How to Use OneNote Effectively (Stay organized with little effort!)

Aug 24, 2023

How to Use OneNote Effectively (Stay organized with little effort!)

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Most of us take notes in some way or another - on a piece of paper, in a notebook, or with some app. But are your notes always readily available when you need them? And more importantly, can you easily find a specific note you’re looking for?

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I tried a lot of note-taking systems in the past and I can’t tell you how many great ideas were lost over the years because I just couldn’t find the piece of paper anymore, I scribbled some notes on. It wasn’t until I found a way to use Microsoft OneNote effectively that it changed for the better. Many people don’t know that OneNote is much more than just a digital notebook.

In this OneNote tutorial (in 2020), I explore how you can take full advantage of OneNote, and share my 5 personal OneNote tips and tricks on how you can become more organized.

Leila’s Tips:
00:00 Why Use OneNote
01:46 Use Hierarchies to Get Organized
04:37 Use Tags to Find What You Need
07:04 Capture Ideas Anywhere With Sticky Notes
08:23 Extract Text From Images
09:35 Focus With Immersive Reader
11:04 Additional features in OneNote you may find helpful (Ink to Shape, Ink to Text, Ink to Math)

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#OneNote

Content

0.58 -> I've been using OneNote for a few years now.

3.77 -> The main reason was to become more organized.

7.86 -> You see, I'm constantly thinking of tasks I need to do.

11.27 -> I have ideas for new videos,

14.07 -> I need to write down the name of a new app

16.56 -> someone just told me about.

17.98 -> I ended up collecting these in different places,

20.9 -> and none of them were being synced.

23.4 -> A lot of these disappeared into a black hole.

27.03 -> In this video, I'm going to share with you

29.08 -> some OneNote tips and tricks and how I like to use it.

35.545 -> (upbeat music)

39.43 -> Before we get started a brief thanks to Skillshare

43.07 -> for sponsoring today's video.

45.22 -> Skillshare is a learning platform

47.56 -> with lots of great classes.

50.19 -> And I have a special link for you

51.75 -> that gives you two months free premium access.

54.81 -> You're going to find it in the description of this video.

57.88 -> But I'm going to chat more about them towards the end,

60.75 -> so stay tuned for that.

62.33 -> Now let's continue with our tips.

65.03 -> David Allen, the author of "Getting Things Done."

68.56 -> By the way, it's a great book, and I highly recommend it

71.69 -> if you're interested in increasing your productivity.

74.74 -> He says, your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.

80.54 -> So we need to find a way to record

83.79 -> and store design ideas externally,

86.44 -> so we can concentrate on actually getting these things done.

91.16 -> That's where OneNote comes in for me.

94.233 -> OneNote is a digital notebook, but it's much more than that.

99.34 -> I'm sure you're going to agree with me,

100.95 -> by the time you get to the end of this video.

103.92 -> Let's get to my OneNote productivity tips.

106.88 -> Number one, use hierarchies to get organized.

111.66 -> A great feature in OneNote is that,

113.63 -> you can create your own hierarchy structure.

117.22 -> There are three main levels,

119.38 -> the highest level Is the notebook,

121.46 -> just like the physical notebook,

123.41 -> they can hold many pages.

125.77 -> Next level down are sections.

128.48 -> Think of this like chapters in a book.

131.27 -> And finally there are pages.

133.78 -> These holds your actual notes.

136.07 -> Let's say we create a notebook to hold all your recipes.

139.55 -> We can either right click and select New Notebook,

143.95 -> or we click on the Add notebook down here.

147.63 -> The sections in this notebook

149.49 -> could be the different types of dishes.

152.11 -> So we can create a section for appetizers,

155.2 -> one for main dishes, one for vegetarian dishes,

158.96 -> one for desserts, and so on.

160.6 -> You get the idea.

162.31 -> Within the sections, we add the separate pages

165.39 -> for the actual recipe.

167.72 -> So here we have a recipe

170.65 -> for a wild rice and mushroom burger.

173.93 -> We have the ingredients, the directions,

176.54 -> and we can add pictures and even link to

179.72 -> where we got the recipe from.

182.24 -> Apart from these recipes,

183.64 -> I usually have notebooks for ideas for videos

187.14 -> with different sections depending on the progress,

190.83 -> like brainstorming, research, or scripting.

194.95 -> And I have a notebook for private things

197.01 -> like shopping lists, vacation and so on.

199.61 -> If you need more hierarchy levels,

201.43 -> you can cluster multiple sections into a section group.

205.56 -> After you created a group,

206.95 -> you can drag sections into the group.

210.33 -> Another level you can create are sub-pages.

214.15 -> To be able to use them, you need to have

216.57 -> at least two pages in a specific section.

219.85 -> So let's say here, I have a page with my meeting notes

223.42 -> from Excel Conferences, I can create sub-pages

227.1 -> with the notes for the individual sections.

229.4 -> So I have a piece called Session Notes

231.83 -> Excel Conference Bulgaria, and sub-pages for each session.

