© 2014 Evernote Corporation                                   © 2014 Microsoft Corporation

Microsoft OneNote and Evernote are among the top programs when it comes to virtual notebooks, yet arguments continue over which wins out over the other. After reading Lifehacker Faceoff: OneNote vs. Evernote, we here at Innovatively Organized started wondering what we thought of each program. We realized that we recommend OneNote to certain clients and Evernote to others. Why? Because they each offer something unique that fits particular personalities and certain needs.  Here are some of the pros and cons of each program:

Evernote Pros:

•  You can set reminders. This feature is great not only for your to-do list in your Evernote account, but also for any actionable items that are in your meeting notes. Learn more about this feature from our previous blog post, How to Set Reminders in Evernote.
• More features with web clipping. When you want to clip certain webpages into your Evernote account, you can clip the full-text article into whichever notebook you want it to be placed into. You can also add reminders to the webpage you clipped and highlight certain parts of it.
• Easy to use interface. Evernote has a simple interface that makes it easy to organize all of your individual notebooks and lists.

Evernote Cons:

• Some features are only available with Premium. Some of the features that users like, such as uploading large files, can only be used if you pay for the Premium version.
• Outdated interface. Although there are pros to the interface being easy to use, some complain that its also outdated and laid out almost too simply.

Microsoft OneNote Pros:

• Works well with Microsoft applications. Since it was created by Microsoft, it syncs well with your Outlook, Word, Excel, etc. For example, you can easily embed a Word document into your OneNote account. Additionally, you can hit the Windows button and N at the same time and your OneNote will appear- just another way that Microsoft integrated this great program into their software.
• Great tags feature. OneNote allows you to effortlessly add small tags to notes that remind the user of tasks and important information that is in the note.
• Perfect for researching. If your job requires heavy amounts of research, OneNote may be right for you. It has features such as the ability to look up references to sources, language translation, and even a thesaurus. You can also drag and drop images and text from webpages.

Microsoft OneNote Cons:

• Less features with web clipping. Yes, you can clip web pages into OneNote, but they are automatically sent to a folder called Quick Notes, so you have to move them into the proper folder after you have already clipped them.
• Syncing issues. Some users have troubles syncing across multiple devices, which could be a problem if you are a mobile professional.

Overall, both Evernote and Microsoft OneNote are solid options. On one hand, Evernote is simple, easy to use, and has some great features such as setting reminders.  This application is probably better for the individual who is looking for a great way to organize all their electronic documents and other random things such as to-do lists and meeting notes. On the other hand, OneNote offers a more robust interface with greater researching capabilities. This makes OneNote the better option for someone who is looking for a program where they will do some heavy note taking and plenty of research projects.

Which program do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below!

When projects start piling up on you and your coworkers in the new year, you may begin to panic and wonder how you’ll ever remember all the tasks associated with each one and how you’ll get them all done on time. Instead of stressing out more than necessary by depending on yourself, consider using apps and online tools that are designed to outline and manage your projects for you. Here are the 5 apps that we, at Innovatively Organized, recommend most to our clients:

1. Liquid Planner- This online project management software allows you to easily distribute tasks among coworkers, schedule tasks based on priority and on best-case/worst-case estimates of time, and view your project analytics and reporting. Also included in this software is document sharing abilities and a timesheet so that team members can track their time.
2. Smartsheet- This is a project management tool that allows you to view your entire project all in one sheet. The sheet includes the status and budget of your project. It also allows you to compare your estimated and actual cost and time of each project. What’s great is that there are many templates to choose from that can suite different needs for each project.
3. Basecamp- This project management app’s simple interface allows you to view your to-do list, files, and discussions with team members all in one place. It also includes a shared calendar between team members and allows you to track daily progress. 
   
4. Pro Workflow- This app features a comprehensive dashboard that displays the summary data of your project and the tasks at hand. It also includes a timeline so you can visualize your tasks and provides messaging for you and your team members, clients, etc.
5. Azendoo- This project manager is partnered with Evernote, Box, Dropbox and Google Drive so your project can be handled seamlessly with all your favorite tools. It is great for handling to-do lists and allows you to share task lists and files with team members.

What’s important is finding the right project management tool for you and your team. Share and test out these apps with your coworkers and then decide which ones you’ll use as team to make your project as efficient as possible.

© 2014 Gigaom, Inc.

