Tag: productivity

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Evernote

The Why and How of Social Media and Evernote

On July 23, I gave my first live Evernote Webinar, “The Power of Evernote.”  It went wonderfully, and I was so glad to have the opportunity to educate others about what Evernote can do. I know there were at least a couple of social media marketers in attendance. Though I did not go into Evernote and social media in detail via the webinar, I think it is important to dive a bit deeper into that topic. The connection between the two is actually very strong! So here goes. As always, please provide feedback via comment, email, or on social media!

As a reminder, Evernote makes it easy to:

Collect information. With Evernote, you can take snapshots, clip web articles, and store data relevant to one project in one notebook.

Present your work. With a single click all your notes are transformed into a presentation layout without the hassle of having to create slides; and

Discuss work with your co-workers. By sharing notes, you can collaborate on your projects so that the whole team is on the same page. Use the “workchat” feature to eliminate back-and-forth emails. Emails with attachments can get confusing and clutter your inbox – Evernote’s workchat streamlines all that.

Here’s a look at some of the most useful tools, and how to use them:

1. Make to-do lists. Evernote has the ability, in its text editor, to add check boxes (they are like a bullet list in your word processor). For social media marketers, you can use these to:

  • Keep track of an e-newsletter you’re preparing,
  • Organize your upcoming Facebook posts
  • Or store your drafted tweets!

You can create a template, timeline, and themes with your team. Let’s say that on Monday Sally knows she needs to promote X Y and Z. She can check them off and you can see she has done it. She can even create a “notelink” in the checklist to the note where the data/release lives.

Evernote also allows you to utilize IFTTT to auto post tweets and Facebook posts to an Established Evernote Notebook. We’ll cover that later in the article!

2. Snapshots: Not sure whether you should post a picture of that really cool thing you saw today on your way home? Take a picture on Evernote and share it with your team to get their thumbs-up before you post it. We all know, what’s once online, stays online. Here’s a easier way to make sure that what’s online is what you really want to be there.

3. Sound clips: As with pictures, you can save relevant sound clips on an Evernote notebook and use it later for that blog post or report file.

4. Connect to LinkedIn: Eliminate all that business card clutter and simultaneously expand your network.

5. Send an LI invitation as you are snapping the picture of the card. As I demonstrated at the webinar, you can snap a picture of a business card on Evernote and use it to send an invitation to that connection on LinkedIn. Place all your business cards in a notebook and you have a basic Contact Management System started. The beauty of this is the automated nature of it – you can build a bigger network, a lot faster.

6. The WebClipper. This handy Evernote tool eliminates the need for bookmarks! Here’s the scenario: You are searching the web. You find good info for an article. You bookmark it in your browser. How do you remember this later? Here’s how Evernote can help:

a. Download the web clipper add-on for your browser.

b. While in the article, click the elephant icon (web clipper). Then hit save.

c. Now the article is in the notebook you want it in, with any tags (A.K.A. keywords) you want! You can even add them upon saving or add them later, at your convenience.

d. Forget where you put it? Once you have everything saved up neatly in your Evernote workspace, you can easily and quickly search through your content later – Evernote searches tags, texts, and even text within images!

The power of this is that you simply and easily save links from websites, social media sites – in a way that’s a lot easier to manage than endless and obscure lists of unsearchable bookmarks.

7. IFTTT: If This Then That: Last and not least, this is the POWERHOUSE of building processes – and will make your social media life forever better. Here’s the long and short of it: When a process is automated, it saves time and effort, resulting in higher personal productivity. Read on to learn how IFTTT.com can help you with Facebook and Twitter updates.

Let’s say you forgot if you posted that update about a meeting, or you want to keep a running log of what posts have been made about a product release. There is an IFTT “recipe” for this, linked here: This recipe sends all of your Facebook updates directly to an Evernote notebook. This is perfect for when you cannot launch your Facebook app, but need to see what you have posted. So you will save your status updates on Facebook to an Evernote notebook. This keeps a running diary of your Facebook status changes by automatically saving all updates to an Evernote notebook.

You can use Evernote as an IFTTT action or trigger in many different ways, but here we’ll focus on one: Backing up all of your tweets to your Evernote notebooks. You can then search through and share them whenever you like, without having to trawl back through your Twitter feed in and endless scroll, searching desperately for something that would take five seconds to find in Evernote.

How does this work? IFTTT uses “recipes” and is dead simple to use. Go to ifttt.com and search for what you need. They walk you through it. It looks like this:

FOR TWITTER: Create a recipe from within IFTTT and choose new tweets as the trigger from the Twitter channel—you’ll be given the option to include or exclude retweets and replies along the way. The app then prompts you for an action within Evernote, so choose to append new tweets to an existing note, which you can tag as you like to make it easier to find in future. Once a note reaches 2MB in size, IFTTT will automatically start a new one for you.

