(Archived) Do you archive

[johnnyshinta 1]

Do you delete tasks that are no longer relevant or do you put everything that is no longer needed into an archive notebook?

[logandb 227]

In general, I prefer to keep all notes, just in case I want to go back and remember what I was thinking about a certain topic or on a particular day. Notes that are duplicates, test notes or just irrelevant I delete. I do leave them in the Trash, however ... just in case!

I don't move them to an archive notebook because I like to keep them in context. I sort my notes in updated order, most recent to oldest. This ensures that the most commonly updated notes stay towards the top and the older ones gradually filter down the list, usually corresponding to their relevance.

[johnnyshinta 1]

Ok so do you have an archive notebook or do you tag it as archived?

[logandb 227]

Sorry, I edited that post while you were reading it! So far (I only have around 600 notes) it is clear from the context when a note is out-of-date. I find it too onerous to continually revisit old notes and add or change tags and instead rely on the date last updated and/or the content to tell me whether it is still a current note.

I guess, however, I'm still in the 'taper-on' phase others have mentioned where much of my content is still unique. Perhaps after a year or two I may need to instigate new systems to cope with duplicate or near-duplicate notes.

[johnnyshinta 1]

well right now i have things i need to do in here. and as i do them i'm trying to decide if i should delete them or keep them to say oh yeah i already did that. so i'm deciding between an archive folder where i dump all my things i don't really need but have just in case. or tag them.

[Owyn 457]

Sounds like what you want to use is check boxes in your notes.

Ctrl + Shift + C Insert a "To Do" checkbox

Click the checkbox to mark the item as complete.

To search for "todo" items see:

http://evernote.com/about/kb/article/sh ... es?lang=en

[jbenson2 2,146]

I have 9,000 notes - half of them are personal or family related in one notebook named Personal.

I do not delete them, nor do I move them.

And I back up the database religiously every day.

[johnnyshinta 1]

Sounds like what you want to use is check boxes in your notes.

Ctrl + Shift + C Insert a "To Do" checkbox

Click the checkbox to mark the item as complete.

To search for "todo" items see:

http://evernote.com/about/kb/article/sh ... es?lang=en

yeah, i use the check boxes. but after i've completed the tasks or the project the tasks are part of do you just leave them in the original notebook and tag them as archive or do you move them to an archive notebook.

i like what another poster said about sorting notes by updated time and having irrelevant notes at the bottom of the list

[Owyn 457]

I leave them in place.

I have Saved Searches to find open items and like the other user sort descending by Created/Updated dates to see current items.

[jbenson2 2,146]

And Evernote has built in searches for checkboxes

Left Panel

• Attributes
  
  • Contains
    
    • To-do Items
      Unfinished to-do Items
      Finished to-do Items

[johnnyshinta 1]

And Evernote has built in searches for checkboxes

Left Panel

• Attributes
  
  • Contains
    
    • To-do Items
      Unfinished to-do Items
      Finished to-do Items

oh cool. didn't know that. i use the web version a lot as i can't download at work. thanks

[johnnyshinta 1]

And Evernote has built in searches for checkboxes

Left Panel

• Attributes
  
  • Contains
    
    • To-do Items
      Unfinished to-do Items
      Finished to-do Items

the problem i'm having with this is i most of my "tasks" are just the title. like pay gas bill, do taxes, shred mail, etc.

so how would you go about using a checkbox in these. just have it repeated in the body of the note with the checkbox.

or put just a checkbox in the note perhaps?

[jbenson2 2,146]

the problem i'm having with this is i most of my "tasks" are just the title. like pay gas bill, do taxes, shred mail, etc.

so how would you go about using a checkbox in these. just have it repeated in the body of the note with the checkbox.

or put just a checkbox in the note perhaps?

The checkbox in the note is the way to do it.

The checkbox stays empty until you finish the task.

When I finish a task, I will fill in the checkbox and add a datecode as reminder of when I completed it.

By the way, for small tasks, you can add multiple check boxes inside one note. Example:

• ToDo tasks for week of 2011/04/03
  
  • [] Take out trash
    [] Pay Gas bill
    [] Call friend
    

[johnnyshinta 1]

@jbenson

but wouldn't adding the date code and checking the box move the note to the top of your list if sorted by date updated?

[Owyn 457]

FWIW, I use both Evernote and Remember The Milk.

RTM contains my list of tasks and schedule.

Evernote frequently contains details for specific tasks.

e.g. I add checkboxes in Evernote to clips from the web which need future action.

[jbenson2 2,146]

@jbenson

but wouldn't adding the date code and checking the box move the note to the top of your list if sorted by date updated?

No, because those small items are typed inside one note.

[johnnyshinta 1]

Oh cool.

Hopefully the devs add attributes to the new web interface. Cuz right now i am use the web for most of my entries and it would be nice to be able to search for check-boxes. also you can't make check-boxes in the mobile version which is incovinient

[jbenson2 2,146]

I find the Windows client desktop version of Evernote to be more powerful and flexible than the web version.

[johnnyshinta 1]

I find the Windows client desktop version of Evernote to be more powerful and flexible than the web version.

i would have to agree. unfortunately i'm on a work computer and don't want to dl the windows version.

[mdave 1]

I do some archiving. I have a business and I am a student. I use the same archiving model for both. I have a Business stack and a Class stack. I have a notebook for each active client and for each class in the current semesters and a Business Archive and Class Archive notebook in their respective stacks. I use a nested tag structure. I have a Business parent tag and a Class parent tag, I have a sub Business Archive tag and sub Class Archive tag under each respective parent, and I have a sub tag for each active client and each current class (with their child tags under them).

When a client is no longer active, I move all the notes for it into the Business Archive notebook and the entire tag structure for that client to be under the Business Archive tag. I similarly move the notes for all completed classes into the Class Archive notebook and their tag structures to be under the Class Archive tag. Then I delete the empty notebooks.

This helps me to keep my stacks with a smaller number of notebooks for only those subjects that are active (and the tags are out of site collapsed in the archive tags). I can always recreate a client notebook from the archive by using the tags to find the notes.