Evernote on the iPhone

As I alluded to yesterday, the Evernote iPhone client is really the heart of my note taking system. Remember my two simple requirements? I've got to be able to capture thoughts wherever I am when I have them, and retrieve the notes wherever I am when I need them. Here's how the Evernote/iPhone powerhouse combo finally solves those needs.


Capture

First point - my iPhone goes everywhere I go. Pre-iPhone, I had fully loaded pockets most of the time as I would nearly always carry my iPod Mini, my phone (most recently a Samsung Sync) and a small notebook. Now I have all of those things in one device, plus a web browser, GPS and a game system. I promise you, I NEVER leave home without it.



As you can see from the new note screen, there are a variety of note types that can be added right on the iPhone. You can type a text note, upload an existing picture, snap a new picture or record a voice note. Here are a couple of quick examples of ways I've used it recently.

• My wife and I are in the process of searching for a new media center for our TV. While in the furniture stores, I snap a new picture of any pieces I like, and add text for any further details (price, size, store). Later, I can review all of the notes on the bigger iMac screen at home for detailed comparisons. No separate uploading required, no syncing my phone - the notes are already there.
• Driving home from work, I get a call asking me to pick up some items for dinner. Can't (er, shouldn't) really type while driving, so I open a new voice note and repeat the list out loud. It's ready for me to play back when I get to the store.
• Busy design meetings, lots of whiteboarding. Take a picture of the whiteboard after the meeting, and it's there for review as I'm typing up my project plans. As a bonus, if you write neatly (really neatly), the Evernote indexer will parse the text out of your whiteboard picture making it searchable. And yes, it works.
  

Retrieval

I've touched on this a little already, but the ubiquity of Evernote access options is where it really shines. If you have the desktop client on your machine, you have the full set of features at your fingertips. If not, go to the browser client and you're in business. On the go, use the Windows Mobile or iPhone client and you're all set.

Why I Love Evernote

It's difficult to recall exactly how long I had to search to find a note taking solution that met my needs. Funny thing is, my needs are not that complex - I just need to be able to record a note wherever I am (home, work, golf course, friend's house, bathroom, etc.), and reliably retrieve my notes in all those same places. Easy, right? I thought so too, but every system I tried failed in one area or another.

Portability

This is the heart of the requirement. I never know where I will be (or what I will be doing) when I think of an idea. Paper solutions tend to be the best in this area - I used to carry a small notebook and pen that I could either carry or keep in my pocket.
Thick client software applications such as OneNote don't work as well here. Although a laptop is smaller than a desktop, it isn't convenient enough that I will always a) have it with me and b) have it on and ready to capture a note before I lose the thought.

Reliability

This is a challenge for paper. A notebook is great for being able to capture ideas quickly and easily, but it doesn't last forever. Spilled coffee in the car, or a nice sweaty summer day in my pocket are often enough to bring this solution to it's knees. Reliability of paper notes can be improved somewhat by keying (or scanning) the notes into another system for permanent keeping, indexing, and retrieval, but this requires an extra step or six. It also requires the motivation to do it.

Universality

Not only can I not predict where I will be when I have an idea, I also don't know what kind of idea I will have. Software solutions have a slight edge in my mind, as I can easily save documents, web pages, emails, photos or written notes into them. Paper has the ability to naturally record written notes or drawings as quickly as I can think them, but storing and retrieving other items on paper is more of a challenge (and usually involves printing them from another source anyway).

Enter Evernote

Evernote solves all of these issues and so many more. Anywhere I am, there too is Evernote. At work, I have the web interface (and web clipping Firefox add-in) and the desktop client on my PC. At home, there's an OS X version of the desktop client for my Mac. Anywhere else, I have the iPhone client - oh, the iPhone client. I believe I need a separate post just to talk about that.
No matter which client I use to capture my notes, they are synced to the cloud - automatically and instantly. I don't have to worry about my notebook or even (Heaven help me) my iPhone being destroyed and losing all of my ideas and notes - I can still access them from the desktop client or on any computer with a web browser.

The variety of items that can be captured, tagged, searched and retrieved in Evernote is truly astounding. Text? Duh. Pictures? Of Course. Web pages? Voice memos? Scanned documents? Check, check, and check. In fact, for pictures and documents Evernote will even parse out text from the item, making it searchable.

Evernote is such a part of what I do everyday, that I will certainly be mentioning specific uses in future posts. In the mean time, if you don't have it - get it!

