Tag Archives: OneNote

Coaching

Search vs structure for organizing your notes

Most note keeping solutions offer multiple methods of organizing your notes within their tools. You’ll find search, tags, labels, folders, outlines, and a variety of other less common structures. Determining what features will work the best for you in locating your notes after you’ve captured them can be a struggle at a minimum and derail your entire system at the worst. How do you know which features work for you and which is the best to implement in your personal productivity solution?

First thing to clear out of your head is you don’t need to choose one method or the other.  Both have strengths and weaknesses so it’s more a matter of determining what feature works when. In comparing your solution to how our brains work our logical starting place is search.

When we remember something, we don’t think to ourselves “well that piece of information is in this place in my head, in this folder, with this label.” No, we just think about the topic and our brain does the best it can at finding all the memories we have stored around that topic. Unfortunately the process is far from efficient and reliable, so when we think about digital searching with personal productivity solutions we need to concentrate on how the computer will search the contents of our notes (memories) to find all the items that match our search topic.

If we are going to rely on search to locate information in our solutions we need to make sure our notes contain the content matching the terms we will be searching with. For example, if you are storing a health insurance summary, you need to think about what you would plug into the search box to locate that document. The content and titling needs to match those terms so in this case if your instinct is to look for “health insurance” remember you will find the summary we mentioned earlier but also every other document with the same terms possibly making it harder to be specific quickly.

The flip side of the search coin is folders, tags, and labels.  These are helpful if you’re a browser rather than a searcher.  If your instinct when looking for materials is to start at a top level category, then drill down further and further until you reach your content. This type of structuring can be powerful if you are comfortable designing the organizational structure and then adhering to that structure for the retention of all your notes.

Setting up a defined folder / tag structure can be a challenge, with experts in the fields of taxonomy and tagsonomy spending months defining systems to organize commercial document management systems. I doubt you have months to bring your solution to a usable state (I know I don’t) so my suggestion is to start small and build up.  Create structures that match how you think and live every day, focusing on where and when you need access to your notes. Keep in mind that in most cases when you need a note or piece of information you typically don’t have a great deal of time to go looking for it through large, complex organizational structures (hence the phrase, “Google it.”)

So which is better? There is no clear winner of one over the other and I’ll readily admit I use both in my personal productivity solution. Creating and maintaining an organizational structure in your tools of choice such as sections in OneNote, notebooks in Evernote, or folders in Google Drive can make the location of content simpler with the downside of increasing the overhead of maintaining the solution. Combine structure with search for locating content quickly and making your note management a trusted part of your solution.

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TIP – Using OneNote to Archive Printed Digital Documents

One of the things OneNote does well is archiving of documents for later retrieval. You can attach files directly into a OneNote notebook to access easily in the future but there is an even better way to handle documents with OneNote assuming you are storing them for reference rather than for editing.

In the desktop version of OneNote, just click on Insert > File Printout and select the file you want to attach to OneNote. OneNote will render a “printed” version of the file in the page you are viewing, and here’s the best part, make the text contents of the printout searchable within OneNote.

This is a great way to capture the content of a document without having to embed the entire file.  It also makes the contents of the document available on mobile devices without requiring apps to open the original file.

Uncategorized

TIP – Using OneNote to Archive Printed Digital Documents

One of the things OneNote does well is archiving of documents for later retrieval. You can attach files directly into a OneNote notebook to access easily in the future but there is an even better way to handle documents with OneNote assuming you are storing them for reference rather than for editing.

In the desktop version of OneNote, just click on Insert > File Printout and select the file you want to attach to OneNote. OneNote will render a “printed” version of the file in the page you are viewing, and here’s the best part, make the text contents of the printout searchable within OneNote.

This is a great way to capture the content of a document without having to embed the entire file.  It also makes the contents of the document available on mobile devices without requiring apps to open the original file.

Techniques

Using OneNote for Bullet Journaling

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There’s a lot of interest in using digital tools for bullet journaling and OneNote is one of the more flexibly designed ones on the market. I thought I’d challenge myself to see if I could apply bullet journal methods to OneNote to organize a project I am working on. Here’s what happened…

Setting the requirements

First, let’s look at the requirements. I decided for this experiment I would use only OneNote on my Android (LG G4) phone and a Bluetooth keyboard. The same results could be obtained without the keyboard, but I found it lent itself to longer and more complete note-taking.

To begin, I created a note for the project as an overall capture point. As I entered text I used a bulleted structure with tabs to create an organizational outline for my notes as I proceeded. The process was simple enough and I was able to capture all the information I needed quickly and efficiently as I moved through the first steps of my effort.

