If you’ve got an Apple device (iPhone, iPad, Mac), there’s a valuable little gem called Notes.
If you don’t use any Apple devices, there’s some other apps like Evernote and OneNote. In many ways, either of these tools are superior to Apple Notes, but I mostly use Apple Notes now, so that’s what I’m writing about.
Share things to Notes in Context
I often share links from Safari to Notes so I have a context of what the note is about. I’ve discovered it’s a very easy way to keep notes for online courses.
Simplified Formatting
Apple Notes gives you a few simple ways of formatting text. You’ve got titles, headers, plain text and lists.
This sadly is a feature missing from Evernote, because Evernote gives you more formatting options than Apple Notes. But I’d like to just be able to select a headline and apply a ‘headline’ style.
Organization and Search
Apple Notes allow you save notes in folders for easy organization. Evernote is more advanced in that it gives you tags and notebooks, but I find that the folders work just fine.
It’s also fairly easy to search for notes.
Bells and Whistles
Apple Notes allow you to add checklists, which is handy for adding to-do lists or action items. You can also attach images and lock the notes down with a password.
What I use Apple Notes for
- Writing rough drafts for blogs before copying them into WordPress.
- Notes for webinars, online courses, or video tutorials because I can usually snap the notes to the side of the screen.
- Shopping lists, because I’ll always end up just bringing home a bag of chips if I don’t have a list.
- Saving details for prayer requests when I get an email alert from my church.
That being said, I still like to just write some things down, but I find Apple Notes handy. If you don’t use Apple products, then check out Evernote or Microsoft’s OneNote if you’re a Windows Fan.