Reclaim Time When You Use Evernote This Way
March 3 2025 | Issue 33 | Link to this issue | Subscribe
Hi Reader –
Did you know that knowledge workers spend 30% of their workweek —about 2.4 hours per day — just searching for the right data and information? This is more than an inconvenience—it’s a significant productivity drain.
The data comes from a Forrester Consulting study, which found that workplace inefficiencies stem from scattered information across too many tools, emails, chats, and notes.
For you, maybe the time is much less. Or worse, perhaps you spend more than that trying to find things.
The question is, how much time do you waste looking for information?
Where did you save that confirmation code? Was it in an email? A sticky note on your desk? Google Drive? A text message? Slack? Perhaps a direct message on Twitter? Maybe it’s in Evernote...
Let’s be honest — it’s not the first time you’ve wasted too much time searching for lost files, notes, or photos.
Even when you know where things are, you can’t get to them.
You’ve got five minutes free to call the plumber your friend referred. There’s just one problem: you’re waiting in the school pick-up line, and the phone number’s on a sticky note on your kitchen counter.
While at the grocery store, your assistant texts you to find out how to answer a customer's time-sensitive question. You have a script for that — but it’s on your computer desktop. You’ll have to send it to her when you get home — but she’s done for the day in 30 minutes.
You’re not alone in this. It's very common.
So common in fact, that this lost time and efficiency may seem normal. But just because it’s common doesn’t mean it shouldn't be improved.
What if you could access handwritten notes from your car, or forward your assistant the script from the grocery store, in seconds, using your phone?
What would that do for your focus and productivity?
Saving time and getting stuff done efficiently is possible when you practice a key habit: centralizing everything you want to reference or retain in Evernote.
The Goal: Centralize everything in Evernote
With everything centralized in Evernote, everything is searchable and retrievable in Evernote, from wherever you are. When it's centralized in Evernote, it's retrievable in Evernote. You create a single spot of personal knowledge that you can access from any device (your phone, computer, tablet), even if you're offline.
Keep in mind that the goal isn’t necessarily for everything to live in Evernote. You can have your items stored in, for example, Google Drive or iCloud. They key is to paste the links to these items inside Evernote. This enables one-click access to them from Evernote and allows you to organize and search for them in one place.
In this way, Evernote still acts as your digital dashboard where you can reach anything you need, fast.
The most organized and productive Academy members know this is the most powerful way to use Evernote.
Previously, I shared the capture features Evernote offers that makes centralizing in Evernote easy (review that again here). Once familiar with those, pair them with these tips to address the inevitable resistance and mental blocks that appear when developing the habit of centralizing in Evernote.
4 Tips that Lead To Centralization Success
These tips come out of the Practically Paperless Challenge found inside the Academy which helps members tame the paper tiger around them. These concepts apply not only to the centralization of paper in Evernote, but anything you want to keep in Evernote (both physical and digital).
🎯 Set a clear and attainable goal → Be both specific and realistic in setting your goal. For example, in the Practically Paperless Challenge, I coach members to commit to accumulating no new paper for 30 days – instead, they’re to digitize it in Evernote. It’s explicitly not part of the challenge to tackle their paper backlog. This is too big and overwhelming.
Instead, they have an attainable goal in place that teaches the skills, workflow, and habits required to take the next step (digitizing their backlog) once they reach the attainable goal.
⏰ Time block → Small steps, taken consistently lead to big results. Paperless Challenge participants time block the activity of scanning paper to Evernote – some start with just 5 minutes per day or just 30 minutes once per week. Do either for 30 days and you’ll see noticeable results.
👀 Make it visible → It’s hard to establish a new habit if you forget to take action! I suggest creating a sticky note about the new habit you want to create (“Scan all receipts I collect today to Evernote”) and put it somewhere you can’t miss it – like on your monitor or your phone charger. Once the habit is part of your routine, you can undo your visual reminder.
🤝🏻 Get accountability → Centralizing your life into Evernote doesn’t always sound like a fun and exciting task for most people (unless you’re me). For tasks like this, find an accountability buddy. A friend who’s also looking to wrangle their digital life can be a great motivating tool. Virtual co-working also works great for accountability.
🧠 Academy Members: Sharpen your Evernote centralization skills and habits in with the Academy’s Practically Paperless Challenge.
Get This Habit Working for You
Once capturing information to Evernote becomes second nature, you gain back hours every week — no more wasted time searching, switching between apps, or scrambling for misplaced notes.
Need more? Get friendly support in beginning this time-and-sanity-saving habit and deepening your skills for an organized Evernote account (and life!) inside the Academy.
🔗 Join now and build a habit that saves you time every day.
Cheers to your productivity –
Stacey
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