Placeme as an Evernote add-on

It's rare that I come across an iPhone app that impresses me as much as Placeme.  I just downloaded this app two weeks ago and I have to say I'm very impressed!

Here's the basics of the app

• Placeme is a personal GPS tracking program.  It doesn't publish your location but simply sends you a report of where you were during a particular day.  
• Why would you want to have something like this?  As a Student Affairs Administrator - I want to be sure that I'm not married to my office space all day.  Each morning, I get feedback on where I was the previous day.  If I see that I've been shackled to my office the day before, it's a great reminder to get out and visit with students and staff.
• Another fabulous feature is that it integrates with Evernote so that each morning you see a report in your Evernote account.  Even better is that any notes you create during the day are hyperlinked under the location you were at the day before.  In other words, if you create 10 notes in Evernote while you were in your office, they will all be listed in chronological order.  As you can see below - the report I got in Evernote shows my time spent at China Fortune Restaurant as well as time spent at the home we're renting.  The two items under "Home at the Ridges" are hyperlinked to the documents I was working on at the time.  Simply clicking on those items will bring up the notes they reflect.  

Check it out in the App Store!

Reflections on a year of no paper

It's been a full year since I decided to go paper-free.  To be fair, I haven't gone 100% paper-free as that's likely impossible.  To describe my lifestyle is kind of like a reduced-fat cookie.  I'm 90% fat-free but still have a little bit of the good stuff.

Here are some of the thoughts I have about becoming paper-free and how the transition has gone

1.  You need to go cold-turkey.  It's sort of like learning a new language.  You're better off immersing yourself in the desired new behavior as opposed to easing into it.  I just stopped carrying a pen and paper.  Don't worry - someone will have a pen in the meeting you're going to if you actually need it.  Just be polite and borrow it if there's a sign-in sheet or something similar.

2.  Don't expect your friends and co-workers to go paper-free.  It's just not realistic to convert an office or organization into paper-free.  As a result, you need a personal scanner.  I like the Scansnap s1500 but know that Canon has an impressive device now as well.  Just take their paper they give to you and scan it.

3.  You need a document management service.  I prefer Evernote but there are others.  You need a place to put all of the information you need access to.

4.  Continue to evolve.  Carrying an iPad 3 is much easier than using an iPad 2 in terms of documents.  You can take a photo of a document with an iPad 3 and it will be close to the original.  The iPad 2 camera is simply garbage.  Sorry for those of you with an iPad 2.  It does most everything else just as well.  However, the camera doesn't work well.

5.  Use a tablet.  I prefer the iPad but everyone needs something to read with.  It is really up to you and your budget in deciding what you want to get.  The tablet is simply easier to read from than a laptop/desktop.  The tablet is not a replacement for a laptop - just simply a better reading device.  I always say that a tablet fits between your smart phone and your laptop.

6.  Moving is much easier when you're paper free.  I still have a lot of books I needed to move to Ohio University but in terms of paper files, I've cut that stack down by about 75%.  The only file folders I have are those that I haven't had a chance to scan yet.

I'll probably add to this list at a later date but this is at least a start.

Blog to be updated weekly soon!

Going to get back to making posts here and there on a weekly basis to the blog.  Been busy transitioning to Ohio University.  Sorry for the delay and I appreciate the continued hits to the blog!

Need help deciding a writing app for iPad?

Not sure what app to use for writing on your iPad?  The link below has a very involved chart that may help!

http://lifehacker.com/5915929/not-sure-which-writing-app-to-use-on-your-iphone-or-ipad--this-chart-compares-them-all?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

The Livescribe Pulse Smartpen and Evernote

Do you need a Smartpen?  I decided it was time to give the Livescribe Smartpen a whirl and check out the integration with Evernote.  I have to say that I am very impressed with the Pulse model that I'm using.  It records anything I write in a Livescribe notebook and once I dock the pen, it sends my handwriting right to evernote.  I could go on for days about the utility of this pen and how well it works with Evernote. If you want the ability to carry around a notebook and still use Evernote to remember everything you write, don't delay - get yourself a Smartpen today!

Trentacostes heading to Ohio University

Sorry for the delay in recent posting.  I recently accepted the position of Executive Director of Residential Housing at Ohio University and will be transitioning my family in the next few months. I'ts bittersweet as I've had an amazing 8 years at NKU and will miss many of the great friends and colleagues I've made. 

However - no worries for those of you following my blog at NKU - I intend to continue to update this blog during my tenure at Ohio University.  I continue to believe in both Evernote and the iPad as amazing productivity tools.  This blog will continue to reflect tips and ideas I have for leveraging both.  Thank you for continuing to follow the blog.

Pete

Use Siri to email notes to Evernote

Sorry for the delay in new posts - life has continued to be hectic.  A future post will explain why there's a been a dely in new ideas and posts

In the meantime, here's a great tip for those of you using Evernote who also have Siri (Iphone 4s).  Those that love Siri know that she has some limitations but here's one way around the evernote limitation.


http://blog.evernote.com/2011/11/08/fun-tip-dictate-notes-with-siri-on-iphone-4s/