5 Reasons to Give Evernote a Second Chance

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Evernote

Evernote (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I should get a commission from Evernote because I literally tell everyone I meet about it. It’s one of the top-rated productivity apps in the iTunes App Store and I couldn’t live without it. But people tell me all the time that they’ve downloaded it but could just “never get into it,” or make it work for them.

I get that – Evernote does require a little bit of a commitment at first to be really useful. Usually, I pass along some great advice from LifeHacker.com about how to use Evernote effectively, but sometimes people just want the basics.

Here is my own list of Tips and Tricks to help make Evernote work for you:

1.  Use it Often: The more you use it the more useful it becomes. Believe me. Notes in Evernote last forever, unlike that post-it stuck to your cell phone. When you can go back through weeks of to-do lists and can breathe easy that you didn’t miss a single thing, you’ll know what I mean. Read more

5 Ways To Stay Productive While Sick

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Woman with tissue and hot drinkWith winter cold season just beginning, it’s important to be proactive and boost your immune system with extra vitamins and get your flu shot. I got my flu shot last month but there’s always a chance that you’ll catch a bug at some point this season. Most of the time, it’s nothing a few wellness products and some concealer can’t take care of, but there have definitely been times when a cold takes me completely out of commission.

Here are a few ideas to boost your efficiency even when you’re feeling under the weather:

1. Sleep! Even when you’re not sick, it’s important to get enough sleep at night, but when you’re sick and your body needs to recover, sleep is even more important. Think it’s overrated? I was recently at an event with Arianna Huffington and she revealed that she’s crazy about maintaining her sleep schedule. She attributes a ton of her success to getting enough sleep so that she can be more focused and productive.

2. Outsource. With services like TaskRabbit and Wun-Wun, someone else can stock your medicine cabinet and pick up chicken soup for you. Simply send them your wellness list and wait, health is on its way.

3. Maintain your To-Do list. It’s always a good idea to keep a notebook next to your bed for late-night bursts of inspiration. When you’re sick, keep your to-do list bedside so you can easily add tasks you’ll need to accomplish when you’re better. This will allow you to easily prioritize these tasks and head back to work as if you had never been gone!

4. Delegate. Whether it’s your co-workers or family members, most of us have a team we “work” with every day. Delegating tasks to others allows us to stay super-productive while personally only focused on a few tasks. People understand if you lean a little more on them when you’re sick, especially if you’re someone who always makes sure to do a good job.

5. Use the buddy system. I once asked a co-worker to keep an eye on my email as well as hers when I was out sick and to call me if anything needed to be urgently addressed. I could sleep soundly knowing that not every ping of my cell phone meant I had to get up and attend to some task. Later, I was able to return the favor when she took a personal day!

Remember: the most productive thing you can do when you’re sick is focus on getting better. Take care of yourself and try a few of these tips and the rest will follow. Stay well!

Fab Find: Cross Off To-Dos with HandyBook

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Handybook LogoIf you’ve ever hosted Thanksgiving, you know how much has to get done before the turkey gets served. This year, many will be celebrating the first night of Hanukkah on Thanksgiving as well, and that means double the prep! This is the time of year for long to-do lists, so it’s important to remember to get help to avoid getting burnt out and stay cheerful! Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Get outsourcing! Read more

Livescribe3 Pen Digitizes Your Notes In Seconds

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livescribe1One of the biggest complaints people have about switching to digital list making is that they really enjoy writing notes down on paper.

I agree completely and that’s why I haven’t totally made the switch myself, I use both. When I take meeting notes on a phone call or in a meeting I usually end up taking a photo of my notes and uploading the photo to Evernote for later use. Then if I misplace my paper notes I know I have a backup that is searchable. There are also some notes just don’t translate to digital well — like if you’re drawing a seating chart or map.

But fear not, now you don’t have to give up your handwritten notes! Some techie geniuses at Livescribe have solved this problem with a pen that transcribes everything you write onto your mobile devices. Sounds like the coolest thing ever, right? Yeah — I thought so too. The company sent me a pen so I could check it out for myself and tell you all about it.

How Does It Work? Read more

Make Your Team More Productive With Asana

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teamworkBeing productive is not always a lone effort. In my day job and with my interns for this blog, I frequently have to work with a team. Being productive with a team requires collaboration and good communication, but with more people involved there are more opportunities for someone to forget to “reply all.”

Recently my interns and I began using Asana, a web and mobile application, designed by Facebook employees to improve the company’s productivity. We like it because it has allowed us to send fewer emails and it never lets us busy ladies forget anything!

There are a few reasons we think you’ll love it too:

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