Five Ways OneNote is my Secret Weapon
When it comes to daily life outside the professional world, being able to count on a tool is critical for it to be worth using day in and day out. OneNote is my tool of choice for so many things, but here's five specific ways I put it to use.
Technology Inventory
I'll admit I have a large collection of technology for various uses both personal and professional. One of the hang ups that happens though is when I need information about a piece of gear, from a serial number for support reasons to part numbers for ordering supplies. By snapping pictures of my gear, model numbers, and other associated information OneNote renders the images searchable and puts the information at my fingertips.
Maintenance Records
As part of a family that owns more than one vehicle (thank you teen drivers) keeping track of the maintenance and details about the vehicles can be daunting. OneNote photos coupled with links from the web and YouTube videos I'm able to keep on top of what needs to be done when and what was done on what vehicle. This has proven invaluable when it comes to parts warranties as well as figuring out how to get a part off and back on more than once.
Manuals
Washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, etc. all come with manuals. The printed manuals get lost, are difficult to store, and are basically not worth the effort. As an alternative I download the PDF version of the manuals whenever possible (which is almost all the time anymore) and upload a File Printout into OneNote of the manual. Now the manual is easy to find and searchable by OneNote.
College Information
As the parent of a college student, there's an amazing amount of information we need to keep track of when it comes to our student's time at school. Between financial aid, schedules, and other critical information (double it if you have an athlete) you can spend far too much time trying to keep track of all that information. Using OneNote sections and sharing, I not only store all the student information I need access to but it's also available to my student as well as my spouse. Knowing is half the battle, after all.
Personal Pinterest
Yes, I'll admit, I spend time on Pinterest. Between finding things for around the yard, everyday carry items, and various ideas on what to build with pallets it's become a strong resource in my perpetual quest for information. Unfortunately, Pinterest isn't the best in organizing the information outside of it's normal structures. Enter OneNote and the OneNote Chrome plug-in. I can view pages from Pinterest and immediately capture text, images, screenshots, or entire pages into OneNote notes for later access. It's a powerful way to plan and brainstorm around ideas as well as trying to come up with holiday gift inspirations.
The list goes on and on
The number of ways you can apply OneNote during everyday life is almost limitless. I'll be revisiting this topic often but for now I hope this has inspired you with some new ways to put OneNote to use in being productive.