With our extensive use of Evernote and our support of ScanSnap, we here at Innovatively Organized were thrilled to hear the news of the new Evernote Edition ScanSnap! Two of our favorite productivity tools coming together into one amazing device was reason enough for us to get excited, but here are some more reasons why this Evernote scanner is a must-have for 2014:

• Automatically organizes everything. The ScanSnap can detect what type of document you’re scanning and automatically file it where it needs to go within your Evernote account.
• Operates under a WiFi connection. With this scanner, you won’t be cluttering up your office with more cords because it can be used with a WiFi connection.
• Simple Operations. This ScanSnap automatically detects double-sided documents, rotates them, and detects color.
• Includes a free year of Evernote Premium. This allows you to use the ScanSnap without having to buy Evernote if you didn’t have it previously.

This partnership of two of our most recommended productivity tools can help declutter your office and get you a step closer to becoming paperless.

Want more useful tips and recommendations that can help boost your productivity? Follow The Productivity School on Twitter for daily tips!

For those busy professionals who constantly work on-the-go, we recommend a scanner app called JotNot. We love this app because users can easily convert their paper documents into a digital format by taking pictures of each page. It is a great and affordable option for a portable scanner.

Why we recommend it:

• It can batch scan multiple pages into a single document
• You can adjust the file size and resolution
• You can save your document almost anywhere, including Dropbox, Evernote, etc
• It only costs $0.99 in the iTunes store

What do you think of JotNot? Let us know in the comments below!

With more and more people constantly on-the-go and trying to go paperless, portable scanners are becoming extremely useful in situations when you want to convert paper documents into electronic files. In many ways, selecting a reliable and user-friendly scanner is more important than finding a good printer!

At Innovatively Organized, we are constantly encouraging our clients to “become friends” with their scanner to boost productivity and reduce paper clutter. After testing many of the scanners on the market, here is why we like to recommend Fujitsu’s ScanSnap S1300 Portable Scanner:

Lightweight & Portable: It’s easy to transport between locations and it doesn’t take up much room on your desk, which makes it perfect for small spaces.

Speed & Functionality:  The ScanSnap S1300 not only scans quickly, but it has a document feeder that can scan a pile of papers at once. It even scans double-sided documents and papers of varying sizes (receipts, brochures, etc.).

User Friendly: A good scanner must be easy enough to use so you can scan things quickly, and the ScanSnap S1300 does exactly that! It even saves documents to Evernote notebooks with a few clicks of a button.

Interested in The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 Portable Scanner? Find it here! 

For those of you following our blog to improve your productivity and time management—either personally or professionally—you might wonder occasionally about some of the “productivity jargon” that we use. So we’re here to settle any confusion you might have about common terms we use:

Action Item: Tasks that come in which require a specific action from you. For instance, a task assigned to you during a meeting is considered an action item because it requires you to take a specific action in order to complete the task.

Digital Clutter: Similar to physical clutter, but the files, documents, photos, or apps are stored on your electronic devices. Sometimes it’s difficult to notice digital clutter since it isn’t as tangible as physical clutter. It is, however, just as important to keep your computers, laptops, phones, tablets, etc. organized.

Eat That Frog: The term originated from Brian Tracy’s book, Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. The phrase is meant to motivate people against procrastination—encouraging them to just “eat that frog” (that item on their to-do list that they are avoiding or anxious about) right away so it’s done.

Efficient: The goal of productivity is, of course, to become efficient. More specifically, being efficient means removing bottlenecks, simplifying processes, removing redundancies, and getting more done with your time.

EOM: This acronym stands for “End of Message.” Professionals place it at the end of email subject lines to indicate the entire communication is in the subject line (e.g. “I finished processing the expense report EOM”). This helps the email recipient avoid wasting time looking at content in the empty body of an email.

GTD: “Getting Things Done” is a time management methodology created by David Allen in his book, Getting Things Done. Allen’s philosophy is based on the importance of writing down everything that’s floating around in one’s mind, capturing tasks in a central location, creating action items, and then completing them. This allows more focus to be placed on tasks, rather than trying to remember everything you have to get done.

Productivity Consultant: Though productivity is an innate ability to some, for others it can be learned. Productivity consultants, like our team at Innovatively Organized, work with teams and individuals to educate, teach, and improve their systems and structures, implementing better skills for time management, email management, file management, etc.

Streamline: To streamline something is to make it simplified and organized, such as the “path of least resistance.” Too often, team members ‘reinvent the wheel’ when it comes to projects and processes. Streamlining allows professionals to work more efficiently by removing bottlenecks and defining procedures that eliminate redundant or unnecessary steps and tasks.

