A Complete Guide on using Evernote for Digital Journaling
Introduction to Evernote
There are lots of apps to make our life simple and organized. Evernote is one such app that can be used for so many purposes. It allows you to take notes, prepare lists and even import photos to make your journaling experience better.
Like other apps, the Evernote app can also be used on both smartphones and desktops. You can make and save notes in offline mode and changes are automatically synchronized once you are connected to the internet. To install Evernote:
- You can download the app from the Google Play Store (Android users) or the App Store (Apple users).
- For your desktop computer/laptop, make an account on the Evernote website www.evernote.com
Features of Evernote
This app has two accounts: Basic and Business. The basic account is free. If you want to upgrade your basic account to the business account, charges are 190 INR (monthly) or 125 INR (annually). The app has the following features:
- It allows you to create “Notebooks” and you can create as many notebooks as you want. They help you to make your notes organized. Once you have created your notebook, you can create several notes within that notebook.
- There are text formatting tools similar to any word processing software (like MS Word) to make your journaling experience better. The desktop version provides more tools as compared to the mobile version. You can change the color,size and font type of the text, select different header options and insert tables, dividers and code blocks.
- You can add photos as well as PDF documents. It also allows you to insert links and templates.
- The app also provides a chrome extension known as “Web Clipper”. It allows you to select and save a screenshot of a web page.
- When you use the app in your smartphone, information is safe as you can set a PIN code to lock/unlock. The latest smartphones have a fingerprint sensor to unlock phones/apps.
Getting Started with Evernote
Once you have installed the app on your phone/desktop, it is time to start journaling. The following steps will help you to create a new journal:
1) Click on “New Notebook” or the icon displayed in the form of a notebook with a plus sign. You can create a new notebook every month, for example, “June Journal”. You also have an option to rename your notebook later.
2) After creating your notebook, click on (+) icon to create a new note. The mobile version allows you to choose more options such as scribbling your own handwriting, adding an audio clip, attachment, photo and reminder. Select “Text Note”.
3) Add the title of your note as the current day and date. You can sort your journal notes using "Sort options" ( arrow pointing downwards with three horizontal lines to the right).
4) It is time to get started with the daily tasks. You can use the Checkbox option as a to-do list.
- Click anywhere below the title note.
- Now click on the drop-down arrow near “More” and a menu appears. Select the “Checkbox”. An empty box will be displayed.
- Keep adding tasks until you are done. Press the “Enter” key and then “Backspace” key. Click on the box whenever as you complete a certain task
5) You can also use bulleted lists in a similar way to log down your tasks. When you finish a task, select it and click on the "Strikethrough" option from the same menu.
6) You can prioritize your list using a highlighter. Select a task, click on the “Highlighter” icon, pick your color.
7) You can also add photos or attach documents to your notes.
8) The “Web Clipper” extension helps you to save a part or whole of the web page.
- Click on the Evernote icon in your web browser.
- You have the option to take a screenshot, bookmark or save the entire web page. Select a suitable option as per your choice.
- Select the notebook where you want to save your web page under the “Organization” option.
- Finally, click on “Save Clip”.
Web Clipper extension is extremely helpful when you want to capture or extract information from the websites, instead of copying and pasting the whole article. You can save it in a notebook and you won't face any difficulty in finding your important notes.
Advantages of Digital Journaling with Evernote
- You can set a PIN code to protect your notes. They will be safe, secure and confidential.
- It enables you to set reminders so that you can meet your deadlines
- You can add images, documents, links and audio clips.
- When working in online mode, changes made can be synchronized easily. So if one of your devices crash because of some reason, you don’t have to worry at all.
- Since it is digital, it is eco-friendly.
Disadvantages of Digital Journaling with Evernote
- There are possibilities that you may get distracted as you receive calls or notifications on your gadget.
- At some point in time, your app or device may run out of memory. You may have to delete some photos or previous notes to make space for new notes This is not the case with an analog (pen and paper-based) system.
Conclusion
I have been using Evernote for a long time and I am totally comfortable with it. There are other apps like Notion, Dynalist and Google Keep that also help in increasing productivity. It is all a matter of preference. The aim is to live a productive and organized life.
