I have a student who just started her first year of Pharmacy school this past fall. Besides the huge tuition, they had an additional “small” requirement of a bright shiny new iPad. They do everything on the iPad – from note taking and filing to taking tests. Being a Certified Evernote Consultant, I initially wanted to set her up with a new Evernote account to take notes and store all her important documents.
My enthusiasm wasn’t matched by my laid back student. I researched, downloaded and tested all the best note-taking apps and how they interacted with Evernote. I wanted to get in and set up all the glorious folders and tags. My attempts to show her everything she could do was met with a cold, “Uh-huh,” and “Whatever.” She told me she would figure it out as she went. Much to my discomfort, I had to relinquish control and let her follow her own path.
After the first day came all the questions…”How do I do this and that?” “What do I use?” followed by a “This is frustrating!”
Of course I am an hour away and couldn't access her iPad to help her navigate it. Again, I researched her questions and answered what I could and let her struggle through it. I know it is hard to believe, but I am not a control freak. However, it was still hard to dump her into the deep end to see if she could swim–-even at her age.
Then an amazing thing happened…she did swim and she left me clinging to the wall!
While she was home for the Thanksgiving holiday, she showed me how she had set up her workflow. She developed a personalized system that is working for her.
She has always been a Google Docs/Google Drive kind of student. I think it comes from having used it all through middle school and high school. She likes it better simply because she is more familiar with it.
However, Evernote was not left in the dust.
She has been using Evernote as her note taking app….Amazing!! She prefers the way you can use the Apple Pencil and type in a single note in Evernote. She can now type some notes and draw her chemistry models all in one note! She can also use Evernote with all her devices and access it anywhere and her notes will be safely stored in a cloud-based system. After seeing her process, I commandeered the help of my SideKick team, and we dug in and figured out a simple way to export the notes into Google Drive…and… Voila! A perfect symbiotic relationship was formed.
Why tell this story? I was reminded that everyone uses Evernote very differently. It is such a flexible tool and the possibilities with Evernote are endless. How can it make your life better? I would love to help you discover the best way to implement this powerful tool.
Let’s talk!
Your SideKick, Sara
