Staying organized is difficult. Life moves fast and it’s easy to forget important tasks if you don’t write it down. I know some people who are super old-school and like to use physical planners to stay organized. I grew out of the planner phase when I was in middle school, so you won’t find me writing furiously into a planner. I avoid anything that involves my handwriting like the plague. Instead, I use Google Keep to store all my reminders and important tasks. Google Keep is an incredibly simple way to stay organized, while being paperless.
How does Google Keep work?
Google Keep uses a virtual sticky note user interface that everyone is familiar with to store any important information. The concept of a sticky note is universal to pretty much everyone so it takes no time at all to familiarize yourself with the app. Google Keep is very similar to the sticky notes you can view on the desktop of Windows 10.
Each virtual sticky note has a variety of options to customize your note. If you need to jot down a something like a grocery list, there is an option to toggle on check boxes so you can check off groceries as you put them in your cart. As you check off something off your list, your completed items will move to the bottom with a line crossing them out. For note taking, you can toggle off the check marks, which will allow you to type longer information. There is an additional option to scribble or draw notes to yourself, which is especially useful if you have an Apple pen or other stylist. If you feel like going hands-free, you can record voice memos to yourself or just upload an image.
The sticky notes allow for easy customization. Different sticky notes can be colored differently based on categories that you want to set for yourself. I like to have sticky notes color coordinated for work, personal, and deTeched. There are twelve colors to choose from so there are tons of flexibility in what you want to color your sticky notes. Sticky notes can be moved around so that you can arrange based on importance or whatever you see fit. You can archive sticky notes so that they don’t pop up on the main dashboard. These can be accessed by going to the archive located in the menu section.
Impressions
Google Keep is such an easy app to pick up and integrate into your life. Everyone has used a sticky note at one point in their life, so using the app is intuitive. The quick access feature located on the bottom of the main dashboard allows you to quickly make notes or lists.
Google Keep is great for anyone who has multiple Gmail accounts. I toggle through three Gmail accounts for work, deTeched, and school. You can quickly navigate through different accounts and keep certain notes in different Gmail accounts. The streamlined platform allows you to use it from any of your devices. You can jot down notes on your Android or iPhone and then pick up where you left off on a desktop. There is integrated Google functionality that lets you add sticky notes to your Google Docs. If you have multiple people that you want to contribute to your notes, you can set up collaborators and and them via email.
Overall
Google Keep is a must for anyone who needs to become more organized. The best part is that it is completely free. This app is so useful for many tasks that range from a list or errands all the way to jotting down quick notes for a class. Google uses a familiar user interface so that people can focus on becoming more organized in their life, rather than trying to become a super user of an unnecessarily complicated planner app. If you have a Google account, you really can’t beat the functionality that you’ll get from Google Keep!
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