For quite some time I have been trying to become more and more paperless by using digital notetaking apps and I think I’m starting to get to where I am comfortable with it.  My biggest struggle has been the culture of using a device in a meeting with the perception of looking like I’m not paying attention.  I would take notes on paper, scan them in, and file them away.  What I’m finding is that the culture is starting to shift as everyone becomes more digital and using a device for notetaking is more commonly accepted. 

The app I found that has worked the best for me is OneNote.  What I like about it is being able to create notebooks for every area of my professional life, as well as my personal life.  I can also create tabs within each notebook and pages within each tab so I can keep all of my notes organized and are easy to find.  The most convenient part is the ease of use and access from any device.  If I’m using my laptop, tablet, phone or the web, I can log into my application, take my notes and view them from anywhere.  These notes are saved in the cloud, so if something happens to any of my devices, they are backed up and easily retrieved. 

I can also perform searches within OneNote so I can easily find an attached document, keyword or a note that I made but can’t remember where I made it.  If I get to a point where I have to make notes on paper, I can easily copy them over to OneNote, scan them and attach them to my Notebook, or even take a picture of it with my phone and insert it via the app.  It has become a very handy tool that I use in all areas of my life that helps me be more productive and more efficient.