Evernote - workflow questions

[sdrshn 8]

I've had an Evernote account for a long time but only became a serious note-taker recently (work responsibilities increased and my old workflow was insufficient). So I've added a task manager and Evernote to my existing calendar and Onedrive. All my files are stored in Onedrive (images, PDFs, photos, Word documents and so on).

Here are a few questions I was hoping forum members could help me with:

a. When you upload a file to Evernote, do you also add a copy to your cloud storage?

b. Isn't this 'twice' the work?

c. If not, do you use Evernote to store all your files?

(the idea of pasting the Onedrive link into my note occurred to me but I lose the 'preview' and so cannot read the note without doing a download)

Another option would be to use Evernote for the 'now' and every 3 months, review all my notes and copy important files into Onedrive.

I am confused now with most of my files residing in Onedrive but some recent files living in Evernote.

Thanks in advance for any inputs or suggestions.

[Jon/t 1,659]

9 minutes ago, sdrshn said:

a. When you upload a file to Evernote, do you also add a copy to your cloud storage?

b. Isn't this 'twice' the work?

No. I tend to think of cloud and Evernote as different things. For me Evernote document storage is more about documentation and resources and cloud storage for day to day files.

For example, with one client I store over 1000 images, these are in my cloud drive but project PDFs, meeting notes, documentation, expense receipts are all in Evernote.

So the project management is in Evernote and the general assets are on my cloud drive.

I also have a main project note for each client/project that is pinned to the top of a notebook and this contains a link to the folder on my cloud drive.

[sdrshn 8]

8 minutes ago, Jon/t said:

No. I tend to think of cloud and Evernote as different things. For me Evernote document storage is more about documentation and resources and cloud storage for day to day files.

For example, with one client I store over 1000 images, these are in my cloud drive but project PDFs, meeting notes, documentation, expense receipts are all in Evernote.

So the project management is in Evernote and the general assets are on my cloud drive.

I also have a main project note for each client/project that is pinned to the top of a notebook and this contains a link to the folder on my cloud drive.

Thanks, that split (between project management and general stuff) makes sense. However, I don't think of Evernote as something I am guaranteed to be using in say 5 years. Whereas I do think of Onedrive as something I will have in perpetuity (whatever that means). Perhaps a mindset shift is called for...

[gazumped 12,070]

Like @Jon/t if I store files in Evernote,  they're exclusively there - no copies (except for my account backup).  Onedrive et. al. files get linked in my notes if they're relevant.

Evernote is useful in that I can search for a user guide (forinstance) and find it,  whether it's attached to a note,  stored in the cloud or free-range on the web.

My view with Evernote is "is there a good reason NOT to attach this file?"  If I can't think of one I'll add the file and move on.  (Good reasons are mainly security related - I don't add bank statements forinstance - YMMV)  

[thefryhole 97]

With the known issue(s) related to missing attachments/images/content, I no longer put anything into EN that isn't also safely stored somewhere else. If it's important enough to keep, it's important enough to upload into a trusted platform where I know it will be available later. The less-important components are copied to or kept temporarily in EN for active use, and if that version goes missing (again) I can easily locate the originals elsewhere.

[PinkElephant 8,819]

It’s a personal strategy - but I think we all agree it shouldn’t be like that.

Storage in EN has been rock solid for many years. Not so any more ! 

Just a few days ago I happened to stumble over another corrupted file, which for sure has been there completely fine when created. To add insult to damage, note history showed the current version is the only one. 

Which means it was corrupted sometimes between creation years ago and now. And it’s not recoverable.

[VincentC 349]

While Evernote is great, I regularly store files outside of Evernote.  Depending on what they are, sometimes I will have files both in and out of Evernote.   I store in Evernote because search is really good and I have great hopes that as AI search matures it will get even better.  Also having files next to other project management notes is really helpful.  

On the other hand, if not being able to produce the file will send me to jail or otherwise get me in trouble with the government, a client, or are otherwise of critical importance, I also store files locally.  And my local drive is well backed up.  I wouldn't trust OneDrive for these files either.  I've had isolated cases where  OneDrive has apparently eaten a file - rarely, but still.....

Everybody takes a different approach.  As you point out, it's a balance between efficiency and security, and that's a pretty individual choice, I think.

 

Vinnie

[philanon 10]

I used to store everything only in EN, use a 3rd party app to back up my notebooks on a schedule, and sync that to my local storage. Once a week another schedule would encrypt and send that to a cloud backup . Overkill? No, I try to follow the 3-2-1 backup strategy. 

I always keep paper copies at home for legal or warranty related things, but I they don't get filed until I scan them.

When the old client went away, the 3rd party app stopped working and now I only have stuff in EN from that date forward. I don't like it, but I haven't had time to figure out a solution. I renewed my sub for a year while I look at other apps and I hope for the best.