Zen Habits on Simplification with Kids

Yesterday's post about scheduling real life obviously revealed a bit of frustration at some of the chaos that can tend to envelop life outside of work with the kiddos.  Almost as if in direct response to my plea, today Leo at ZenHabits has posted 25 Ways to Simplify Your Life with Kids.  In typical ZenHabits style, the list contains some great nuggets that I can put to use right away.  In my post I resolved to begin putting all events on the calendar so I can see what's going on.  Here's what Leo has to say on the topic:

 

2.  One calendar. If you have more than one kid, you might have a lot of activities going on that you need to track, from school events such as Christmas performances and parent-teacher conferences to extracurricular activities such as soccer practice, dance classes, or Spring concerts. Organize your life with a simple calendar (I use Google Calendar) and enter all activities and appointments on this one calendar, from kids' stuff to your own goings on. When they hand you papers from school, or soccer schedules, immediately enter everything onto the calendar. Then a quick glance at the calendar each day will help you plan your day.

 

There are several other good ideas in the post including early preparation, dedicating time to each child and to your spouse, and performing cooking and cleaning chores as a family.  I'll be putting some of these ideas to use right away!

Scheduling Real Life

When I'm at work, scheduling comes naturally.  I always have a calendar showing the day's appointments right in front of me when I'm at my desk.  I keep my project plans and task schedules up to date so I can always have a finger on my project status.  I'm in the habit of keeping things on time and it just seems to work for me - at work.

 

Why is it, then, that outside of work is such a different story?  Three kids with sports practices and extra-curricular activites.  My wife who is finishing up her degree in the evenings and working part time.  Kids' homework, dinner, showers, etc.  House cleaning, repairs, yard work.  Sleep (glorious sleep).  I'm well aware that if I would keep the same sort of meticulous schedule at home that I do at work, things would flow much more smoothly.  Why don't I do it?

 

I think the primary reason is that I have this belief that non-working time should be liesure time.  I know that is not true, but it's deeply rooted in my gut.  It just feels like if I'm doing the same things that I do at work to manage life outside of work - have I ever really left work?  The paradox is that by doing those things at work I keep the fire-fighting to a minimum and keep things mostly under control.  I could have all of that goodness at home as well, if only...

 

OK.  New resolution - I will take the first step towards getting my home life back under control starting today.  For baby step number one I will schedule all of my home activities on iCal, which I will then publish to Google calendar.  This will at least allow me to keep the framework of the days activities in my mind so I that I can stay focused on what is at hand.  I will do this for two weeks and then begin the as yet unnamed baby step number two.

 

 

Christopher M. Young, PMP

Wow, I like the sound of that.  It's official - I passed my exam this morning and am now an officially certified PMP!

It was a tough road getting here, and I'm extremely relieved to have it completed.  Now it's time to go forth and celebrate my milestone accomplishment like a good project manager should!

Exam Tomorrow

Tomorrow's PMP exam is really starting to make me nervous for some reason.  It's difficult to explain because I know the material well, I have solid experience, and I always do well on standardized tests.  I've studied and studied, and there's just something that's nagging at me...

No matter.  Tomorrow is the day!  I'll do a quick review of my flash cards tonight and get plenty of rest.  9 AM tomorrow is the culmination of six months' focused effort.  Sweet.

July 3 = Happy PMP Day!

On Friday, I received my authorization to test letter from PMI!  I've now scheduled my PMP exam for July 3 at 9:00 AM.  I think this timing is perfect, as it will give me a little something extra to celebrate as we head into the long Independence Day holiday weekend.

I'm now very focused on studying for the exam.  My copy of the PMBOK has enough Post-it flags and highlighter marks and dog-eared pages that it is almost unrecognizable.  Dr. Kerzner's book (especially the quality chapter) is the next to receive this treatment. 

PMP or Bust!

PMP Update

Wow.  Don't ever let anybody tell you that getting a PMP Certification is easy!  I've finally completed and submitted my application and resume, and I've received an email that says I'm now allowed to pay for the exam.  Not take the exam, mind you - just pay for it.  After I submit my payment PMI has the option to audit my application, which I'm told can take a while.  I still plan on getting this completed by mid-summer though, so hopefully they'll pass on that option and allow me to go ahead and schedule the exam.

