Evernote is the reference for the management and organization of digital notesWhether you're a student, a professional, a creative, or just want to keep your ideas organized and accessible from any device, this comprehensive article will help you discover How to create, manage, and organize notebooks in Evernote Taking full advantage of its potential, integrating all the tricks, options, and features the platform offers, and going a step further with tips that experts and advanced users use to optimize their productivity.
Why is Evernote the best option for organizing notes?
The main advantage of Evernote lies not only in his ability to take notes, but in a unique flexibility to store and classify any type of digital content. You can save texts, images, audios, videos, PDFs, scanned documents, web captures, and much more, making it your personal digital file.
- Cross-platform accessibilityEvernote is available on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and via web browsers, allowing you to view or edit your notes from anywhere.
- Synchronization on all devicesCreate a note on your laptop and view it in seconds from your phone or tablet, or vice versa. Updates are automatic and no information is lost.
- Smart search. With the OCR recognitionEvernote searches through images, PDFs, and scanned documents, making it easy to retrieve information even if you can't remember where you saved it.
- Advanced organizationFrom themed notebooks to custom labels, stacks, shortcuts, and filters, the structure is as simple or complex as you need.
- Integrations with external toolsGoogle Drive, Calendar, Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc., boost your workflow.
- Collaboration toolsShare and edit notes or notebooks with other users, manage permissions, and collaborate in real time.
Evernote also offers several options, from a free account packed with features to subscription options with extended storage, more collaboration capabilities and professional options.
How to create and customize notebooks in Evernote
The notebooks They are the heart of Evernote's organization system. They function as folders or thematic sections where notes are grouped according to context, project, or area of your life.
- Thematic notebooksCreate notebooks dedicated to work, studies, ideas, reading, personal projects, finances, travel, or any other area relevant to you.
- Customizable systemThere's no single right way to organize yourself. You can keep it simple (a few very general notebooks) or detailed (several notebooks for subtopics).
- Compatibility with traditional methodsEvernote works well for those using analog systems, allowing you to digitize physical notebooks, use templates, and save scanned documents.
Steps to create a notebook in Evernote
- Open Evernote on your preferred device.
- Go to the side menu and select “Notebooks.”
- Click “New Notebook” and choose a name that clearly describes the purpose (example: “Team Meetings”).
- You can add a brief description or instructions if needed.
- Start adding notes to that notebook from any device.
Tips for naming, organizing, and displaying your notebooks
The most common method is to use a structure by categories and thematic. For example, "Work – Projects," "Personal – Health," combining keywords to make them easier to search. This way, even if you have dozens or hundreds of notebooks, you can quickly locate them in the list view or using the built-in search engine.
In addition, you can:
- Use emojis or symbols in your name to quickly differentiate between important notebooks.
- Sort notebooks alphabetically, by creation date, or by relevance.
- Periodically review your notebooks to archive or merge those that are no longer relevant.
How notebook stacks work
If your volume of information is very high, batteries They allow you to group several notebooks under a common theme. For example, you can have a "University" stack that includes "History Class," "Research Projects," and "Exams."
To create a stack, simply drag one notebook onto another from the desktop version, or use the context menu in the mobile app. You can then add, remove, or rename notebooks in the stack, moving them around as your needs evolve.
- Facilitates work by areas (Work/Personal, Marketing/Sales, etc.).
- Keeps the structure tidy even with large quantities of notebooks.
- You can rename and customize stacks at any time.
Advanced management of notes, tags and filters
The power of labels: a second dimension of organization
While the notebooks group by topics, the labels permiten sort, filter, and connect notes from different notebooks in a flexible manner. They function like hashtags and can be general ("ideas," "important") or very specific ("invoice-2023," "technology-event").
Recommended uses of labels:
- Group related tasks even if they are in different notebooks.
- Mark statuses or priorities: "pending," "resolved," "urgent."
- Apply GTD processes, productivity or methods such as Zettelkasten.
- Search for cross-sectional information quickly and without duplication.
The ideal is to combine a reasonable number of tags with a clear notebook structure. If you have thousands of notes, tags are essential to avoid losing information and accessing old ideas in seconds.
How to create, manage, and search for tags
- When you create or edit a note, locate the tags icon and add it (you can create new ones or reuse an existing one).
- In the "Tags" menu, you can review all created tags, edit them, or delete obsolete ones.
- Use the tag finder to instantly filter all notes associated with one or more tags.
- You can combine filters by notebook and label to save time.
For advanced management, review the most used tags and remove duplicates or merge similar tags to keep your system clean and efficient.
Advanced search system and OCR
One of Evernote's greatest contributions is its Advanced search engine:
- Keywords: Finds any term in the title, body, or attachments.
- Recognition of text in images: Find notes where the term appears in a scanned photo, business card, or PDF using OCR technology.