236.56 -> To create sub-pages, just click on the page

239.41 -> you want to turn into a sub-page and select Make subpage.

244.62 -> It's going to indent the title.

246.74 -> You can even have another level for sub-page

249.6 -> that says sub-page of a sub-page.

251.96 -> I don't use these as much, but if you have a lot of notes

255.09 -> and need a detailed structure, they can be really helpful.

259.49 -> So to summarize, these are

261.12 -> the different hierarchy levels, you can have.

264.16 -> Notebook, section group, section, page,

268.07 -> sub-page one, sub-page two.

270.91 -> Just start out with a structure that makes sense to you,

274.01 -> you can always change it or add to it later.

277.95 -> Number two, use tags to find what you need.

282.45 -> Tags are a great way to categorize and group notes together

286.47 -> that aren't in the same notebook or section.

289.91 -> So let's say I'm in my notebook for general video ideas,

294.23 -> in this case for Power Query

295.95 -> where I have a notes for Learning M Basics.

299.89 -> Let say this is something I want to consider doing soon.

302.93 -> By using the drop down tag this note up here,

306.04 -> I can select different default tags to add to the notes

310 -> or to parts of the notes.

312.34 -> So I can tag this with Remember for later,

315.2 -> so don't forget about it.

317.21 -> In another notebook for my research,

319.98 -> I have a page to check out this app for a barcode reader.

324.44 -> I can tag this note with the same, Remember for later.

328.11 -> So now I marked two notes that

330.69 -> are in totally different notebooks with the same tag,

334.57 -> meaning although they are in a different hierarchy,

338.18 -> they're still grouped together

340.14 -> and it's easy to find your tag notes later on.

343.67 -> So let's say you want to check all notes

346.52 -> that are tagged with Remember for later,

349.3 -> all you have to do is to click

350.88 -> the Search icon here on the left,

353.5 -> then either just click in the search bar

355.61 -> and select from the tags it will suggest down here.

358.83 -> Or just start typing what you're looking for,

362.15 -> and select the tag that you want,

364.09 -> and you're going to get a list

365.43 -> of all the notes containing this tag.

369.22 -> You can either use the default tags,

371.98 -> but I recommend you also create your own tag system

374.85 -> through your own custom tags.

376.81 -> You just need to click the Create New Tag down here,

380.78 -> and you can then name it and select an icon for it.

384.84 -> Currently, there isn't a way to rearrange the tags,

388.21 -> like you could in previous versions of OneNote.

391.24 -> New ones will always be added below,

393.57 -> so don't go overboard

394.97 -> and just keep the number of custom tags limited.

398.05 -> So in short, use tags to categorize notes.

401.73 -> There are many applications for tags,

404.18 -> just use them depending on your needs.

407.07 -> So for example, let's say you want to stay on top of tasks

410.36 -> you assigned to your team members,

413.33 -> or use these to highlight important parts

416.72 -> in your learning notes.

418.61 -> They make it really easy to find,

421.48 -> what you need when you need it.

423.87 -> Number three, capture ideas anywhere with Sticky Notes.

429.01 -> When I'm out and about, I used to scribble down

432.33 -> things I don't want to forget in a piece of paper,

435.5 -> then they either got lost,

437.87 -> or I spent a lot of time searching through my back,

441.62 -> not anymore.

443.08 -> I discovered Sticky Notes.

445.35 -> The Sticky Notes are integrated

447.12 -> in the OneNote app on mobile.

450 -> So if I just want to write something down really quickly,

453.35 -> I'll just open the OneNote app

455.54 -> and click on the buttons, Sticky Notes down here,

458.64 -> and start writing.

460.11 -> I can also find all my previously collected

462.66 -> Sticky Notes right here.

465.18 -> Now when I get back to the office,

468.1 -> and I want to see those notes,

470.3 -> I directly go to the Sticky Notes app.

474.03 -> It's a built in app in Windows 10.

476.87 -> To get to it, click on the Start button and type in sticky,

482.2 -> and you're going to see it pop up here.

484.47 -> So on your computer or laptop,

487.38 -> you're going to find it as a separate app,

489.99 -> whereas on your mobile, it's a part of the OneNote app.

494.8 -> These are automatically synced,

496.82 -> so you have your notes with you at all times,

501.26 -> no matter where you took them.

503.24 -> Number four, extract text from images.

506.91 -> Another great feature is Optical Character Recognition,

511.17 -> or OCR, which means OneNote can re-text inside an image.

518.2 -> This has two great benefits.

521 -> Number one, it lets you copy text from pictures

524.3 -> so you don't have to manually type it out.

527.14 -> So for instance, I copied the screenshots in my notes.

531.03 -> When I right click on it, I get the option,

534.23 -> Copy Text from Picture.

536.38 -> I can open a new page

538.52 -> and copy the text from the image hear.

541.58 -> The second benefit, which I personally use a lot,

545.65 -> is that I can search for text inside an image.

549.52 -> I usually collect a lot of information

551.81 -> from videos where I take notes,

555.73 -> I also take web clippings and pictures.

