The Quick Thirty-Minute Evernote Setup

If you’re the kind of person who likes to plunge in first and read suggestions later, here’s what you need to get up and running with Evernote for the first time or to give it a real try if it hasn’t stuck before. Follow these steps to set up Evernote and then dip into this book for inspiration on how to make your new Evernote system work even better.

• First, visit Evernote.com on your main computer (laptop or desktop) to sign up for an Evernote account and download the free Evernote software to your computer.
• Second, use the app store on your smartphone and/or tablet to install Evernote on each of your mobile devices. Yes, you should install it on both your phone and your tablet. You’ll use them for different purposes.
• Third, launch Evernote on your computer, phone, and tablet—anywhere you have it installed—and log into your Evernote account. Once you’ve signed in, Evernote will keep you signed in.
• Fourth, visit Evernote.com from the browser you use most often on your main computer and install the Evernote web clipper. Evernote will offer you the option to stay logged in for a week at a time.
• Fifth, create the following “starter” notebooks (which you can rename, add to, or reorganize at any time). As you create each notebook, Evernote will ask you whether to make it “local” or “synchronized.” Select “synchronized” for each one, except for notebooks that have sensitive or confidential information (like HR or finance).

• Sixth, create notebook stacks to organize your notebooks.

Note: Some of your notebooks won’t be in stacks; that’s ok.

For the next thirty days, use Evernote every time you . . .

• Create a new document in your word processor. Ask yourself: can I do this in Evernote? If it’s a first draft or notes for your personal reference, the answer is probably yes. Create a new Evernote note instead, or copy and paste from your word processor into Evernote (and don’t bother saving that word processor file).
• Take notes on a piece of paper, in a paper notebook, or on a whiteboard. Ask yourself: will I want to refer to this again? If the answer is yes, take a picture with your smartphone and add it to Evernote.
• Find a web page you want to bookmark or take note of. Ask yourself: will I want to access this again? If yes, use the web clipper to add it to Evernote.
• Find yourself trying to remember what you heard, wrote, or found last week. If you’ve followed these guidelines for capturing your notes and finds to Evernote, they’ll be there waiting. Just search for a slightly unusual word you remember from that conversation, document, or web page.