I've recently started using Evernote as a way to document and organize my projects and well my life. I love that I can take a note at home on my laptop and it's automatically uploaded to my smartphone. I can also access those notes from any web browser. Here are a few ways that Evernote can be helpful for crafters and designers.
Bookmarking
For years I've been using delicious to save bookmarks for blogs and projects. It's been great because I can access the bookmarks from any web browser and they're organized with tags. But it is a little hard to sort through as the links are shown chronologically. With Evernote, you can save the link into a particular folder (called a notebook) along with text and photos from a web page. (I know this sounds a little scary for content owners but realistically, people can copy any content published on the internet and save it. This just makes it more organized.) Above is a screenshot of my Recipes notebook. I love that I can see photo and text when searching for something.
So, there are a few reasons I think this is cool. One, what if there was a cool recipe or crochet pattern on a website 4 years ago and you bookmarked it, but now it's gone? Well, with Evernote, you not only bookmark the page you also download the content.
Second, rather than having to manually organize all of your pdf patterns or recipes on your hardrive (or use printouts!) you can automatically save the pattern into your "Crochet Pattern" notebook with a photo for easy visually searching. I can't tell you how many pdf patterns I have floating around my harddrive. It's so hard to find and manage.
Once you have bookmarked the page, you no longer need to be on the internet to access it. I know it's rare these days to not be internet connected but maybe you're driving up to your cabin in the woods and you want to access something. Maybe the grocery store you frequent is in a reception dead zone and you can't remember if the recipe calls for buttermilk or sour cream. That recipe or pattern is right there on your laptop and smartphone.
Note taking
Inspiration is fleeting and unpredictable. It can appear in the middle of the night, while watching tv or taking a little jog around the block. I know from experience that if I don't capture an idea right away, it might be gone forever. For years I've used sketchbooks or any scrap of paper within reach to jot down notes and drawings. It works great but what if one of those little bits of paper goes missing? Or, maybe you're at the craft store and can't remember that one project you needed to buy something for.
I like that I can just grab my phone and type in an idea. If my phone and computer and sketchbooks all get dumped in the ocean, I'll still be able to log on to the internet and find those ideas in my Evernote account. I haven't tried it yet but it looks like Evernote Skitch allows you to sketch an idea on the smartphone and save it. I'm sure a stylus would be immensely helpful in making a detailed sketch. You could also sketch on a say a napkin, take a photo and save that to your account.
I'm just beginning to use the program but so far I'm really liking it. And did I mention that it's free? (You can purchase a pro account if you need extra storage space.) What do you use to stay organized? Do prefer digital or pen and paper?
Note: I have not received any compensation for this post. These are my honest opinions about the software.