Todo list - Evernote vs Trello

[Shookie 2]

I've read The Secret Weapon's system for organizing your life using Evernote.

 

It seems that Evernote is well suited as a digital filing cabinet and note taker. 

 

However I'm not so sure it fits as a good task/todo list manager:

Since I'm an engineering student all my to-dos come from h.w assignments or reading assignments (email clutter isn't a problem for me). These types of assignments don't require more than the title of a note (for example: 'finish calculus assignment'). Furthermore, when I'm finished with a note it's supposed to go into the 'Completed' notebook. This seems a bit of an overkill for notes that act as a h.w assignment reminders.
 

Why then does it make sense for me to use Evernote instead of Trello which offers me a visual to-do list?
 

[jefito 5,589]

I've read The Secret Weapon's system for organizing your life using Evernote.

 

Why then does it make sense for me to use Evernote instead of Trello which offers me a visual to-do list?

I'm not a follower of any of the well-known systems for to tasks/todos, so I'm no expert. Evernote is primarily designed as a digital filing cabinet, as you say, but it does have some todo list capabilities. They may or may not meet yours needs, but they do pretty well for mine. I'm a software developer, and Evernote lets me capture documentation and techniques, so that I have a decent reference library easily available to me. I can capture screen shots and debugging info that helps me debug our code base more effectively. I do a weekly journal that gives me a snapshot of what's planned and upcoming in the week, and what I really did. It also lets me capture the tasks that I'm assigned, assign a due date, take notes, refer to the issue's source (a post in our user forum, or an email) and its location in our bug-tracking system: this allows me to keep track of that task and journal the results. And everything's kept in one place, my Evernote account.

Hope that that gives you some ideas for your own use case.

[s2sailor 2,183]

Why then does it make sense for me to use Evernote instead of Trello which offers me a visual to-do list?

It is your decision to use what it best for your workflow.  I was very excited about reminders when they first came out and did use them for a few months, but the current lack of recurring dates turned out to be a deal breaker for me.  You can work around that limitation but I found that cumbersome and started checking other options.  I settled on Todoist, which I find very quick and easy for my needs and it is multi-platform and I find the syncing works well.  When Evernote eventually adds recurring reminders, I will check it out again, but for my current needs, Todoist is working great.

[cmsande 1]

Shookie

 

I've read GTD and the information on TSW. I implemented the TSW system but after a few weeks I found myself realizing as well that for quick notes it was a little overkill and having to see my 500+ notes every time I checked my next task was not good for my OCD like tendency. I can see where it is good for certain people but not for me.  So when it came time for me to do my yearly GTD cleanup I made sure I had a new plan in place. 

What works for me is a combination of Evernote (filing cabinet for must keep info), Nozbe (task & project tracker) and OneNote (actual planning and implementation of a project).  If you have not looked into Nozbe it might be worth your time. Nozbe syncs with Evernote, Dropbox & web links. Plus if you create a note in Evernote & you add a reminder it will automatically add it to your Nozbe task list. It also lets you collaborate on protects, which I love! The only limitation to the free account is you can only have up to 5 project list at one time. It's simple enough that it will only take about 20 minutes before you are really comfortable with it but has some pretty great features as mentioned. They are on the ball to answer questions. I asked a how to Q via twitter & within 15 minutes had a response. It has a desktop download, web, iPhone, iPad and android app.

I think you have to remember with any system its not one size fits all. You will have to do what best suits your needs. Good luck!

[Shookie 2]

Thanks for all the great responses! They really helped! 

[JohnAtl 1]

Take a look at iStudiezPro for scheduling and reminders, and Notability for taking notes synced with audio recordings.

Try BibDesk, PocketBib, Papers, Mendeley, Evernote, etc. for managing references for your papers.

I've read The Secret Weapon's system for organizing your life using Evernote.

 

It seems that Evernote is well suited as a digital filing cabinet and note taker. 

 

However I'm not so sure it fits as a good task/todo list manager:

Since I'm an engineering student all my to-dos come from h.w assignments or reading assignments (email clutter isn't a problem for me). These types of assignments don't require more than the title of a note (for example: 'finish calculus assignment'). Furthermore, when I'm finished with a note it's supposed to go into the 'Completed' notebook. This seems a bit of an overkill for notes that act as a h.w assignment reminders.

 

Why then does it make sense for me to use Evernote instead of Trello which offers me a visual to-do list?

[tassiecelt 57]

I had a look recently at Trello. It doesn't work for me.

• It may seem quick to add entries, but when you start looking at the card details and options..it takes more time than most notes are worth when used as a ToDo list.
• one click delete of an entry seems impossible, OK it's groovy to drag and drop cards around the shop, but I generally place a card or note where it belongs and then delete.
• Who says Evernote is not visual? I use evernote to run my entire business. Projects are easy to add to with photos, attachments, drawings. I've found nothing better, including OneNote.
• Both Trello and EN are not great with reminders. I use BusyCal for events and quick ToDo's at present. So BusyCal and Evernote, together with AirMail3 for email and quick sending emails and attachments to EN - all this works for me.

[VegasVec 7]

On 3/25/2014 at 1:51 AM, cmsande said:

Shookie

 

"I've read GTD and the information on TSW. I implemented the TSW system but after a few weeks I found myself realizing as well that for quick notes it was a little overkill and having to see my 500+ notes every time I checked my next task was not good for my OCD like tendency."

 

I am an avid Evernote user and I use TSW as a foundation.  If you see 500+ notes, then you aren't utilizing shortcuts at all or appropriately.  I strongly believe that if EN is setup correctly and you have the corresponding habits, EN makes a great one stop shop for your to do list, reminders and cabinet/reference.  I stop short of saying it is a one stop shop for EVERYTHING, as I am a strong Outlook user too.  But if it isn't in my Outlook inbox, it is in Evernote or in the trash.  I don't keep folders in Outlook.  Also, the calendar in Outlook is hard to beat, especially since it syncs with your phone and other calendar invite applications.