Evernote - my GTD tool

Evernote has been featured before in several Lifehacker articles. This is my take on it.

I started using Evernote as a centralized way of storing my time reports (I'm a consultant). By using Evernote, I could easilly review and edit my time reports regardless of where I were. I previously used Google Notebook for this, but I have always liked the idea of a installed client application, why Evernote suited me so much better.

As time progressed, I found more and more ways to utilize Evernote. Today, I use it as my master Inbox, my scribble pad, link collection, screen shot generator and, of course, my time report management. To support this, I have mapped my Insert key to capture selection from any program (Tools - Options - Clipper - Global Clip Selection Hot key - Custom hot key). This makes sure I don't overwrite text when I code (I never liked that insert key ...) and also serves as a dedicated "save this for later" key. Thusly, whenever I surf, read mail, code or chat and I stumble upon that 'must save'/'must remember' piece of information, I simply select it and press Insert. Presto! I will never forget it again. Also, this is so quick and simple that you don't loose track of what you are doing. Then, when I get a slow moment, I simply review my Evernote Inbox and sort the notes I have into Notebooks, optionally tagging them.

The Notebooks (of relevance) that I have created to support my GTD approach are:

  • Inbox (default)
  • Links - anything I find on the web that is of general interest
  • Time Report - My current time report(s)
  • Toolbox - Links to sites and applications that I use on a regular basis
  • Archived - Archived time reports (to avoid clutter in my time report book that I visit multiple times per day)

Now, I would love for a task note type that you could SPACE to strike-through. I just contacted them about this, and hopefully they'll think it's a good idea too. :-)

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