Notes and Lists and To Dos, Oh My!
I have always kept notebook/calendars. From the time I was in high school, way back when we were using a hammer and chisel. I kept assignments and due dates, as well as notes and things to remember and even a work log, so that I could retrace my steps on work completed.
And I am also a list maker: grocery lists, to do lists, packing lists, birthday lists, lists of lists. There is nothing like the satisfaction of crossing an item off a list.
Along came the computer, and certain lists transferred easily: birthday and anniversary lists, for example, or Christmas gift lists. But day to day to do lists, or work logs, or grocery lists, didn't translate so well. These need to be portable and spontaneous.
Well, Smart Phones and the iPad (and its relatives) have put new meaning in the term "notepad." You really can make use of these tools to "jot down" ideas or items to be done, purchased, or remembered.
The grocery list, for example, is now, for me, definitely an iPhone item. I have a little app called "apptly" Shopping List, that is easy to use and tailor to my specific needs. It starts with a base list of items, such as milk, bread, and eggs, to which you can add items that are specific to your shopping habits, like "cat litter," or "dry soup mix." Once added, these items can be added to a specific day's shopping lists with ease. Then, at the store, you call up your list, and as items are dropped in your cart, you put a check mark by them. When all your items are in your cart, you clear the list to ready it for the next list, which you can construct wherever you are and whenever you think of something to add.
Notes, however, have not made the transition quite so easily. For one thing, there is something satisfying about the act of writing it down. It's very spur-of-the-moment, and has a strong psychological impact of getting it off your mind. There is a neat little default iPhone app called Notes, which looks like a little yellow pad. You can create an keep notes - like, for example, directions to someone's house, or a keycode - or you can make specific notes that can be deleted once you've attended to them. I do use this, but not for just quickly scribbling down an article idea, or a conversation with a client.
Now that I'm using the iPad, however, I will probably be more likely to get in the habit of note-taking via that device, given that it goes everywhere with me, and its interface is slightly easier to use than the iPhone when it comes to note taking. I am testing an app called Evernote right now, and assuming it works well (it will synch with all your "i" devices, so if you've got an iPhone and an iPad, your notes will follow you), it will become part of my staple electronics. I'll take notes, and keep you posted!
And I am also a list maker: grocery lists, to do lists, packing lists, birthday lists, lists of lists. There is nothing like the satisfaction of crossing an item off a list.
Along came the computer, and certain lists transferred easily: birthday and anniversary lists, for example, or Christmas gift lists. But day to day to do lists, or work logs, or grocery lists, didn't translate so well. These need to be portable and spontaneous.
Well, Smart Phones and the iPad (and its relatives) have put new meaning in the term "notepad." You really can make use of these tools to "jot down" ideas or items to be done, purchased, or remembered.
The grocery list, for example, is now, for me, definitely an iPhone item. I have a little app called "apptly" Shopping List, that is easy to use and tailor to my specific needs. It starts with a base list of items, such as milk, bread, and eggs, to which you can add items that are specific to your shopping habits, like "cat litter," or "dry soup mix." Once added, these items can be added to a specific day's shopping lists with ease. Then, at the store, you call up your list, and as items are dropped in your cart, you put a check mark by them. When all your items are in your cart, you clear the list to ready it for the next list, which you can construct wherever you are and whenever you think of something to add.
Notes, however, have not made the transition quite so easily. For one thing, there is something satisfying about the act of writing it down. It's very spur-of-the-moment, and has a strong psychological impact of getting it off your mind. There is a neat little default iPhone app called Notes, which looks like a little yellow pad. You can create an keep notes - like, for example, directions to someone's house, or a keycode - or you can make specific notes that can be deleted once you've attended to them. I do use this, but not for just quickly scribbling down an article idea, or a conversation with a client.
Now that I'm using the iPad, however, I will probably be more likely to get in the habit of note-taking via that device, given that it goes everywhere with me, and its interface is slightly easier to use than the iPhone when it comes to note taking. I am testing an app called Evernote right now, and assuming it works well (it will synch with all your "i" devices, so if you've got an iPhone and an iPad, your notes will follow you), it will become part of my staple electronics. I'll take notes, and keep you posted!
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