For the past 4 years I have used many note taking apps – I am in no way going to dismiss any of them, as the ones I’ve used all work very well. I’ve just recently been looking into streamlining my working processes and the apps I use. Having been a Microsoft 365 small business user for many years I was shocked that I had not yet utilised OneNote for use within my business. So, for the past few months I’ve been using it.
OneNote uses a simple notebook metaphor, allowing you to have any number of notebooks and tabs. But, it’s not just for taking notes. It has rich editing tools that let you format text and add pictures and tables to each page. You can also attach files, draw illustrations and link to other OneNote pages.
You can also add to-do lists that can be easily turned into Outlook tasks with reminders and you can save emails to it. From there you can add reminders and add a tasklist. It also includes a range of templates for quickly creating more complex pages, such as project tasks and meeting notes, and you can create your own templates. What’s not to love about that…?
Save your E-mails to OneNote
Everyone wants to access applications on a wide range of devices via the web app and Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage service. I use it on my Android mobile device and since have been able to drop another app I used to use frequently. The OneNote app has a companion app called Office Lens, so my mobile becomes a portable scanner. Perfect for bookkeeping as receipts can be scanned and stored.
OneNote pages let you attach files from Word and other Office documents or include them as “printouts”. You can also embed Excel, Word and Visio files, allowing you to edit or create new spreadsheets or diagrams from within it; any changes are automatically reflected in the original Excel, Word or Visio file.
Getting things done in a fast and efficient way is my business mantra. OneNote really does fit the bill. I occasionally have to attend meetings away from my office and I take along my laptop, so using OneNote is a dream. I use it to take notes and tag anything I have to look into further later. If I screengrab anything. I can use my OneNote notebook to organise things. For example, open a Web page and select some content from that page. Copy it, and then paste it into your notebook page. When you do this, not only will you see the text and graphics from the Web page but you will also see a link back to the page where the information came from.
OneNote is fast becoming a tool that is indispensable within my business. Try it yourself and let me know what you think: https://www.onenote.com/
