

1. Click the Sync button. Any Synchronized notebooks are updated on the server.

6. Install the free Evernote app on your ipod.

If you have an ipod, you can sync your notebooks from the ipod back and forth with the computer, so that you always have the notes you need.

1. On your ipod, search for the Evernote app in the App Store.
2. Touch Free, and install the app (you need to know your iTunes password).
3. Once you’ve installed the app, open Evernote on your ipod.
4. Enter your username and password (the one you created when you installed Evernote on your computer).

Evernote will sync your notebooks so that you can read all your notes on the ipod/ipad.

7. Save a local copy of notes on your ipod for when you will be offline.

If you are going out and know in advance that you need a copy of a note, you can make that note a Favorite. This stores a local copy on your ipod so that you don’t have to have a wireless connection to read it. I find this particularly useful if I have to drive to someone’s house. I clip a screenshot of Google maps showing where I need to go, sync my notebook on the computer, turn on my ipod, wait for it to sync my notes, then make the map note a Favorite. Easy!

1. Find the note and touch the Star icon.
2. When you are offline, touch Notebooks at the bottom of the screen, then touch Favorites to see all the notes you have saved on the ipod.

8. Create a new note on the ipod.

1. In Evernote on the ipod, click the Plus button.
2. Give the note a title.
3. Type in the content of your note.
4. Touch Save.
5. Next time you’re online, the note is automatically synced.

Try it out and let me know what you think!