This is a list of the 10 best apps for documenting and saving your ideas on the go. (Plus a bonus at the end). The goal here is to jot down your ideas as quickly as possible and in such a way that you know where to find them at a moment’s notice. Happy downloading!
You’re at a party and you are instantly struck with your next million dollar idea… but only have 30 seconds to write it down before you seem rude. How you do keep your ideas safe? You know from experience if you just try to remember, you’ll probably forget. Jotting it down on pen and paper is usually convenient but there’s none around you and, besides, you have a pocket full of wrinkled napkins with ideas on them that you’ve forgotten about. The answer? Keep a record of all of your ideas on one of these apps on your phone, which you are guaranteed to have near you at all times.
We’ve compiled the simplest (and most powerful) apps that are available at your fingertips and will sync between all of your devices for continuing your productivity anywhere.
Evernote – All Platforms – Free
There’s a good reason why Evernote is always at the top of people’s lists for making notes and compiling ideas. It’s equal parts powerful and simple, and it immediately syncs across all of your devices. Say you to go rehearsal with your phone. Open up your Evernote app and start jotting down song changes and new ideas for lyrics. Then snap some candid photos of the candid for posting on your social media later and even capture some audio of the new song that you just wrote. When you get back to your computer, everything is already is one spot and catalogued for you to blast all of your notes out to your bandmates with the click of a button. (Planning to use more than 60mb of space? They also have a premium option here.)
Facebook Groups – All Platforms – Free
Just about everyone has Facebook these days and that makes it a perfect platform for collaborating with a private group of people for free. Post pictures, updates, links, and comments all from an app with which you already feel comfortable. To learn how to create a Facebook Group (and make it private), click here.
Basecamp – All platforms – $20/month
Basecamp is the most expensive option on my list by far but worthy of recognition. Basecamp is perfect for the company or individual that is working on multiple projects with many different collaborators. $20 a month gets you 10 simultaneously-running projects (so if you have 8 but finish 1, you’re back down to 7), and allows for unlimited collaborators for free. Included in the price you get to-do lists, shared calendars, shareable notebooks, customizable email notifications, and the ability to upload any kind of file at any size. Basecamp syncs immediately across all devices so you and a collaborator can work together in real time and their customer service representatives say they’ll get back to you in 2 minutes or less. Get 2 months for free by clicking here.
Asana – All Platforms – Free
Asana is another great collaboration app that can be used to sync a small team of people together with a assignable to-do lists, shared calendars, and the ability to leave comments. Asana’s goal is to provide a productive workspace environment without email. Many of the features are similar to Basecamp, and the app is free for up to 5 collaborators. Above that, Asana charges a monthly fee. Asana also links with Google Drive for easy file sharing and text editing within Asana.
Notes – iPhone – Free
Notes is the free app that comes standard on iPhones. A very simple interface, Notes is limited to simple text input and great for quick ideas that don’t need formatting or categorizing. There is no way to theme your notes or tie them together; features that are inherent in an app like Evernote. You may, however, send the note as an email or text.
Drafts – iPhone – $9.99
The whole perk behind Drafts is that text comes first. The app opens very quickly and in a brand new document every time. This way, you save precious time and can instantly start writing (or speaking) your idea. Drafts offers a wealth of formatting options for your text, in order to write well-constructed emails, blog posts, and even books all on your phone. The sharing options are also superior, including email, text, copy to clipboard… but also social media, Dropbox, Google Drive, and as html.
Rev Voice Recorder – iPhone/Android – Free
Rev Voice Recorder is a fantastic app that can transfer voice dictation to a text document by a professional transcriber for $1/minute. Or record meetings or rehearsals and export the audio file to email, Dropbox, or Evernote for free. Perfect for the writer who prefers to think out loud and then edit later, this app can turn a 100 page eBook into a series of 20-minute sessions of talking into your phone. The app can also be used for taking a recorded program, such as a podcast, and transcribing the conversation into text.
Google Drive – All Platforms – Free
If you use Google Drive to take your work force onto the cloud, you can also access and edit the files on your phone. Google Drive is a powerful collaboration tool that features editable and shareable word documents, spreadsheets, slideshow presentations, and surveys all from any device that can access Google. If you already have a Google account, you already have a Drive account with 15mb of free storage. Check it out here.
Autodesk SketchBook – All Platforms – Free
Sketchbook is an incredibly powerful digital art platform that works on mobile or desktop devices. If you’re more of a visual person and would prefer to jot things down free hand, this the app for your stylus (or finger). You have to check out the Autodesk site to see what you can do with Sketchbook. It’s mindboggling.
SelfControl – Mac – Free
SelfControl is an app for your desktop that allows you to block your own access to websites or anything else on the internet. This way, if you know you have a habit of writing a paragraph and then checking your social media pages, you can enter a website into SelfControl, enter the amount of time that you want to be blocked from it, and you will NOT be able to visit the site until that timer clicks down. Great for allowing you to have all the research benefits of the internet without the distracting effects of the internet.
Bonus:
RocketBook
Rocketbook is an incredible campaign on IndieGogo that gives you a real notebook (pen and paper and the whole 9 yards) that allows you to jot down your notes then upload them to Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, and other cloud services from your iPhone or Android. THEN …and get this… then you can put the notebook into the microwave for 30 second and the ink disappears. Go check out Rocketbook and fund this re-useable notebook that uploads to your cloud for computer integration with your favorite app from above.
The goal here is to jot down your ideas as quickly as possible and in such a way that you know where to find them at a moment’s notice. Since most of these apps are free, download the couple that feel best to you and take them for a test drive! Run a couple of project tests, kick the tires, and rock on.
