3 Ways To Organize Better With Noteshelf

19.8%* is the average amount of time we spend searching for things. It has been proven, that organizing is a simple way to save this time spent searching. However, a lot of us struggle with organizing or are unsure where to start (especially with notes or any paperwork). Noteshelf has three easy to use features that can help you organize your notes in a fun and creative way:

1. Grouping: If you’ve been to a library, you may have noticed books are often organized together based on genre or the starting letter of the book title and placed on a bookshelf. Noteshelf lets you do something slightly similar. With the grouping feature in Noteshelf, it is possible to group together similar books on one holder. So this means you can search for notes faster and save a lot of time while automatically being organized.

How to group your books: Simply drag and drop one book over another to group them together. You can even choose a ‘Group Name’, ‘Color Code’ or a ‘Passcode’ for your group. Also to view a book from a group, simply tap on the group, to display another bookshelf that has all the books in that group.

2. Differentiate with Covers: Noteshelf has a variety of notebook cover designs to choose from. You can choose different covers for various notes. You can do this in Noteshelf by changing the cover for each notebook or journal.For example You can choose ‘journal’ covers for all your work notes and the ‘floral’ ones for personal notes or To-Do lists.

How to add different covers to your books: To choose a different cover for your notebook, simply tap on the edit option. Select the cover of your choice from the number of options available. There is also a ‘custom’ option in this selection where you can choose an image of your own as a book cover.

3. Tagging: While in the previous two points we discussed how to find and organize your notebooks easily, Noteshelf goes one step further with a tagging feature for notebook pages. Sometimes notebooks might run into hundreds of pages and tagging makes finding the page of the topic you are looking for much simpler. You can add tags to individual notebook pages based on the topic or notes on that particular page. To look up the tags at a later date simply search for it using the filter option.

How to tag your books: Go to the page you would like to tag. Click on the settings icon on the page and from the drop-down menu choose the ‘Tag’ option. Add tags of your choice to that page. For example: If you have a page with a task list on it, create tags such as ‘task list’, ‘work’ and ‘to do’.  To search for that tag simply go to thumbnails view and tap on the filter option. Type the tag name in the filter search window and the page with your searched tag will appear. For example Type ‘work’ in the filter search bar and all the pages in that notebook with the tag ‘work’ will appear.

Note: At the moment you can look up or search for tags only in the notebook in which the tags are created. However we are working towards creating a search option that lets you look up tags created on pages across all notebooks in Noteshelf.

Lastly, these simple Noteshelf features make organizing notes, work or tasks so much easier and better. So the next time you are taking notes in Noteshelf, give these features a try and don’t forget to share your thoughts or any feedback with us! Happy Note-Taking!

*Reference: Cotrill Research

6 Reasons Why Digital Handwritten Notes are the Best

Taking notes is a critical part of any student’s life but it’s important not to get lost in a sea of information. Here’s where technology has brought convenience into students’ lives. It’s not surprising that notes taking has migrated digitally, shifting away from the hassles of traditional pen and paper. Digital note taking has revolutionized the way students are taking notes in class, by combining the benefits of technology and handwritten notes. Here are six reasons why you should go digital with your notes:

1. Capture Lectures along with Notes

Traditional paper and pen allow you to capture notes easily.But there’s always the possibility of missing out on something important when noting down in a hurry just to keep up with the lecture pace. Digital note taking apps help solve this problem. You can capture audio as you jot down notes making it easier to recheck later in case you've missed something. You can also play them out at your convenience (which is a great help for audible learners).

2. Plenty of Storage space – never run out of paper

Tapping on the advantages of cloud storage, digital note taking through apps helps store huge amount of information. Note taking apps also work with all cloud services making your iPad a one-stop shop for all your notes. Now all you need to attend classes is a light-as-air iPad or tablet making it much easier to give heavy paper notebooks a miss.

