Using Google Drive and Evernote together

There are lots of voices on the internet that say that Evernote is your one stop solution for all your information. There are other voices that say Google Drive can do it all. So which one is it?

Like in lots of other cases we tend to compare and search for one option. I tried comparing, didn’t help, they don’t fit the same need, one is great at some things but not so great in others and vice versa. I want to give you an alternative, not to choose one of them but rather see how we can use them together.

My perspective

I think it is important to point out that I am looking at this subject from my personal perspective that is shaped by my work and personal environment. My purpose is not to convince you that I am right but rather show a point of view.

I work as an HR Consultant for a Swiss-Romanian company, my job is a very non-procedural one as each project is kinda unique. Multitasking is important for me because usually I work on more than 10 projects at a time. On a personal note I am also involved in volunteering with 2 organizations, and I am married 🙂 .

Evernote – where I scribble ideas

Evernote is great for capturing information quickly with whatever you have at hand, your laptop, smartphone, you name it. Snap a photo, write a quick note and you are sure to have it accessible.

No wonder I use this app to note down phone numbers, names and other small pieces of information that I might need later.

I use it also when brainstorming ideas or solutions for a problem. I graduated engineering so I am very process driven in the way I think, it’s all about lists.

Clipping interesting articles and PDFs from the web is also great with Evernote, I have a resources notebook that gets bigger and bigger every day.

There was a time when I wanted to put everything into Evernote. I tried, did not work out for me. Organizing all those notes was just to cumbersome for me. Evernote is great when it comes to capturing information, however, getting things organized is a different story. This brings me to the next point.

Google Drive – where I put all my files

I need a simple solution to organize my files, one that does not make me to tag multiple times and then untag as things change. And because I am used to work with folders I can nest on lots of levels Google Drive does a great job for me.

I put here all my reports, offers budgets, project plans, etc. Not the small pieces of information but rather the formal files that I work on.

Google Drive – home for collaboration

Collaboration in Google Drive is great, especially if you’re working with more tech savvy people who understand the benefits of sharing a document instead of emailing it 17 times to everyone until you have a final version.

In the past months I’ve been working with a developer on an IT project where we developed a custom performance management system for a Romanian company. We used Evernote to store all relevant files in a shared notebook, and then we started getting conflicting changes and then more conflicting changes, not a great experience.

Evernote – where I track applicants

Part of my job is recruitment and interviews, as I wrote in the past I use Evernote for applicant tracking. I tried several applicant tracking systems and although some of them offered great features, they all took too much data entry work from my side.

In Evernote things get much easier as I just scan my interview notes and attach them, no more data entry. Tags work great in helping me figure out in what stage I am with a specific candidate. I won’t get into details you can read more here.

What do you think

This is my perspective on getting organized using both Google Drive and Evernote. As I said it is a subjective opinion shaped by my job and personal activities. What do you think? tell me in the comments bellow.