Making decisions on how to manage tasks

When I encountered my first recordable task is also where I hit my first decision point. Should I create a separate list for all the tasks to make them easier to track or should I embed them in the outline I had already been creating? You can make arguments on both sides of the equation, but I decided to go with the one that created the minimum amount of work and rework. By tapping on the To Do icon at the top I was able to create a task right on the bulleted item I was working with and then track it’s execution by tapping on the checkbox when it was complete. Quick and simple.

As my work progressed I did encounter some problems. Since you cannot collapse outlines in Android I wound up with a lot of vertical scrolling to keep track of all the items I had marked for completion. Also because of the odd way OneNote handles the horizontal scrolling of pages I found it wasn’t quite as smooth as I would like when it came to moving around the page.

Reviewing work done and yet to be done

In looking back at my notes today from yesterday, it is very easy to see what was accomplished and what remains to be accomplished. The mechanism works well for recording and tracking items to be done though I do have my doubts about the embedded tasks when it comes to future reference of outstanding items.

The work will continue with OneNote today for reference and tracking and I’ll see if it can hold up to multiple parallel projects without my losing track of any of the information I capture. In the back of my mind I know I always have the web safety valve to access the content, but I’m curious to see just how far I can take the Android only approach for now.

Uncategorized

Using OneNote for Bullet Journaling

There’s a lot of interest in using digital tools for bullet journaling and OneNote is one of the more flexibly designed ones on the market. I thought I’d challenge myself to see if I could apply bullet journal methods to OneNote to organize a project I am working on. Here’s what happened…

Setting the requirements

First, let’s look at the requirements. I decided for this experiment I would use only OneNote on my Android (LG G4) phone and a Bluetooth keyboard. The same results could be obtained without the keyboard, but I found it lent itself to longer and more complete note-taking.

To begin, I created a note for the project as an overall capture point. As I entered text I used a bulleted structure with tabs to create an organizational outline for my notes as I proceeded. The process was simple enough and I was able to capture all the information I needed quickly and efficiently as I moved through the first steps of my effort.

Making decisions on how to manage tasks

When I encountered my first recordable task is also where I hit my first decision point. Should I create a separate list for all the tasks to make them easier to track or should I embed them in the outline I had already been creating? You can make arguments on both sides of the equation, but I decided to go with the one that created the minimum amount of work and rework. By tapping on the To Do icon at the top I was able to create a task right on the bulleted item I was working with and then track it’s execution by tapping on the checkbox when it was complete. Quick and simple.

As my work progressed I did encounter some problems. Since you cannot collapse outlines in Android I wound up with a lot of vertical scrolling to keep track of all the items I had marked for completion. Also because of the odd way OneNote handles the horizontal scrolling of pages I found it wasn’t quite as smooth as I would like when it came to moving around the page.

Reviewing work done and yet to be done

In looking back at my notes today from yesterday, it is very easy to see what was accomplished and what remains to be accomplished. The mechanism works well for recording and tracking items to be done though I do have my doubts about the embedded tasks when it comes to future reference of outstanding items.

The work will continue with OneNote today for reference and tracking and I’ll see if it can hold up to multiple parallel projects without my losing track of any of the information I capture. In the back of my mind I know I always have the web safety valve to access the content, but I’m curious to see just how far I can take the Android only approach for now.

Tools

Seven ways Project Managers can use OneNote

OneNote can be an invaluable tool for project managers when it comes to planning, collaboration, and tracking a project.  Here are seven ways OneNote can be applied when it comes to project management:
  1. Collaborative Requirements Gathering – By using a section in an OneNote notebook, project requirements can be captured and reviewed by the team. When finished the section can be saved to streamline the production of a final requirements document.
  2. Task Assignment and Tracking – OneNote can be used for simple task assignment through checklists. Notes and completion statuses are captured on the same page to provide the PM a real time view of work status and issues.
  3. Meeting Minutes – Creating a template to capture meeting minutes in OneNote makes them searchable, updatable for accuracy, and easily summarized for later reference.
  4. Team Member Reference – Team member reference information can be stored in OneNote including contact information, reference information, and relevant links such as LinkedIn profiles as needed.
  5. Templatized Project Process Steps – If your working on recurring or repeating projects a template in OneNote makes avoiding missed items and maintaining consistency of execution easier for the project manager and team members.
  6. Status Reporting – Status reports are the lifeblood of many projects and OneNote makes the process of gathering, composing, and distributing the status reports more efficient.
  7. Project Information Archiving – Consolidating the project information into a OneNote notebook makes the process of archiving the project information after completion as simple as storing a single file (the OneNote notebook file, not an export, to be clear.). The notebook sections can also be exported as PDF files for permanent project records.
This is just a small sample of the ways OneNote can assist when it comes to project management.  If you have ideas or suggestions, please share them in the comments below.
Uncategorized