Now the studying begins!  Truthfully I'm not really that worried about the exam.  I took a certification prep course earlier this year, and I've been around project management for many moons, so I'm sure I'll do fine.  I'm more excited about finally accomplishing this goal than I am nervous about taking the test.  Anyway, stay tuned and I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Derby Week

Hard to believe, but the first Saturday in May is already upon us!  This Saturday will mark the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby, and there's no better time to be in Louisville than during Derby Week.

Dust in the Wind

I'll be at the track tomorrow (and possibly Friday as well).   Tomorrow is the Festival in the Field, where a big stage is set up in the infield.  What better way to enjoy a day of racing then to hang out with friends, knock back a mint julep or two, and enjoy some live music.  Previous year's bands have included SilverLoop and The Violent Femmes.  This year's blast from the past is none other than Kansas - so Carry On, My Wayward Son.


Saturday = Derby Parties

Friday is Oaks Day at the Downs.  Oaks is a big day of racing, and a day of huge crowds at the track.  This is my favorite day at the infield - the crowd is (just a little) tamer than on Derby day, but big and raucous enough for everybody to have a good time.

I won't be at the track for Derby this year.  Instead, I'll be making the rounds of Derby parties.  Usually I attend one or possibly two parties, but this year I have three good friends that are hosting parties plus my grandparents have invited everyone out.  Sounds like Saturday is going to be quite busy for me.  No matter, though - I can recover on Sunday!

PMI Member; Soon to be PMP

Alrighty then.  After about eight years of managing projects in one capacity or another, I finally joined PMI last week.  This is in support of my goal to become PMP certified by June of this year.

Right now I am hard at work on preparing my PMP resume.  This is proving to be a pretty arduous task, as I am required to list details including the knowledge areas that I've worked in on every project for the last eight years.   Sometimes I have trouble remembering what I had for breakfast, so details of projects eight years (and two employers) ago are hard to come by.  Nevertheless, I will persevere and have my application completed by mid-May.

On a parallel path, I am taking an exam preparation course to help prepare for the test itself.  My final session of that course is May 15-17, which aligns nicely with the timeline for my goal.  I'll get my application in, finish my course, take a practice exam or two and study, study, study!  Whew - I'll be glad when that's over.  Fortunately, I've got a week of vacation scheduled in beautiful Destin, FL for the third week of June!

New Blog Focus - Project Management

As promised, I've decided to repurpose the Journal This! blog.  I've decided to channel my passion at work into my writings in this humble forum, and as such I will be focusing primarily on the topic of project management. 

Still here?

Good, because I promise not to make a boring rehash of the same old PM stuff that you've already read in a dozen places.   While I do happen  to manage projects for my job (which I enjoy very much), I also use project management skills in every facet of life - from home maintenance to personal finances to kids' school work - it all comes down to planning and executing.

I think we're going to have some fun with this.  I'll continue to journal important personal events because, well because it's my blog and I want to.  Just a few of the upcoming topics that I'll put a PM spin on in the future are GTD, automobile purchases, home improvement, and family event planning. 

Back in the Game

Wow, it's been a while.  Welcome back to the Journal This! blog.  It's been quite some time since I've posted here, and quite a few things have changed - as you can well imagine.  I'll fill you in on a little bit in this post, and then close some more gaps in future posts.  In addition, I've decided to focus this blog a little more on a topic that's pretty important to me.  Stay tuned for details.

I haven't been totally absent from the blogging scene, I've been posting at my poker blog Cracked Aces.  Unfortunately, I don't have too much to say on that blog any longer.  Online poker has been a relaxing (and quite profitable) hobby of mine for a few years and I've deeply enjoyed playing and writing about it.  Unfortunately, Big Brother has declared that I don't have the right to use my leisure time and disposable income as I see fit.  So, for now, I've said good bye to online poker. 

Over the last month or two that I've not been playing poker, I've picked up a much more nefarious habit - World of Warcraft.   Funny how thing change, eh?  I used to spend an hour or two a night playing poker and being rewarded with a couple hundred dollars a month of extra scratch and some nice swag.   Now I spend far more time online getting lost in and around Azeroth, and get to pay $15 a month for the privilege.

OK, that's enough for now - I don't want to bore you to death.  Welcome back - I'm looking forward to rekindling the conversation.
 

Disney Cruise Reports Blog

You may remember that in a couple of previous posts (here and here), I was kicking around the idea of taking the family on a Disney cruise this year. For various reasons, I've decided against that option - for this year, at least. This year we're going to stay in a safari suite at the Sheraton Safari hotel when we visit Disney World in October.

