Good things are replaced by better things…

When I wrote Get Organized Digitally!, I wanted to talk about principles of digital organization that have held true for a very long time. I also wanted to focus on specific tools I was using then, realizing that tools change over time. When writing about technology, obsolescence is an ever-present risk.

I knew then that I would need a place where readers could come to see what had changed. This post is that place, and it will change over time.

Evernote

In January 2023, Bending Spoons, an Italian company, purchased Evernote. This event marked the beginning of rapid improvement.

Sharing

Multiple people can now edit the same note at the same time. For example, imagine two friends taking the same college class might share a notebook devoted to that class. At the beginning of class, one friend creates a new note, and that note becomes instantly available to the other person. During the lecture, each person can add to that note simultaneously. This new capability contradicts a statement in the book.

Building a Running Log in Evernote

Chapter 9 includes a topic showing you how to construct a running journal of your activities. Entries are easy to make on the fly, are date/time-stamped, and are added to the same note. Visit this post to see updates on that concept.

Changes in Google make one technique from page 146 obsolete. “OK Google, Frank’s Journal. Saw Scott Wright…” When the book went to press, Google Assistant allowed us to use a “trigger word” with If This Then That allowing a particular applet to run. Unfortunately, Google removed that capability. The post in the previous paragraph shows you another way to accomplish the same end.

Ebook Providing Updates

Because the updates to Evernote are so numerous, I wrote an ebook that starts at the beginning and brings readers up to date. That ebook is available in my Gumroad store.

Pricing and Changes to the Free Plan

The Evernote free plan was robust and suitable for most people’s needs, making it an ideal recommendation for the book. The downside was that giving everything away for free made it hard to stay in business.

Evernote increased prices on its paid plans and reduced what it offered in the free plan. While it did cost Evernote some users, it put this tool on sound financial footing.

Evernote still offers a free plan. Think of it as a trial. New users have access to even the most advanced features. However, they are limited in the number of notes they can create (50), the number of notebooks they can create (1), and the number of devices they can be logged into at any one time (1). I created a post and video that provides a path for those who wish to make the free plan work for them.

If you are looking for a free plan for the long term, Apple Notes, OneNote, and Google keep are mentioned in the book. Those are still viable alternatives to Evernote.

YouTube Playlist

I have covered various topics related to Evernote in YouTube videos. This link takes you to a playlist on the subject.

Autoschedulers for Your Calendar

Chapter 7 examines the digital calendar. Having an auto-scheduler is an important concept, and the chapter presents Calendly, a major player in the game. At present, I would also look at Cal.com. The free plan on this program offers me two things the free Calendly plan lacks.

First, Cal.com allows me to offer time slots of differing links. If I want to allow someone to reserve an hour on my calendar, I send them one link. They see the available times that offer a full hour. Selecting one blocks the full hour for them. I can give a different link to someone who needs 30 minutes, and a different one for someone who needs a 15-minute meeting. I can also create the type of event…a Zoom conference as opposed to a phone call. The link I give to a person determines the platform on which we will meet.

The second thing I like about Cal.com is the ability to create reminder emails that the person you’ll be meeting with automatically receives. In the best of all worlds, when another person schedules a meeting with you and that meeting appears on their digital calendar, nothing more needs to be done. You both show up. You both have alarms set on your respective digital calendars that provide an audible reminder just in case you get involved in an activity and lose track of time. For me, 15 minutes before any appointment, I get a reminder. In our day-to-day lives, we meet many not as well organized. For each of my links, I have a corresponding email that sends the day before the meeting and another than sends an hour before the meeting.

Calendly has the features I just discussed. However, they are available only on the paid plans.

Text Expanders

Chapter 9 is all about “Digital Organization.” One of the topics is “text expanders.” The chapter talks about Text Blaze. I continue to use Text Blaze and demonstrate it in this post. You could create an account using this link.

I also use a second text expander called “typedesk.” While Text Blaze works on all things Chrome, “typedesk” works anywhere. It will work in Word, in the Evernote desktop software, etc. I explore typedesk in this post. You can create an account here.

Scheduling Social Media

For years, I had used Hootsuite. It allowed me to connect several social media platforms. I could compose content and schedule it to post at a time of my choosing. Being able to compose in batches and schedule the content to post later was huge. It could also create content once and have it appear on up to three platforms at once.

Hootsuite has discontinued its free plan. I now use a service called Publer. The free plan limits me on how much content I can schedule ahead of time. At present, I can schedule 10 pieces of content with each being able to publish on three different platforms. As content posts, it begins to free up those 10 slots for me to schedule more.

Stay Current with This Resource

Technology changes. Good things are replaced by better things. When that happens, this post will let you know. That way Get Organized Digitally! will remain relevant for years to come.

Here’s How You Can Help

As you read Get Organized Digitally!, if you find something in the book that is no longer true, let me know. “All of us” is smarter than any one of us.

Secondly, who would you like to introduce to Get Organized Digitally!? Give them the link to order the book. Also, let them know about this website so they can begin their own journey to get organized!