Comments
How to Use Evernote Templates for Notes
Edited 1 week ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team
EvernoteNotesCustomizationProductivityEfficiencyWindowsMacFormsDesignPre-madeLayoutReady-madeShortcut
This content is available in 7 different language
Taking notes is an essential task for organized thinking and effective information management. In the digital age, note taking has been transformed by applications like Evernote, which allows users to store, organize, and access their notes anywhere. One of Evernote's powerful features is its template functionality, which can help you streamline note taking for efficiency and consistency. In this guide, we'll explore how to use Evernote templates effectively.
Understanding Evernote and its features
Evernote is a cross-platform app designed for note taking, organizing, and task management. It allows you to collect notes and organize them across your device. Notes can be organized into notebooks, and for better access, they can also be tagged. Notes can contain text, drawings, photos, or saved web content.
Among other features, Evernote supports document scanning, reminders, and collaborating on notes with others. However, one of the most powerful features is its ability to use templates for notes. Templates make it easier to maintain consistency in your note-taking format and reduce the time it takes to set up notes from scratch.
What are Evernote templates?
Templates in Evernote are pre-designed layouts and structures that help you jump-start your note-taking process. They provide a consistent format that you can use over and over again for the same tasks or projects. Whether you're planning a project, tracking habits, or brainstorming ideas, templates can make your job easier.
For example, if you often take meeting notes, a meeting template can include a default format with sections for the agenda, attendees, discussion points, action items, and next meeting date. You can simply fill in the specific details for each meeting instead of creating a new structure each time.
Why use templates in Evernote?
Here are some reasons why using templates can be beneficial:
- Consistency: Templates help maintain a consistent structure, making it easier to find information and ensuring that no important details are missed.
- Efficiency: Saves time by not having to reinvent the wheel every time you need to write notes for repetitive tasks.
- Focus: With the structure provided by templates, you can focus on the content and quality of your notes rather than the layout.
- Professionalism: Consistent and polished notes are highly essential for team collaboration and professional settings.
Accessing Evernote templates
Evernote provides a library of templates that you can access. To find these templates, follow these steps:
- Open Evernote on your device.
- Create a new note.
- In the note editor, click the "Template" button (represented by a grid icon) usually found near the top corner.
- This will open the "Template Gallery" from where you can choose the template you want.
Easily browse categories like meeting notes, to-do lists, planners, and more in the template gallery. Evernote frequently updates its template library, giving you different formats to suit specific tasks or note-taking needs.
Creating your template
While Evernote offers an extensive library of templates, you can also create your own custom templates to meet specific needs. Here's how you can create and save a template:
- Create a new note or open an existing note that you want to save as a template.
- Format the note to fit the structure that suits your task or project. You can include headings, bullet points, tables, checklists, and more.
- Once you have your fully formatted note, click the "Template" button.
- Select "Save as Template." Enter a name for the template and save it.
- Your custom template is now available in your template library for future use.
Custom templates can be useful for very specific use cases, such as personal projects, specific client notes, or special tasks that are not covered by the default templates.
Apply a template to a note
Once you've identified or created a template, applying it to a note is simple:
- Create a new note in Evernote.
- In the note editor, click the "Template" button.
- Choose a template from the template gallery or your saved templates.
- The selected template will fill the note with pre-structured content and formatting. You can then make edits as needed.
Applying templates to your notes helps to quickly start the documentation process with a predefined structure, saving a lot of time.
Examples of the use of templates
Meeting notes template
The meeting notes template may look like the one below:
Title: [meeting title]
- Date: [date]
- Time: [start time] - [end time]
- Attendees: [List of attendees]
Agenda:
- Agenda Item 1
- Agenda Item 2
Discussion:
- Discussion Point 1
- Discussion Point 2
Action items:
- Task 1
- Task 2
Next meeting: [date of next meeting]
Such a template ensures that you cover all the important aspects of the meeting, from the list of participants to the action items, and provide a comprehensive overview and an implementable plan after the meeting.
Project planning template
A project planning template may include the following sections:
Project name: [project name]
Objective:
- Objective 1
- Objective 2
Timeline:
- Start date: [date]
- Last Date: [Date]
Milestones:
- Milestone 1
- Milestone 2
Resources:
- Resource 1
- Resource 2
Risks and mitigation:
- Risk 1: [Description and Mitigation Strategy]
- Risk 2: [Description and Mitigation Strategy]
This type of template ensures that all important project aspects are documented, leading to better project management and coordination.
Organizing and managing templates
As you begin to collect templates, effective organization can improve productivity. Here are some ways you can manage your templates:
- Categories: Group templates into categories like work, personal, projects, etc. This makes it easier to find relevant templates quickly.
- Favorites: Mark frequently used templates as favorites to quickly access them without having to search through the entire library.
- Updating templates: As your needs evolve, edit your templates to reflect new information or structures.
- Delete unnecessary templates: Periodically review and delete templates you no longer need to keep your library neat and efficient.
Collaborating with templates
Another powerful aspect of Evernote is its ability to facilitate collaboration. When working in a team, using templates can ensure that everyone is on the same page:
- Shared templates: Share templates with team members to ensure all notes are consistent and formatted similarly, promoting easier collaboration and clarity.
- Feedback and iteration: Use shared templates to collect feedback from team members, refine and improve for better usability and efficiency.
Collaboration through templates can significantly increase team productivity by ensuring consistent documentation and information flow.
Conclusion
Evernote templates are a powerful feature for those who want to streamline their note-taking and organization processes. They provide consistency, improve efficiency, and focus on the essential aspects of note-taking. Whether you're using Evernote templates for personal, academic, or business purposes, they can significantly improve the way you organize information. By understanding how to access, create, and manage these templates, you can customize Evernote to better meet your specific needs, increasing productivity in various aspects of your life.
If you find anything wrong with the article content, you can