• One approach would be to keep a few different notebooks: Monostructural, Weightlifting, Gymnastics; and then mix and match from the three to create workouts (which I’d keep a record of in a new Notebook, one workout per day, so you have an easy-to-search history of all your programming).

• If you used Evernote’s To-Do boxes, you could compile lists of all the workouts/exercises/couplets/triplets/etc. that you wanted to incorporate in a given cycle, and then use the “Unfinished To-Do Items” list in the Contains section to see what hasn’t been used yet.

• Keep a notebook of workouts you see from different affiliates that blow your mind, and grab one when you want to mix it up a bit. I can’t wait to use the “Task Priority FGB” someday…

Personally, I’d be thinking about how Evernote’s built-in structures could make your job easier, and try to work within its structures as best as you can. After all, it may not be the best tool for this particular job… but then again, it might be. It all depends on if it can do what you need.

My philosophy has always been to get as clear as you can on what your needs are, and then use the software that most conforms to your needs. Sometimes, a piece of software can show you possibilities about your tasks that you never considered, but I think it’s more common that people sacrifice their own flow to try to get their software to work in an instance where it shouldn’t.

Anyhow, hopefully these ideas will spark something that works for you; let me know what you come up, though, Dave – I dig this kind of stuff (obviously).

What a fantastic site! I found you by searching for “evernote” and “CrossFit”. I run a CF affiliate and was looking for ideas on using evernote to help organize my programming.

I wonder if you have any thoughts on this. I see how evernote would replace my index cards – I can tag WODs with exercises, create notes for skills and drills and warmups, but I am having trouble seeing how best to bring these elements together for a particular day’s “lesson plan”. Should I tag the pieces I plan to use that day with a date? Or, is there a way to create a note that links to multiple other notes?

your advice would be much appreciated
dave

Came onto your post via friend and found it very enlightening. If I may be so bold, I’d like to add a couple of comments to the comments.

1. GMail is fantastic — I’ve used it since the first Beta version came out and after the initial learning curve, found it indispensible. I have a number of GMail Accounts and even use a couple as backups (via forwarded messages) for email accounts which I am forced to use on other ISP providers.
2. I also love GCal — having that reminder pop up in front of me is great. And as a Virtual Assistant, it allows me to keep calendars for clients which we can share access to. Makes it easy to add appointments and invite others to join us.
3. Since I work and live full-time in my RV, which allows me to change the view out my window at will, I had to find a good means of internet access. I’d had a Sprint aircard for several years. Last June I stepped up to a 3G Sprint Air Card which connects via USB. It allows me to use it on my laptop or my PC. The speed is as good as any cable connection I’ve ever had. Yes — occasionally I find a location where the connection isn’t as good as it might be. During those times I find a local library with free WiFi or hit Starbucks or some-such to update things. When that happens I’m almost more productive because I write all my emails in WORD in advance and then just and cut and paste them into my actual emails when I get connected to the internet.

Loved your ideas and do plan to check out the Evernote idea.

Karalyn

Hi Adam,

I just wandered over to your website to see what you’d been up to, besides redoing Mark’s website, and read your webward blog. What would you suggest for those of us still on dial-up? Believe me, we’re not on dial-up out of choice. The last time I spoke with AT&T, the woman on the other end of the line admitted that it would likely be years before DSL is available where I live, and my conversation with Comcast wasn’t much different. I love the idea of simplification — and I’m about to purchase a new Mac, so will be dealing with that transfer of information — but just can’t see myself moving webward. Granted, I’m also still very much a paper and pen person (is this part of being a watery Cancer?), but I thought I’d be open-minded so followed the link to Evernote, but when I discovered the introduction was in the form of a video, I thought “That ain’t happening.” I’m normally a very patient person, but there’s something about the Internet that makes me so impatient. I like Mail precisely because it’s not web-based (which is why this is coming as an email rather than a comment on the website)!

I so appreciate that you seem to love all this technology and look forward to your thoughts.
Marilyn

And here’s my reply:

I was in the same boat when we moved here to the country; we almost went with a satellite provider, like a number of our friends did, but just as we were about to, a wireless internet provider showed up, and that’s what we’re using now.

