Every single day, I have exercise my two hands with no other activity than writing. Either I do it with a computer keyboard, a paper material or even on a mobile screen pad! Since I started blogging, I have this case of deciding where to write my entry?
I tried using different platforms too in writing. I started of course with Microsoft Word, who wouldn't? I also tried using the PC notepad application and even Notepad++ if you are familiar with that. However, after testing out those apps, I find that they are hard to access and sometimes causes data loss.
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Of course, data loss is a huge issue. We don't want that to happen. Been there and done that so I know how it feels to write around a thousand words and with just a single click mistake, everything is gone. You'll have to start over and recall what are those things you have mentioned on the previous post.
So, when I came to know Google Keep, thanks to my husband James for sharing it to me, I never had looked for any other application which I can write my thoughts and even my random rants and lists.
Today, I would like to share my own personal reasons why I have never looked back after meeting Google Keep.
1. Synchronization at its Best
When I downloaded this app, (yes I downloaded it on my phone before I could open it from a PC browser) I definitely find it really really simple. No extra designs here and there. It was just bare and you can definitely get this first impression that it is boring.
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But this is actually a good side of the app. But being simple doesn't mean it lacks functionality to enjoy it. As a matter of fact, the app offers With simple interface, it runs faster and it synchronizes very efficiently.
This for me is the best functionality of the app, where I can type on my phone and as long as there's internet connection, the things I have typed in there appears directly to my browser.
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I always have those moments whenever traveling, I write on my phone. Then as soon as I reach home, I open my browser and starts writing there. In fact, I had also use the Google Applications on my desktop and I could launch it and the things I types on my phone appears there.
Ultimately, when I am offline, I can still use the synced notes and once I have internet connection, I am given the option of which note to keep if there's a duplication. I could literally save the two duplicates if I am not sure which one to choose from.
2. Color Coding
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I am actually a visual type of person. So when I am seeing stuffs specially colored, I am more into the subject. The same case applies to notes. I need to add colors to signify what these notes are for and how important these color codes are.
Let's say for example, my personal data such as government numbers and IDs, I have them colored as red which means, they are really really important to me. I also have some which are yellow, green and pink!
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These will easily let me know what these notes contain easily, with just a look at the note colors.
Within Google Keep, it is super easy to change the colors, on a web browser, moving the mouse cursor will the color options right away. On the mobile, I have Android, while the note is open, tap on the three dots on the bottom right hand side and the color options shows up, clicking on each color will automatically change the note's background color too.
And this gives me the post-it notes feels whenever I change the colors, they are definitely cool to look at, definitely reminds me of the sticky post-it notes.
3. Labels for Categorizing
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Aside from color coding my notes, I also have labels which categorizes the notes. I have them labeled as Personal for my own important notes, there's Work for my job notes as well as BitLanders for all my bitLanders articles. I even have BlogJob, BlogJourn and lately, I had added Steemit for the different articles I post on those respective sites.
If you wonder which label contains the most number of blogs, well, you know which one already - bitLanders of course.
Inside these labels, I have different notes color coded as well! Talk about various organization and grouping options, Google Keep makes work easier!
4. Auto Saving Feature
Note that these features mentioned in this blog doesn't have any specific order. All of them are definitely necessary for the application to work as smoothly and as efficient as how it is working right now.
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But I also like the fact that the application has this auto saving feature. It means whenever I start typing, it saves the data right away. So even if I close the app accidentally, I would still be able to get that note back from where I stopped typing.
This feature is really important as with using the mobile, there are certain cases where the phone dies on me or perhaps I accidentally press on other keys which closes the app or else, if the mobile crashes, I am secured that the data I have typed in was saved to the online storage given that I have internet connection when that occurred.
5. Fast and Efficient
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Everyone of us has those times when we need to jot down certain information real quick. I had a lot of those things specially when I have a blog idea in mind. I need to type it or write it quickly or else I might loose that idea.
Google Keep has been there all the time unless my phone is dead, I have no other option but to use a paper or other sources. But as long as I have my phone and it is alive, I would just open it from my main screen, type the idea and save it!
It's definitely efficient and it responds quite fast so I can automatically navigate from this page to the other or add the necessary labels if required. For my case, I have to separate certain blogs because I also do blog in other sites so I do have my different labels enabled to group such ideas.
6. Note Sharing and Reminders
Another cool feature of Google Keep is the sharing of notes. My husband has this note on his account which I also need and he can easily share it so I can access it from my end.
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This may not be really important to others but it takes out the effort of copying and forwarding the information. James can easily share it and I get a notification about it via email and I immediately have access to that specific note.
One example of note that we share together is our grocery list. He makes a list of things he would like me to buy and I as well keys in my own items then we decide which one to keep and to take out off the list. It's really nice, it's like we were communicating without the words.
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Also, Google Keep has a reminder option which means I can set up a date and time of which it alarms me for that specific note. This is really useful for me because I am a forgetful person. Although I don't use this feature, it is nice to mention it here so those who are planning to start using it can make use of this feature.
Bonus tip: It is actually possible to set a reminder to multiple Keep notes at once. Tap and hold a note until it turns gray, tap any other notes you want to select, then tap the Reminder button.
7. Pin or Archive Notes
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Here's one more lovely feature: Pinning!
Yes, it has this awesome feature which I am very happy about. With this, I can pin those notes which are important to me.
This is really perfect for me because when I have certain ideas in mind, I'll just pin them. Whenever I have extra time, I can go through my pinned notes, start writing until done and I can just unpin or archive it if I want to.
8. Add Media
Also, there's an add a media option. So Keep notes are not really boring at all because you can add either an image, a list, drawing or a voice memo.
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I have a category for recipes and of course they'll be better with images on them so whenever I scan through the list, I can easily distinguish which recipe I would like to try out.
I learned as well that when adding a voice note, Google Keep won't just record the voice but also transcribe it! How cool! I must try this very very soon.
But most specially, there's no real commitment in which media or type of note. If you change your mind, you can just select the other option and the Keep note changes to whichever is required.
Blog entry written and published by Jean Beltran-Figues, A Pinas traveler and photography hobbyist, find more travel blogs in my blog section, click here.
