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Since I was laid off nearly two months ago, I've had to develop a workflow that enables me to access my ideas and my work files wherever I am. From one day to the next, I don't know if I will be working on my laptop or on the home PC. Fortunately, I have found two tools that make this fairly easy:
EverNote: This marvelous tool enables you to capture part or all of any web page, plus create and store notes. What makes it indispensable is the fact that it's developers have developed multiple versions for different platforms that all sync with one another. There's a desktop client for Windows (which I don't use much because it has a somewhat clunky user interface), a web application and even a version for the iPhone and iPod Touch. I use the app on my iPod Touch to capture blog post ideas, which I can then develop more fully in the web version. It's also an awesome way to capture important and useful articles, which may not still be on the web a few months or a few years from now.
SugarSync: This is a web-based storage service with an innovative twist. Like most services of its kind, SugarSync requires that you install a piece of software on the desktop to manage the sync'ing of folders and files to your online account. But what makes it SugarSync different - and way more useful in my book - is that you can set up a workflow to have it manage syncing between your online repository and two or more computers. You can also access your files via a secure website. This would come in useful if I was somewhere using a public computer and wanted to access my files via web browser. Nice!
Best of all, when you install the desktop component of SugarSync, it creates a folder called the "magic briefcase." Any files you store within that folder are automatically backed up to the server - and from there to your other PC.
I have leveraged the magic briefcase to the max. All of my work files for InnovationTools.com, my mind mapping software blog and other project files are stored within this folder, and it works like a charm! At onhly US$5 per month for 2 GB of storage, SugarSync is worth far more to me in terms of convenience. I don't have to think about backing up my files - it happens automatically. And no matter where I'm working, my project files are always no more than a few mouse clicks away! |
