Staying organized with Evernote and Moleskin

In our age of technology, we sometimes forget that writing a note, brainstorming, or sketching an idea onto paper can be a faster and more fluid way to work, create or brainstorm.

There was once a time when a simple yet well made pocket notebook (with elastic closure) was an essential item for creative and businessman alike to track their ideas.   The Moleskine company has brought back the simple black notebook.

Of course you could use notepads, spiral notebooks, folders, binders, scraps of paper, and any number of accessories.  Or you could simplify yourself by using the Moleskine for all your ideas, notes, and sketches.

The elegant notebooks come in various sizes that all very well made, and feel good in your hand.  The front page has an area to write your name and address, and even offer a reward for returning the notebook if lost.  A very handy addition is a folding pocket in the back flap – perfect for a business card, a few post-it notes or a receipts or two.

For the more eclectic taste, they also offer limited edition planners and notebooks – Simpsons 25th bright yellow or Lord of the Rings brown covers.  My personal favourite is the Star Wars Moleskine, with an iconic scene printed on the inside cover.

Which brings us to the most interesting part of what Moleskine calls your “analogue cloud” – connecting your handwritten notes to your online note-taking – namely the Evernote Moleskine notebook.

Evernote, for those who don’t know, is a surprisingly simple to use, amazingly versatile way to take + organize notes, photos, audio clips, and now pictures of your written notes.  Evernote allows you to mark up photos with it’s Skitch software, or even search for words in photos of your handwritten notes.  To connect the two, Moleskine even includes stickers that file the photo into any “note”, “notebook” or “stack” in your Evernote automatically – bringing colour and shape recognition to your smart device.

The beautiful thing about the Evernote cloud is that your notes, even your handwritten notes, can now be created, edited, and managed onto the device you’re using.  Whether it be your desktop PC or Mac, your iPad, or any number of Android devices, your Evernotes are there.