- Filters by date: Shows only notes created, modified, or shared in a specific period.
- Combined search: You can use multiple words, tags, file types, and dates at once.
- Search by notebook or stack: Very useful if you are looking for notes within a specific context.
With a consistent structure of notebooks and tags, your productivity skyrockets because you can locate accurate information in seconds, even if you've been generating content for years.
Use shortcuts, reminders, and internal links between notes
- Shortcuts: Mark any note, notebook, stack, or frequently used search as a shortcut to have it accessible from the sidebar with one click.
- Scheduled reminders: Add reminders with a date and time so you don't forget tasks, weekly reviews, or deadlines.
- Link notes together: Create useful cross-references between related projects, lists, or knowledge to build your own personalized information network.
Capturing and compiling information in Evernote
Evernote Web Clipper: Capture everything you find on the web
The complement Web Clipper It's one of the most powerful tools for online information collectors. By installing it in your browser, you can:
- Save full articles, text clippings, or images directly to your notebook with specific tags.
- Highlight snippets, add annotations and comments before archiving.
- Organize the information as you capture it so it's ready for your notes system.
- Archive pages to read later, create reading summaries, or gather inspiration for projects.
Scan and digitize paper documents
Evernote's mobile app lets you scan physical documents, handwritten notes, or receipts and convert them into digital notes. Its OCR system transforms text in images into editable content. fully searchable from any device. It's ideal for keeping an organized record of invoices, documents, meeting notes, or even hand-drawn sketches and diagrams.
Creating to-do lists, templates, and multimedia notes
- Task Lists: Use checkboxes to create lists and keep track of completed and pending tasks.
- Notes with templates: Evernote offers templates for meetings, agendas, habit trackers, personal journals, and more, all of which you can customize to your needs.
- Multimedia notes: Attach audio, videos, photos, links and any relevant files that complement the information.
Integrations and automations to increase productivity
- Google Calendar and reminders: Link notes to calendar events, which is perfect for keeping track of a meeting or project.
- Integration with Google Drive, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail: Attach files, share information directly, and collaborate in real time without leaving the Evernote ecosystem.
- Automations with IFTTT or Zapier: Create automated flows that generate notes from emails, social media posts, or other apps of interest.
Other ways to capture information
- Send emails to your Evernote account to automatically archive them as notes.
- Use the recording feature to save ideas in audio format when you can't type.
- Attach files downloaded from other mobile apps to centralize all relevant information.
Practical tips for efficient organization in Evernote
- Review and refine your system regularlyAs your needs change, reorganize notebooks, merge or delete tags, and archive old information.
- Avoid saturationIf you have few notes per notebook, you can opt for fewer notebooks and more labels. If each topic requires a lot of information, divide it into several grouped notebooks.
- Use colors, emojis or prefixes to differentiate notebooks and key labels and thus locate them visually in seconds.
- Don't abuse the tagsToo much can complicate management and reduce search efficiency. Prioritize key tags and check for duplicates or similar variants.
- Create links between notes to build logical connections: you can link meeting minutes, project summaries, and associated task lists.
- share and collaborateUse the note-sharing features to share notes or notebooks with coworkers, classmates, or family members as needed, managing editing or view-only permissions.
- Try advanced organization methods (such as GTD, Zettelkasten or Kanban) adapted to Evernote, to enhance knowledge management or personal and professional productivity.
How to share, collaborate, and leverage Evernote as a team
Evernote is not just a single tool. collaboration features allow:
- Share notes or entire notebooks with other users, controlling permissions (view, comment, edit).
- Use public or private links to share information via email or messaging.
- Work simultaneously on projects, meetings, brainstorming, or event planning.
- Integrate work teams and facilitate communication through comments and direct links to key documents.
Frequently asked questions about managing notebooks and notes in Evernote
- How many notebooks and labels can I have?
The limit varies depending on the account type, but Evernote generally allows hundreds of notebooks and thousands of tags, enough for advanced and professional users. - How do I migrate my analog system to Evernote?
You can photograph or scan pages from your physical notebooks and organize them by notebook and subject label, taking advantage of OCR search to locate handwritten information. - How to avoid clutter or duplication?
Periodically review your structure, merge similar notes, eliminate duplicates, and define a clear naming and tagging system. - Can sensitive notes be protected?
Yes, you can encrypt text fragments or use passwords and two-factor authentication for added security.
Using Evernote as a hub for your digital information allows you to Manage projects, study, document your life, and access your ideas from any platformThe key is finding the balance between structure and flexibility, making the most of notebooks, tags, stacks, and shortcuts. If you adapt your system to your habits and needs, Evernote becomes an extension of your memory and creativity, keeping your information always accessible, secure, and perfectly organized.
Want to learn more about device syncing, advanced tagging, or collaboration? Explore our how-tos to get the most out of every Evernote feature.