Virtual Notebooks: Unlike paper-based notebooks, virtual notebooks make it possible to go paperless and keep notes in digital form while staying organized. Similar to physical notebooks, virtual notebooks such as the popular tools Evernote and Microsoft OneNote allow users to organize their notes, meeting agendas, projects, and tasks within one digital place. The advantage of virtual notebooks over paper notebooks is not only their accessibility from a variety of devices, but also the ease in which you can collaborate, search and sort information within them. To learn more about the benefits of virtual notebooks and how to use them, you can download our “Virtual Notebooks 101: Maximize Your Productivity without Paper”.

Workflow: A sequence of tasks, processes, or steps required for certain operations. A workflow might depict or refer to a repeated type of project or procedures, for example your intake process with a prospect or client.

4-Hour Workweek: This term refers to Timothy Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. The self-help book encourages people to identify what they really want, get over their fears and society’s expectations, and figure out how to achieve their goals.
Want to learn more about any of these terms or processes? Contact us for a free 15-minute phone consultation.

We are thrilled about a great new feature in Evernote: the ability to add reminders to notes!  If you already use Evernote virtual notebooks for your to-do list and project management, adding reminders to notes will help you stay more productive and timely.

Ways to use reminders

Besides adding them to your tasks on your to-do list, you can add reminders to action items from meeting notes or even create reminders for annual checkups (for your car, insurance, etc).  You might also want to add reminders for follow-ups with contacts if you store business card images in Evernote.

How to add reminders

First, if you haven’t already, you need to update Evernote to Version 5.1.3 in order to add reminders.

Then, on the top right of each note, you will notice a new alarm clock image.

Once you click the reminder icon, you can specify the due date and write your reminder on the left side.  You also have the option to receive reminder emails when your due date is approaching.

Let us know how you like the new reminders feature in the comments below!

If you’re a lifelong Moleskine fan, you are going to enjoy exploring the new Moleskine Journal App!  Moleskine is helping you take your notes into the digital world, because as they say, “the Moleskine experience doesn’t stop at paper.”

Just like a classic Moleskine Journal, the app allows you to draw right on the pages.  Visually, the journals look the same but they allow you to handwrite or type notes. The app comes with a toolset, including a paintbrush, pencil, pen, highlighter, and eraser.  You can choose from your choice of three paper styles (plain, ruled, squared) or use paper templates (Weekly Planer, Passion Recipe Journal, Storyboard Notebook).  And if you run out of pages, you can simply add more.  It even comes with the back pocket to hold images or text.  You can learn more about their apps here.

And for those of you already using virtual notebooks, Moleskine has also created an “Evernote Smart Notebook,” compatible with your existing Evernote notebooks.  These new notebooks allow you to digitalize your Moleskine notebooks—syncing, tagging, and organizing your notes within Evernote.

What will you use the Moleskine Journal App for?

Over the last several years there has been quite a bit of buzz about virtual notebooks, most notably Evernote & Microsoft’s OneNote, but what is all the hype about? Below you will find a quick overview about virtual notebooks. For more information about virtual notebooks, sign-up to attend our upcoming webinar, Virtual Notebooks 101: Maximize Productivity Without Paper.

Virtual Notebooks Defined

Evernote and Microsoft OneNote.

What can I use virtual notebooks for?

The possibilities for virtual notebooks are pretty incredible and people keep finding new and creative ways to use them! Here are a few of our favorites:

• Gathering research
• Collecting articles
• Sharing meeting notes
• Planning events
• Managing tasks & projects
• Sharing documents
• Accessing important information on-the-go

What do you use virtual notebooks for?

When Evernote announced in May 2012 that it was acquiring Penultimate, one of our favorite iPad apps, we knew it was just a matter of time before Penultimate would seamlessly sync with our Evernote notebooks. It looks like that day has finally arrived.

We’ve had a chance to test the new Penultimate features and here are the highlights:

Syncs with Evernote

Once you write your handwritten note in Penultimate, you have the option to sync with a variety of different services, like Dropbox and Evernote. It’s a quick and easy process.

Search your handwritten text

One of our favorite features of Evernote is the search functionality and now the same search features are available for Penultimate. When we tested it, the app was even able to successfully search our chicken scratch writing!

Penultimate is free

There used to be a small fee to download Penultimate to your iPad, but now it’s free and you can purchase it here.