Speaking of Disney Cruises though, Jenny has pointed me in the direction of her blog, Disney Cruise Reports. This is a nice looking blog (I dig the big Mickey picture), with good information on the latest happenings (and deals!) on the Disney Cruises - go check it out!

PS - Thanks for the nice comments, Jenny. You didn't leave me an email address, so I couldn't respond directly.

Keep the Gulf Coast in Your Prayers

As we speak, the US gulf coast is getting pounded by the devastating hurricane Katrina. A storm like this has the potential not only to destroy homes and property, but to flood entire cities and take many lives. Please keep the residents of New Orleans, Gulf Port, Biloxi and all the others in the path of this storm in your thoughts and prayers.

Current Updates:
Fox News
MSNBC
CNN

Happy day for Coffee Lovers

Coffee lovers of the world - rejoice! There's an article on wired that discusses a recent study showing that my beloved black gold contains more antioxidants than any other food or beverage. Just another reason to never stop enjoying the java.

Link: http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,68677,00.html

Lunch with Ann Northup

Kentucky 3rd district congresswoman Ann Northup was here today for a lunch time talk about the looming Social Security crisis. I am concerned about this issue for a number of reasons. Number one, I work at a company that is a major player in long term health care (nursing centers). Changes to Social Security and/or Medicare directly affect business. Also as a younger worker, I’m 31, any changes made to the Social Security program today will directly affect me in my retirement years.

As mentioned in a previous post, I attended President Bush’s town hall meeting on the same topic in March of this year. I know that the presentation was packaged for a mass audience and geared for sound bites, but even so after hearing him speak I was still very confused as to what he intended to do to fix the problem. He did a nice job of building consensus that there was a problem that needed to be fixed, but he was very short on solutions.

Not so with Ms. Northup. She did an outstanding job of taking a complex topic and making it understandable, clearly outlining both the problem and the proposed solution that she supports. In addition to the plan that she supports, she talked about the other plans on the table and why they are not as good. What impressed me most was the question and answer session at the conclusion of her talk. She was able to address a wide variety of concerns from the audience, and I came away with the distinct impression that she had spent a great deal of time getting to know this topic in intimate detail.

As for me, I’ve still got some more thinking and research to do before I make up my own mind as to whether private accounts are the way to go or not. However, I now have a much deeper understanding of the issues at hand and I’m very grateful to Congresswoman Northup for that. Thanks Ann!

New Poker Blog

I've just started a new poker blog over on MSN spaces that I'd like you to check out. You can find it at http://spaces.msn.com/members/cypoker. It's basically a journal of my online poker play with results and perhaps some keen insights (yeah, right) along the way. Go see it and let me know what you think!

Update: Corrected URL

It's Widget Time!

I'm sure that by now most everyone has heard that Yahoo! has purchased Konfabulator, and made it free (as in beer). Now it's time to go exploring and find out what the coolest widgets are. The default install includes a few pretty handy widgets like the CPU Portal and the Memory Guage. What are some of the others that I should check out?

The What To Do? widget has really caught my attention. I've been trying to convert to a more Getting Things Done style of managing my workflow. To that end, I've been using the GTD Wiki for managing my next actions list while I'm at the computer (which is always). The only problem with the Wiki is that I need to have the browser open to use it. In the past, this would not have been an issue because my browser was always open anyway. If the browser is always open, you can guess what I spent too much of my time at work doing, right? Anyway, I've got the What To Do? widget set as the topmost window and slightly transparent. I can see what I need to be doing at all times without having my browser (or Outlook) open. I'll let you know how it goes!

MindManager Beta

Woo Hoo! I got a message earlier that I was selected to participate in MindManager Pro 6 beta for Mindjet. As you may recall from a previous post, I am a big fan of the art of mind mapping in general and of the MindManager software in particular (though prior to the beta, I've been using FreeMind).

The confidentiality agreement of the beta prevents me from giving any details about the new product, but I don't think that the Mindjet folks would mind me saying that It Rocks! I'll post what I can about it in the future, but in the mean time I'm very excited to be playing with (er, testing) the new features ;)

Happy Birthday America!

Happy Independence Day! It's July 4, and that means Independance Day here in the states. I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to our men and women in uniform all over the world who are defending our freedom and doing their part to keep America the "Land of the free and the home of the brave." Thank You!