558.41 -> Later when I look for something specific,

560.83 -> I use the search feature.

563.3 -> With the OCR functionality, it will also search for the text

568.15 -> in the picture, and show me

570.33 -> all relevant information, images included.

574.86 -> Number five, focus with Immersive Reader.

579.22 -> A great feature I love to use

580.93 -> when I really want to focus on a text, or for proofreading

586.53 -> is the Immersive Reader.

588.6 -> It's now built into several applications

591.06 -> like Word, Outlook, and also OneNote.

594.22 -> If you're on a page, you can click

596.27 -> on Immersive Reader from the View tab.

598.92 -> It will show you the page without visual crowding,

601.5 -> which makes it easier and faster to read.

604.33 -> You can change the settings for text size and color themes

607.56 -> to whatever fits your needs.

609.87 -> Here you can also change the font,

612.1 -> and interesting one is Comic Sans, which is a font that may

616.27 -> not be visually appealing for a professional environment,

620.23 -> but it works great for kids.

622.35 -> The way the As and Gs are shaped,

625.97 -> is how kids learn to write in school.

628.79 -> You could also use this to practice reading with your kids.

633.27 -> You can also use the play button down here

635.78 -> and have the text read out loud for you.

638.09 -> Learn how to analyze if a rental property

640.31 -> is worth buying by calculating the cash on cash return.

643.39 -> With the voice settings,

645.25 -> you can change the voice speed,

647.09 -> and select a female or male voice.

649.75 -> We'll set up an Excel template.

651.98 -> So these are my tips and it's based on

654.98 -> how I personally use OneNote.

657.95 -> But there are many more features

660.58 -> that can be very helpful depending on your needs.

664.36 -> For example, you can hand draw shapes

667.37 -> and then apply ink to shape,

669.54 -> and OneNote will convert them automatically into shapes

672.2 -> with straight lines and clean corners.

674.86 -> One notes can also convert your handwriting into typed text.

678.98 -> I was skeptic because I have a horrible handwriting,

683.4 -> but it does manage to convert even mine.

686.84 -> First select what you want converted with the Lasso Select,

690.61 -> and then just click on the Ink to Text right here.

694.28 -> I don't use this feature often because I'm faster typing,

698.24 -> but it can be useful if you prefer to hand-write your notes.

703.84 -> You can even use OneNote for math problems.

706.94 -> You can hand-write an equation,

709.42 -> select it with the Lasso Select and then click on Math.

713.53 -> With Ink to Math up here,

715.7 -> you can convert it into typed text.

718.24 -> But that's not all, you can ask actually click,

721.22 -> Select an option and solve the equation.

724.62 -> And if you're interested, you can even show the steps

727.17 -> on how to solve it.

729 -> Pretty cool, right?

730.36 -> Don't tell your teachers.

732.44 -> There are different versions of OneNote

735.01 -> like one or 2013 or OneNote 2016.

738.69 -> But the official version of the app now

741.24 -> is just called OneNote.

743.48 -> It's available in Windows, and also for Mac.

746.8 -> Plus, you get it for free,

749.17 -> and it syncs across all your devices.

753.01 -> So you see, there are many ways you can use OneNote

757.27 -> to be more organized and productive.

759.98 -> If you have a favorite feature, share it with us below.

764.26 -> And if you have something new

765.8 -> that you want to share with us with OneNote,

767.43 -> that I didn't cover in this video, also share that below.

771.17 -> If you're like me, and you like to accomplish

774.65 -> more in less time, I recommend checking out,

777.97 -> the productivity classes on Skillshare.

780.67 -> Skillshare offers thousands of inspiring classes and topics

784.17 -> including productivity, freelancing,

787 -> technical skills like office skills, and a lot more.

790.55 -> One of the latest classes I took on Skillshare

793.21 -> was simple productivity, how to accomplish more with less.

798.03 -> This course made me think twice about my daily task list.

802.56 -> I realized it's not about

804.04 -> how much I managed to do in a given time,

807.07 -> but about deciding what matters.

809.94 -> And that's not easy, because at first glance,

814.04 -> everything matters.

815.22 -> I really appreciate the tools

816.6 -> that were shared in this class, to help me do that.

820.19 -> If you're interested to join this class

822.06 -> or any of the other thousands of classes on Skillshare,

825.45 -> clicking the link in the description box below

828.12 -> to get two free months premium membership,

831.71 -> which will give you unlimited access.

834.55 -> After to two months, an annual subscription

837.98 -> is less than $10 a month,

840.56 -> which makes learning new skills super affordable.

844.12 -> Thank you for watching, and I hope from this video,

848.22 -> you got some ideas on how you can use OneNote

850.92 -> to improve your day to day processes.

854.04 -> If you enjoyed it, give it a thumbs up.

856.72 -> And consider subscribing, if you enjoy

860.11 -> what you see on this channel

861.53 -> and you want to learn new skills.

863.37 -> And I'm going to see you in the next video.

866.346 -> (upbeat music)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Poepoh1b_3k