8 Apps for Organizing Your Course Notes
Whether you’re in high school or college, chances are you take lots of notes. Even if you’re already a part of the professional field, note taking is something we all do at some point.
Whether you only write when you’re making your grocery list, or you keep track of your daily routine, there are some really great apps out there for note taking and keeping your thoughts organized. Here’s a list of eight that you might want to consider using.
1. Evernote
People complain that this one is “hard to get into.” According to Whitson Gordon, you should just jump in with both feet and start using Evernote for everything. There’s a web clipping tool that allows you to paste in pictures or text from websites — so it’s all right there. How handy!
Another key idea about Evernote that Mr. Gordon suggests is creating a lot of notebooks and notes pages. Organization doesn’t always mean barren. Feel free to organize pages and notebooks based on both complex and simple categories.
2. OneNote
Collaboration, synchronization, and organization. OneNote is all about making your life easier. Personally, I use OneNote because I like that I have it synced it with my iPhone. (But this isn’t to say that this can’t be done with other apps.)
There might be a pretty steep learning curve with OneNote. Don’t get overwhelmed. Here’s a lifehacker.com article that may help! Once you get the hang of it, I think you’ll feel like your life is MUCH more organized than it was before.
3. Simplenote
This isn’t an app that I know a lot about, but I have done a bit of research. (Here’s a beginner’s video.)
It looks like it’s a lot like other note taking apps, and is said to work with iOS, Android, and Windows. The coolest thing about it is that you can dictate to it and it’ll type your notes instead of you having to do it!
4. Zoho
Zoho markets itself as an alternative to the ever-growing Evernote (as discussed above). Zoho is trying to jump on the bandwagon and has created an app that allows for easy note taking. It doesn’t stray far from what other note taking apps offer, but try it out — you might like it!
5. Google Docs
I’m sure we’re all familiar with how wonderful Google truly is. Google Docs are easy because you can literally access the drive from anywhere (and for some reason, it’s way easier to understand than the “cloud?”)
I use Google docs all the time — my school email is linked to one drive, and my personal account is linked to everything I need for work and my personal life. It’s an easy way to keep things organized.
6. Notesy
Notesy is for plain text only and is very easy to use. If you’re looking for something simple so you can keep track of your grocery list — this is what I suggest.
Notesy lets you take notes and then share and save it to your Dropbox. It’s quick and easy but currently costs $2.99 in the App Store.
7. Inkflow
While this app is only free to download and requires purchase for the full benefits, this app is highly rated for note taking and productivity. It’s all about visual stimulation and organization. If you’re a visual learner — I would highly suggest this one!
8. Quip
If you want to combine spreadsheets and notes and share them with your co-workers or group project members — this is the app for you. It’s free to begin with, but (of course) there’s the option to pay up to $10 per month.