Here’s the link to send all of your tweets to your Evernote notebook. This makes it quick and easy to share with teammates and clients who may not use Twitter, or stay up to date with your latest posts.

FOR FACEBOOK: It works the same way with a different “recipe,” linked here: This recipe sends all of your Facebook updates directly to an Evernote notebook. It’s perfect for when you cannot launch your Facebok app, but need to see what you have posted.

Save your status updates on Facebook to an Evernote notebook. Keep a running diary of your Facebook status changes by automatically saving all updates to an Evernote notebook.

So to wrap up: Evernote helps you remember everything. The more you use it, the better it gets, and this is doubly true for the complicated work of social media marketers. Try it for one client starting today! See what you think, and start small. Perhaps just start creating notebooks for your campaigns and posts, then let me know what questions or comments you may have. I look forward to helping you be even more productive with this tool!

Categories
Productivity

Take a Vacation – It’s Very Productive!

This may be a surprise to all of you who know me as a busy bee – but I am on vacation! Yes, even the most productive among us have to find time to sit back and relax. For the next few weeks I’m doing a lot of hiking (and recovering from hiking with a cool drink and a book afterwards…), as well as posting a blog for you all, of course!

Since I’ve got relaxation on the mind, I thought I would try and impart some wisdom on just HOW to relax – and make it count. It’s easy to take a few days off and fritter them away thinking about to-do lists, returning to work, or even packing your vacation time with as much excitement as possible, filling what should be a period of tranquility with unneeded stress. You deserve better! Not only will more effective rest make you happier during your vacation, but it will allow you to feel so much more recharged for work when you “get going” again.

Here are three strategies for getting the most out of your time off:

  1. Know that your vacation is a good thing! There’s no need to feel guilty or restless about giving yourself a break, simply because you aren’t working. The fact is that, while you aren’t being productive per se, you are contributing to your ability to be productive later. The Atlantic, after looking at the science behind restfulness, found that “breaks are better for our brains than overtime.” Vacations radically increase worker productivity by improving mental health and motivation. So trust your relaxing self; you’ll be able to do far more after a few more dips in the pool than a few extra hours grinding away at your desk.

  2. Sleep well! I cannot stress this enough – sleep is critical in recharging every part of your well-being, and you can’t be at your best if your health isn’t at its best. But even when you’re on vacation, it can be hard to squeeze every ounce of restfulness out of a night’s worth of sleep. There are some ways to “hack” your sleep patterns for the most rest possible. Try avoiding “blue light” – the kind often emitted by TV, computer and cell phone screens – for an hour before bed. Scheduling out your sleep pattern can help you take advantage of your full sleep cycle too; use this tool to find your perfect bedtime.

  3. Get away from emails! The advent of email is a great yet tricky thing – it makes communicating easier, but ever-present. When you’re always an email away, it can turn the 40-hour work-week into a 24/7 work-week, leaving little time for actual restfulness. As discussed, that restfulness is precious, and there are ways to keep email from stealing it away. Vacation auto-response is a feature on many email platforms, allowing you to notify those who email you that you’re on vacation. If the person’s message is critical, you can include other contact information in the customized response. It’s OK to be out of touch for a while, and this is a great way to tell others that in a respectful way.

It’s my goal that these tips will allow you to relax and replenish your energy for a great summer ahead. I’m trying them out in preparation for my webinar on July 23rd about “The Power of Evernote” (which you can still sign up for here!). Here’s hoping that you’ll see me more relaxed, recharged, and ready to be productive than ever!

Categories
More time in my day prioritize procrastination

Summer Fun or Summer Work? Both!

It’s summertime, and as Ella Fitzgerald sang, “the livin’ is easy.” But what about the working, the staying on task, the getting-things-done? For those, your newfound appreciation of swimming pools and ice cream may be leading you astray. So how, in a season of fun in the sun, do you actually achieve anything?

I’m here to tell you that enjoyment and accomplishment aren’t mutually exclusive. We’ve talked about the relationship between happiness and productivity before on this blog, and never does that hold more true than in the summer. It’s the time when the excitement of life and energy for work can go hand-in-hand. Where some make summertime work the enemy of summertime fun, you can capitalize on the power of both. Here are some tips for making fun work and work fun:

  1. Let yourself take breaks. Variety is the spice of life, and it’s the spice of work as well. No one is at their best in the midst of an hours-long slog, and you want the quality of your work to represent you at your best. So teach yourself to (temporarily) walk away from a task instead of trying to push through it. A break will help you refocus, re-engage, and re-inspire yourself for even better work when you return. Scientists agree; according to a productivity study cited by The Atlantic, the ideal balance is 52 minutes for working, followed by a 17 minute break.