Seven ways Project Managers can use OneNote

OneNote can be an invaluable tool for project managers when it comes to planning, collaboration, and tracking a project.  Here are seven ways OneNote can be applied when it comes to project management:
  1. Collaborative Requirements Gathering – By using a section in an OneNote notebook, project requirements can be captured and reviewed by the team. When finished the section can be saved to streamline the production of a final requirements document.
  2. Task Assignment and Tracking – OneNote can be used for simple task assignment through checklists. Notes and completion statuses are captured on the same page to provide the PM a real time view of work status and issues.
  3. Meeting Minutes – Creating a template to capture meeting minutes in OneNote makes them searchable, updatable for accuracy, and easily summarized for later reference.
  4. Team Member Reference – Team member reference information can be stored in OneNote including contact information, reference information, and relevant links such as LinkedIn profiles as needed.
  5. Templatized Project Process Steps – If your working on recurring or repeating projects a template in OneNote makes avoiding missed items and maintaining consistency of execution easier for the project manager and team members.
  6. Status Reporting – Status reports are the lifeblood of many projects and OneNote makes the process of gathering, composing, and distributing the status reports more efficient.
  7. Project Information Archiving – Consolidating the project information into a OneNote notebook makes the process of archiving the project information after completion as simple as storing a single file (the OneNote notebook file, not an export, to be clear.). The notebook sections can also be exported as PDF files for permanent project records.
This is just a small sample of the ways OneNote can assist when it comes to project management.  If you have ideas or suggestions, please share them in the comments below.
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Quick and Dirty Team Task Management using OneNote

I recently received a question as to how to track the tasks for a team in OneNote.  While there are a number of ways to accomplish this, I thought I’d show a quick and dirty way using OneNote 2016.  
Step 1 – Create your task lists

Each member of the team to be managed gets a task list of their own in OneNote.  Create a notebook and then in a section add one page for each team member:

Step 1- Create a task list for each team member
Step 1- Create a task list for each team member
An important part of this step is the use of the To Do Tag.  By default you can add a To Do Tag by tapping Ctrl-1 on your keyboard or clicking on the tag in the Ribbon Bar.
Step 2 – Repeat Step 1 for each team member

When you’re done repeating step 1 each team member should have their own list of tasks.

Step 2 - Create a task list for each remaining member of the team
Step 2 – Create a task list for each remaining member of the team
At this point you can use these lists as they stand to track the work needing to be done by the team.  When a task is finished, you just click on the checkbox to indicate the task is complete.
Step 3 – Full Overview

One of the strengths of OneNote is the ability to aggregate information easily based on tag.  If you click on Find Tags in the Ribbon Bar you’ll get a sidebar similar to this:

Tag Summary view in OneNote 2016
Tag Summary view in OneNote 2016
Once you have the Tag Summary view displayed you can jump to any task just by clicking on it in the list.  This is by default an aggregation for the whole notebook, but you can do it just for the section if you wish.
If you’re planning to meet with your team and want an easy way to review the work that has been done, you can use the Summary Page to generate a new view of the tasks.  NOTE: This does not create a connection to the original tasks but rather a page with copies of them.  If you update information on the summary page it will not transfer to the original tasks.

Click on Create Summary Page at the bottom of the Tag Summary sidebar to generate the page:

Creating a Summary Page in one click
Creating a Summary Page in one click
The resulting summary page will show up as a new OneNote page in the notebook and section you are currently viewing:
An example of a Tag Summary page in OneNote 2016
An example of a Tag Summary page in OneNote 2016
As I mentioned before, there are a number of different ways to handle tasks in OneNote, this is just one of them.  If you have a way that works for you, let’s hear about it in the comments.
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Sections, Section Groups, and Notebooks in OneNote

There’s a lot of interest around when is it right to use a section, section group, or notebook in OneNote to organize your information.  I’ll admit it can be very confusing so here’s some rules of thumb I follow when managing my own.

Notebooks

  • Use when you’re likely to need to share content.
  • Allows you to isolate materials around large topic areas (work vs. home, large projects, etc.)
  • Good for materials you may not need to access all the time (open the notebook when you need it, close it when you don’t)

Sections

  • Useful for breaking down notebooks into logical groupings (work – meetings, notes, plans, schedules, etc.)
  • Can be secured by password for better protection
  • Can be color coded for easy reference

Section Groups

  • When you need larger subdivisions in a notebook (Work – Projects (Section Group) – Project A (Section)).
  • Helpful when archiving content into a master notebook
If you’re organizing your personal content, don’t worry about getting it right the first time.  If you’re organizing collaborative content, adding a page showing the organizational structure can be a boon to anyone using your notebook.