Cloud Productivity: Do Everything

Posted on March 12, 2009 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Productivity

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Note: Today’s article is a guest post by Adrian Koh.

You’ve probably heard of cloud computing applications like Evernote, Google Documents, and Zoho. Cloud applications exist entirely on the web, meaning that both application itself and the data would not need to reside permanently your computer (though you may have an option to do so). As a result, you can use and access the document from any computer that has a browser and internet access.

I’m a big fan of Evernote. From collecting to sorting to reviewing, Evernote follows me wherever I go and keeps track of my life. In fact, it’s nothing less than a life management system for me: a to-do list manager, a repository for my research and working drafts for my articles. It’s literally an external brain. Here’s how I make it work for me:

Make An Inbox, Collect From Anywhere

If you’re connected from your smart phone, you have a seriously powerful collection tool in your hands. A ultra-portable netbook with great battery life is another alternative. If you have an application like Evernote, you’ll be able to collect scribbling, text notes, voice recordings, and snapshots.

This means that if you’ve got a thought or idea that you want to capture, you have a variety of ways to make sure it doesn’t get lost. Just enter the application and upload it into the cloud into a single inbox folder. When you’re ready, sort and process it – the “Do, Defer, Delegate, or Delete” steps – anytime you have free time to do so.

Access Your To-Do List Anywhere

The problem I had with to-do lists is that my A5-sized organizer which held them couldn’t follow me everywhere. My laptop’s limited battery life meant that I couldn’t afford to access my outliner application all the time. With a cloud application I can make sure I can view my list anywhere and anytime I needed.

Here’s what I put into the list: in a single note document, I keep a single comprehensive list of all my tasks sorted out under project name headings. This gives me perspective over everything I need to do. I make particular use of the “Waiting For” context, which helps me keep track of work that’s in someone else’s court.

Process Smartly Every Time

You can sort your notes out in notebooks, but why bother? Fast search engines power many applications these days. They actively index all your notes, making it fast to access them even before you need them. You can even save the searches that you do often, so that as you as access these saved searches in future, it’ll continue to include newer notes as well.

While the act of archiving can be a good process to run in reviewing your work, there are times sorting through a bunch of clippings from the news is just plain tedious. Dump it all into a general reference folder and let the search engine do the work.

There’s Loads You Can Do

Having an external brain like Evernote has changed the way I sort information and do my work. I’m sure you’ll come to love cloud applications like it to handle your work. In the end, however, a productive system is only as good as the goal it helps achieve – and for my scope of work, a “cloud productivity” is nothing less than a Godsend. If your productivity system needs an upgrade, consider this one.

Adrian Koh is a writer and life coach-in-training. He contributes at Whakate (a personal development journal), and at his blog, Life Liberated. Come by the Whakate Forums if you’d like to continue the discussion on cloud productivity!

Photo by Nicholas_T

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