  2. Surround yourself with fun AND productive people. We all have friends who look like they’re having fun 24/7. One look at their Facebook wall – or a slideshow from their trip to the Bahamas – and you can get a major case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). But nobody can have fun all of the time. It’s important to be reminded of this, so that you can allow yourself periods of productivity along with your time to let loose. The more you emulate people who have a healthy balance between work and play, the more you’ll find satisfaction in both.

  3. Build in active time during your daily schedule. Productivity relies on so much more than your sheer force of will. Being healthy, in both body and mind, can boost your motivation and ability – as well as allow you to have more fun. Studies show that exercise that improves both mental and physical health also has a profound impact on productivity. So take that morning run, that afternoon bike ride, or that noontime dip in the pool – your workday will be more fruitful because of it.

  4. Listen to music (really!) This one is controversial – take it from any student who has argued with a teacher about using earbuds during a test! But studies show that music can increase productivity by relaxing and refocusing the brain away from other aural distractions. Now before you jam out to Beyoncé at your desk, know that there are limits to music’s benefits. Music without lyrics, and for short durations of time, usually works best in creating a relaxed focus.

  5. Expose yourself to nature. No, this doesn’t mean “go out for a hike every day” – hardly anybody has the time, let alone the energy! But research shows that even just a little green in your day – from having an office window facing trees to a 20-minute walk in the park – can drastically improve your output. Make sure you aren’t cooped up, and you’ll be feeling and working better in no time.

Categories
Evernote

Blank Space: On Getting Started in Evernote

So let’s say you followed my advice and started an Evernote account. You heard it’s a solution to your productivity problems. You heard it’s simple and fun to use. Not only that, but you heard it will be life-changing.

You take the plunge, and the first thing you see after creating an account is this:

Screenshot 2015-04-28 14.26.40.png

Which is really more like:

Screenshot 2015-04-28 14.27.48.png

This is a perfectly understandable response. I get it; a blank screen can be daunting. That’s why I’m here to help. Here are a few steps that you can take to turn Evernote from a blank screen to a world of possibilities.

1. Start by making notebooks.

Notebooks are the basic building blocks of Evernote. They’re where you’ll put notes as you generate them, and like folders on your computer, they’ll help you keep track of everything as your documents begin to pile up. Think of them as all the different parts of your life, the types of files you use, random categories… whatever is going to help keep your ideas straight as you start building on the tool. Don’t worry too much about being overly organized at this step. The beauty of Evernote is that, however you use it, the tool will begin to help you sort and organize every bit of information you record, automatically.

2. Load in your documents and pictures.

This is key. You don’t want to shift your life over to Evernote, only to have to trade back-and-forth between file locations in different places. Do this, and your head will be spinning in no time. Evernote is made to be your one-stop place for every file you have. Load as much onto Evernote as you can; you’ll thank yourself when you’re in the airport and need to access a file on the cloud, or if you want to collaborate on a shared document and want the latest version available to everybody on your team in a flash.

3. Start tagging your ideas in categories.

Like the notebooks above, tags are just another way for you to group and sort your files and notes. The benefit of using tags for organization is that one file can have multiple tags, and it becomes easier to categorize a file as you’re creating it. Now, when you’re trying to search for something and it’s just on the tip of your tongue, you can start searching things like: “Dogs… Pets… Leashes… Bones…” Odds are, if your file is somewhere in the canine family, you used a tag in a related category like these, and your search will be more successful.

4. Invite your friends! Coworkers too!

Like everything in life except brushing your teeth or going to the doctor’s, Evernote becomes a richer experience with other people. Sharing notes, pictures, files, and to-do lists will allow you to pool resources with everybody, including family and friends. The more cross-platform sharing, the more you’re able to search and draw upon, and the more notes you’ll be able to make. Collaboration becomes easier, communication becomes easier, life becomes easier. Maybe “hive minds” aren’t so scary after all…

5. Download Evernote on all your devices.

This is where the network you’ve built on Evernote goes global. On your phone, tablet, or other devices, you’ll be able to access, create, and share notes wherever you are. Take iPhone notes on the fly, and you can trust that you’ll be able to capitalize on your spontaneity later on. It’s like you’re pulling the weight of your entire workspace and lifestyle all the time… with far less heavy lifting involved.

There you have it, 5 steps to getting started in Evernote. We’ve gone from a blank screen to…

Screenshot 2015-04-28 15.05.31.png

… in no time at all!

Categories
AD/HD More time in my day prioritize

How? What to do in the Land of Good Intentions

I have taken a summer break from posting the Design Your Days blog entries….but as sweet fall air kisses us, so too I offer a couple of “last” podcast/blogs to round out the Design Your Days series.