3. Organize your notes the Easy Way

When you deal with multiple subjects and classes, organizing your notes at the end of a long day is pretty tiring. With digital notebooks, you can organize and rearrange your notes to your convenience. Many note taking apps like Noteshelf actually allow you to add notebooks within notebooks. You can also maintain separate notes across subjects, sketches, meetings and so on. These apps allow you to customize notebooks covers, paper templates and personalize your notes.

4. Easy Search Options

Another obvious reason students can adopt digital note taking is the ease of searching. You can completely avoid flipping through pages just for that one bit of information and base your search on keywords, phrases and so on. Easy, isn’t it?

5. Access from Anywhere

Since all your notes can be synced and connected to cloud services, accessing them from any device or the web shouldn’t be a problem. That’s a feature which is extremely useful for those on-the-go.  

6. Simplified and Quick Sharing

Sharing of notes in today’s classes is essential as a part of online learning and discussions.  Sharing or exchanging notes helps build healthy professional relationships with your colleagues and classmates too. And digital notes have completely redefined how easily and safely you can share your notes via email, Facebook or Twitter. If not, you can simply sync your notes with platforms like Evernote or Dropbox as well.

Research states that notes taking is a valuable skill which improves comprehension and summarizing. That’s not all, it even improves your capacity to organize and brainstorm ideas. So, as you can see, note-taking is really beneficial and combining it with technology boosts overall performance, be it in college or at your workplace. All you need is a tablet like an iPad along with a stylus and you are all set!

How to Secure Notes in Noteshelf?

Noteshelf can be used by students, interns, professors or just about anyone who takes notes regularly. You can seamlessly capture information through beautiful handwritten notes, typing or recording and automatically backup your notes to Dropbox.

However, some organizations and even individuals wish to secure sensitive notes. This is where Noteshelf is extremely beneficial as it helps secure all your sensitive information using a passcode. For anybody who considers data security paramount, here’s how easy it is to secure your notes using Noteshelf.

Securing Notes with a Passcode

1. First click on the Notebook you would like to secure and continue clicking till you see the Edit icon on the Notebook.

2. Tap on the edit icon. Select the Passcode from the pop-up icon on the top right side.

         

3. You can now enter your 4 digit passcode twice and easily secure your notebook. Next time you try to open your notebook, the popup screen prompts for the passcode.

A word of caution, though; it’s important to note down your passcode in a safe place in case you forget since forgotten passcodes cannot be recovered.

   

This is an easy and quick way to secure your notes in a jiffy. All your important and sensitive notes are safe and can’t be accessed without a passcode. Even sharing of these protected notes is possible only when you enter the passcode.

Share your Noteshelf experiences with us. We’d love to hear what you have to say.

What Happens When you Jot Notes by Hand

When five-year-old Mike is asked to write out his alphabets on a piece of paper, he stubbornly refuses and instead reaches out for his mom’s iPad. However, his mom Linda is relieved that he loves using the notes-taking app on her iPad as it’s as good as writing on a piece of paper.


Sure, there’s nothing like good old pen and paper when it’s time to learn handwriting or take notes. However, walk into any college today, you will find students peering into their laptops, typing away their notes to the continuous sound of pounding keys.  

Pen is surely mightier than the keyboard

Do laptop users actually benefit in the long run? The answer is no, according to this study carried out by Pam A. Mueller of Princeton and Daniel M. Oppenheimer of UCLA.

Here, students were assigned to take notes, either through a laptop or longhand, using a notepad, when they listened to a TED Talk. The researchers found that when it came to conceptual questions, those with handwritten notes performed better. In a follow up study, the researchers asked laptop users not to type verbatim, yet found no improvement in their performance.  
                                   

Source: www.lifehack.org

Why handwritten notes outweigh laptops 

This is evidence of how handwritten notes are still not obsolete. It was observed that laptop users tend to write verbatim and spend more time in transcription than comprehension.
Oppenheimer states that handwriting helps recreate content, and context, thereby providing more effective memory. Besides, students using laptops also tend to get easily distracted, they might spend more time browsing Facebook or the News. 

Striking the right Balance – Note taking Apps

                                      
So is it possible to get rid of technology and rely on traditional note taking methods alone? 

