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Friday Favourites: Google Keep

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I didn’t plan for my Friday Favourites to be exclusively about apps, but as it seems to have gone in that direction, I decided to talk about an app that I find really helpful for organisation and productivity

I first downloaded Google Keep as an alternative to the default note-taking app, Memo, on my old Samsung Galaxy SII, as I wanted something a bit more flexible, that would allow me to make lists to check off. Since then, they’ve added one useful update after another.

One of my favourite things about it is that you can save notes in several different formats. As well as straightforward text and lists, you can also draw, add photos, and record voice/sound notes. You can pin notes so that they always appear at the top. It has the Archive function, like Gmail, so you can remove old notes from the main view without deleting them, just in case you need them later.

Google Keep can be opened in-browser as well as in-app, so I frequently use it to make notes when I’m out-and-about that I will then look at and make use of on my PC.

Here are three of my most frequent uses for Google Keep:

1. To-buy lists

I tend not to use it for to-do lists, as I prefer paper systems for those. But it is really useful for quickly making a shopping list or keeping track of things I need to buy.

2. Transferring a single photo from my phone to my computer to put in a blog post

I add a photo note, hit sync, open up Google Keep in my browser, and there it is.

3. Notes on writing projects

I’ve been using Google Keep to write scenes for novels and short stories for years. If inspiration strikes at an awkward moment, I can quickly type up the scene on my phone, and then later copy paste it from Keep into the main document I’m using for that project.

I also used it when I was working on my Planning Your Work Wardrobe ecourse – both for preliminary notes and for longer pieces of text. One day I was on the bus when suddenly I knew exactly what I wanted to write on the course landing page. I opened up Google Keep so that I could save that perfect copy before I forgot it, and then I could easily refine and polish it later on my PC.

Above you can see a pinned photo that I used for the cover photo on a Facebook event for #drinkYA (a YA fiction social/networking event I co-host), a note to remind me about a short story I want to write, and two to-do lists. One of the lists is for today – I can check everything off now and archive it – and the other is a note of things to do to promote my ecourse. There’s also a reminder to look for a ‘bad lip reading’ Star Wars YouTube video my colleague told me about!

I’ve tried quite a few of the different note-taking apps out there, but the reliability and features of Google Keep have made it my favourite. Do you use Google Keep, or do you prefer a different app? Let me know! I’m pretty attached to it, but if there’s something better out there, I’m open to giving it a try!

How a Messy Creative Learned to Love Advanced Planning

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I have always thought of myself as a creative person.

I was a kid who was very proud of the fact that she could write acrostic poems that rhymed. Whenever my parents dragged me to a DIY store I would go around collecting samples of wallpaper and paint chips to use in collages. As I grew up I discovered other crafts, and started writing more and more, and my idea of myself as a creative person solidified.

For a long time I believed that creative = messy and disorganised. Creative people don’t do routines, I thought. Creative people love things to be spontaneous and unpredictable! I didn’t challenge these beliefs, even when my responsibilities threatened to overwhelm me. I love being busy, so I said yes to everything. My life got chaotic and I frequently forgot social events and meetings at university.  Once I double-booked myself and then slept in and didn’t go to either meeting! It was embarrassing, but more than that, I hated that I’d been so unreliable – having prided myself on being resolutely reliable. I always turned up and got things done when I said I would – until I didn’t.

There was no way I could remember everything I was supposed to do, when I’d decided to do so much! I didn’t want to cut back on my commitments, so I got a diary, and everything changed forever.

I’m still a massive fan of the Mslexia Writer’s Diary after seven years!

Being organised was wonderful. I knew exactly where I was supposed to be when. I put all my events and activities in my diary, and I never double-booked myself again. My brain was suddenly free to devote itself to a higher purpose – I found that I was more creative now I wasn’t struggling to remember dates and times. I could see upcoming deadlines, and I started to plan for them, rather than letting them catch me by surprise.

Over the years, I’ve gone from just having a diary to having a range of systems I use for different purposes. I have routines to make everyday life simpler, and processes for planning elements of my life to make them easier.

Sometimes people comment that the way I live seems very rigid and controlled – but it’s exactly the opposite! With routines and scheduling and careful planning, I have actually set myself free to do more of all the things I want to do! I can think critically about how I use my time and make adjustments so that I can focus on particular projects or spend more time with loved ones.

I’m not perfect – I cannot keep my desk tidy and have to clear it out and rearrange everything every few weeks – but I am more productive and happy than I’ve ever been. I frequently find myself advising other people on organisation, and I’m happy to share my tips. I’ve found that advanced planning brings advanced peace of mind, and isn’t that something everyone could benefit from?

I’ve decided to write more about organisation, as it’s benefited me so much. This post is the first step, and my second is my first ever ecourse, Planning Your Work Wardrobe, which goes in-depth into the system I use to plan my outfits for work when I’m going through a busy time or just want to give myself more brain-space in the morning. I’m using it right now, because the temperature in London is below zero and planning all those layers first thing in the morning is too much!

Let me know in the comments how you feel about being organised – is it something you’ve embraced already, or do you feel like you need more guidance?