As you likely recall…I have joined with Sue West, www.organizeforafreshstart.com. We are the Design Your Days Duo for this series of audio interviews.  These are meant to give you short, “use today” pieces of advice, in 5 to 8 minutes. If you like this podcast, please LIKE our Facebook page for tips on your newsfeed several times a week.

You can either listen HOW no. 2 or read below….

Giving presentations, I find that many of the participants expect “just information and tips.” Introspective work is shunned.

So many of us feel “pressed for time” and “just want the practical strategies”. Our Design Your Days workshop attendees realizethat the best strategies won’t last, unless you’ve done the AWARENESS work and found the ones that fit YOU and YOUR life. They understand the power of the DYD framework and know why the ‘how’ practical side is the  last focus area.

So, assuming the listeners HAVE gone through the whole process, knowing WHAT gets in their way, Why they want it, what they WANT more of and less of….they are ready for the HOW. Sometimes we KNOW what to do – and we INTEND to do it- but as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” So how do we turn those intentions into action?

Many good ideas can be found in one of my favorite books, Following Through by Steve Levinson and Pete Greider. Pete and Steve do a fantastic job of explaining that there is NOTHING WRONG WITH US when our intentions alone do not produce long lasting results. Why?

Many good ideas can be found in one of my favorite books, Following Through by Steve Levinson and Pete Grieder. Pete and Steve do a fantastic job of explaining that there is NOTHING WRONG WITH US when our intentions alone do not produce long lasting results. Why?

We have two innate guidance systems in our minds. And there is no built-in mechanism for ensuring the 2 mechanisms work in concert with one another. They are: the PGS (primitive guidance system) and the Intellectual Guidance System  (IGS). The primitive guidance system has much power, but not much intelligence. The IGS has much intelligence, but little power. So in a contest, who wins? That’s right, the one with the power. So when you “should really clean your office” (IGS) what happens? How about when you “should do your taxes early this year?” Again the IGS is driving this. You need to find that PRIMAL REASON to change your behavior. The motivation.

So in the example above….set a meeting in your office with someone who you will want to impress to get it organized. Your PGS will be in touch with your pride, and that will get you moving.

Sue and I are sharing our “best practices” for the HOW over this and subsequent podcasts. Last time, we introduced the time inventory.

Now, we weigh in with a recommendation to focus on getting more sleep.

There is a well established link between sleep deprivation and symptoms of distractibility, inattention and hyperactivity for any one of us.

So in “intentions” check sleep first. Be strong and creative if you have to be in getting the amount you need. If you have a neuro-biological condition such as ADD or ADHD, then your intention to action model HAS TO BE unique, because of your brain chemistry. Start with sleep and quiet time (meditation, mindfulness or simply quiet time for yourself).

Now, we have 2 podcasts in our HOW bucket. We’ll continue with practical strategies to get you started in taking back your time and life in the coming podcasts.

If this topic struck a chord with you, we know you’ll get much more benefit from our Design Your Days workshop. We offer public workshops periodically; check out our facebook page for the latest ones.

We offer the Design Your Days workshop to YOUR group of businesspeople, so please contact one of us for more information and to get us on your schedule.

You can find us on Facebook as Design Your Days.

Categories
AD/HD Get Organized prioritize productivity in the workplace

On-the-Wall Business Tip.

Want a Business organization and prioritization tip? Use Ideapaint on your wall.

Use this tip if you consider yourself a “visual thinker.” You might be a designer or artist. Idea paint is not paint at all; rather, it is a sealer that acts as a giant dry-erase board.

If you have ever had the occasion of “too many to-do’s” to the point of overwhelm, Ideapaint is a tool to help de-clutter your brain. And when your brain is de-cluttered, you feel better organized, can prioritize better, focus better, and get more done.

  1. The brain spill. Often, I will have “so many ideas” that they cloud my head. When this happens, I walk over to my ideapaint wall, grab a marker, and start writing. Soon, I will begin drawing arrows and charts and graphs and numbered priorities. The act of standing, drawing, and writing frees up my brain.

    prioritize in style
    Ideas and concepts redefined on your wall
  2. Use color to help prioritize on the wall. Once you “spill out” your to-do’s, you can start to see them more clearly. It becomes obvious which ones need to be done first, and which can wait. You can use red for your top 3, blue for everything else, for example. Things that are a lower priority can be grey.
  3. You can use this to organize your projects. My graphic designer used idea paint on his wall to organize his clients into “website clients,” “newsletter clients”, “social media clients”, etc. so that he could run through the list and remember various tasks and deadlines he had for each client. Yes, he could have done this via spreadsheet or through another method, but, having this on the wall was an easier way for him to “see” everything all at once and respond to his “visual thinking” tendencies.
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