When I was on dial-up, I definitely used less web-based apps. It’s definitely a matter of what works for you in your situation.

I totally hear you on the impatient thing; I find that there’s an inverse relationship between my patience and my bandwidth: the faster a connection I have, the less willing I am to wait!

Evernote is a great solution, I feel, but there are other “information managers” out there that aren’t necessarily web-based (like Yojimbo, or Bento, for example)… and, Evernote can always be run without having to synchronize with the web service. I’ve only accessed my Evernote account from the website-side twice, really; most everything I do is within the app itself.

And, of course, a lot of this depends on your workflow and the line of work you’re in. As someone who ran a web-based business for years, and now is 100% web-ified as a webdesigner, these tools work for me. But they may not be as necessary, or wanted, by others. I know plenty of high-tech web folks who swear by their moleskines and pens, too.

Besides, there’s nothing wrong with pen & paper – and hey, they even work in a power failure!

Hope this helps!

Blessings,
Adam

re: Intuition — it’s a process, that’s for sure. Just keeping trusting what you get, and keep asking. Certainty comes. It most definitely comes.

re: Gmail/Evernote/etc. — also a process! I’ve refined and adapted my systems so many times over the years, I wouldn’t recognize how I worked five years ago. But each new phase in our work and our personal development (i.e. ways of thinking/conceptualizing the world we exist in) tends to shift the needs of our “external” systems, so it’s always going to be an evolution.

Congrats for making your leaps!

I first “met” you when I listed to Mark’s interview with you on how to enhance your intuition. Loved the interview! I’m still stumbling in the dark in that area and hate admitting in class when asked to share what I intuited that often it’s a big nothing. So your interview with Mark really encouraged me to continue to practice and I”m just hoping I have the big break through!

Found my way to your site when I saw Mark’s new site — very nice layout with soft, yet grounded colors. But this article has really changed my life. After reading your article, I decided I was just going to do it and jumped into Gmail and haven’t looked back. I actually enjoy checking and reading my email now. I haven’t had the time to really dig into Evernote just yet, but I love seeing my to Do list from Remember the Milk right there in the Gmail sidebar.

So I just wanted to thank you for this post, — it encouraged me to make the leap and I’m loving these new apps!

All the best, Yael

And re: WordPress-ifying your site is a great idea (in my biased opinion, of course!). I just helped a CrossFit gym who was doing the Dreamweaver-thing get their site onto WordPress, and they’re happier than kids in a candy store. (Once they’re live, I’ll give more details… but I’ll share no URLs before their time. )

What a cool site! And blog. The same thing happened to me this past April. My computer crashed and I was so annoyed with the whole Outlook fiasco that I switched my email and calendar over to Google Apps. My whole http://www.neatandsimple.com email system is hosted by Google now. I love it! I can even do email with me laptop in the car while my husband is driving – and I never have to worry about synching. it’s the best.

I can’t wait to try out evernote it sounds awesome!

That aside, I think the universe drew me to you in affirmation of the idea I’ve been mulling over lately about breaking out of my neat & Simple brand “box” and consolidating my online ventures under my own name. That means resurrecting and reinventing arianebenefit.com. I want to have it done by the new year and set up wordpress.

I do web design and development with dreamweaver now…but I think it’s time to take the plunge. I’m going to contact you about helping me with this. : )

And don’t stress out about the “new app” thing… with everyone, it’s a gradual process of getting clear on what works for you, and how software can help you manage what you do. I’ve abandoned a number of systems in the past because I spent too much time managing the system, and less getting the actual work done (I’m talking to you, DA).

So take it slow, play around, and above all, consider how you do your best work. Keep that first and foremost, and the rest will come into focus.

Good luck!

I just wandered back over to your website after a long absence when I saw Mark Silver’s new site. Hooray for you helping him create such a beautiful wordpress-y thingo. Love that!

And thanks for this post. I get freaked out just looking at it, but I know it’s a direction I need to look… New apps. Time consuming at first, but can’t live without em once you get it, right?

Maybe I will make 2009 my “year of getting the systems sorted”… now there’s a project!

Blessings, Yollana