It depends on what floats your boat as both methods have their pros and cons. However, there is a perfect solution! Popular note taking apps like Noteshelf have revolutionized note-taking by seamlessly blending it with technology. These apps help you take beautiful handwritten notes, make sketches, and are loaded with features.You can record lectures and play back your notes, which is great for audible learners. Digital note taking also ensures that searchability is simplified. You no longer have to flip through pages just to find that one pit of information.                                               

What’s more, you can archive your notes in the cloud storage and share them with your classmates or colleagues on the click of a button. All this, in your own personalized style. Call it having the cake, and eating it too!   
                             

The Apollo 13 Notes    

                                                                                                                                                                        

Source: www.technicalwritingworld.com

Talking of handwritten notes, do you know that two bits of paper with handwritten notes scrawled across them actually helped save the crew of the failed Apollo 13 mission?

Jim Lovell and Fred Haise, who were part of the mission, marked the checklist in red and black pens in space noting critically important instructions when an explosion rocked their craft. It is a real time step by step account of how the crew powered down the craft to conserve power to get them back to Earth. 

 

Source: www.technicalwritingworld.com

Later Haise described it as, “A sheet that played an important part during the emergency conditions of the Apollo 13 flight. It is a record of the real time steps the NASA and industry team developed for us to perform ensuring our safe return to Earth.” The crew’s survival using the notes is one of the biggest tales of triumph in space history in the 20th century. 

So, tell us what you think. Do share your experiences of using handwritten notes and how they helped you. 



References:

lifehack.org
technicalwritingworld.com
dailymail.co.uk

Easy Tips to Prevent Eye Strain when using your iPad

Eye strain and long term eye damage from ‘blue light’, emitted by digital devices are real concerns today.According to Dr.Jeffrey Anshel, author of the book ‘Smart Medicine for Your Eyes’, spending most waking hours with our gadgets can cause significant eye problems, besides health issues like disturbed sleep and even diabetes.Yet, millions rely on the iPad for any form of media consumption.  

Does that mean giving up on your gadget time? Not necessarily! Just follow these useful tips which will help prevent vision problems and other long term health issues.

Here are some handy tips to reduce digital eye strain for iPad users. 

   
  
1. Adjust Display Settings

Always be aware of the lighting in your room. Just make sure your room is appropriately lit. You can always change the brightness of your screens under Settings -> Display and Brightness to reduce excessive glare. It’s imperative that your screen brightness should match your surroundings. 

2. Use the Night Shift Feature                

If you possess an iPad Pro, iPad Air or later, iPad mini 2 or later, and iPod touch (6th generation), there’s an amazing setting called Night Shift which reduces ‘blue light’. This lets you manually or automatically change your display towards a warmer, yellower spectrum and reduces eye strain and disturbed sleep patterns. In the beginning, though you might have difficulty adjusting to this visibly different display, trust us, you would be thankful for its effect on your eyesight and health in the long run.

3. Anti-Reflective Glasses are the best

For those wearing glasses, you can always opt for lenses with anti-reflective coating to reduce strain on your eyes. These reduce glare by minimizing the amount of light that is reflected off the surface of your eyeglass lenses.
4. The 20/20/20 Rule
Dr. Anshel stresses on the 20/20/20 Rule to avoid a digital eye. It’s very interesting and simple too. All you’ve got to do is this! While working on your iPad, every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for about 20 seconds. This allows your eyes to refocus and to continue your task with added vigor.
5. Anti-Glare Screen Filter
Use an anti-glare screen filter for your iPad to protect your eyes from glare when you are outdoors. There’s plenty of these available on sites like Amazon and the best part is, they are affordable too.
6. Undergo Annual Eye Exam
The best way to prevent eye damage from blue light is to keep a tab of your eye health with regular eye examinations.
Remember, prevention is always better than cure. iPads, iPhones are here to stay and we all love using them. With the six points we've talked about, you can continue to use and benefit from your smart screen device, hassle free!