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Bio
Kristi Willis is an Austin-based food writer that contributes to Edible Austin. She writes two blogs; Kristi’s Farm to Table focuses on farmers markets and restaurants who work with local markets, and Ditch the Box helps people take control of what they’re eating. See how she uses Evernote to keep track of restaurant meals, blogging, freelancing, and more.
I use Evernote, Everywhere
- Mac
- Windows
- iPhone
- Web Clipper
- Evernote Food
I love…
- Call Trunk for recording phone interviews
Evernote: My Food Writing Companion
I got into food writing as a hobby and then it turned into a career. My background is actually in tech writing. About six years ago, I started working for a group focused on productivity and over the course of my work there, I began to explore how I could make my life easier. At some point, I stumbled upon Evernote and I haven’t look back since.
The work I do for various clients is very different and switching hats multiple times a day can be a challenge without the right tools. As a freelance writer, I know that I need access to the right notes and documents at the right time — otherwise, I’m in trouble! Evernote helps me keep clients and projects organized. Here are some of the ways I use Evernote for keeping my writing projects organized:
- I have three computers, but Evernote is my one constant when I travel. I travel a lot for food writing in different cities, which means I’m not always in front of one computer. If a client calls while I’m on the road, I need to have access to all of my notes and documents related the project I’m working on for them. With Evernote, it doesn’t matter where I am, I feel confident that whatever I need is always with me.
- I use Evernote as a capture tool. I clip everything. I have a notebook for each blog that I write for (my two blogs and a client’s tech blog). I clip anything interesting I see on the web using the Evernote Web Clipper and tag everything so that I can cull story ideas at one time. I’ll sort ideas based on whether they’re relevant for one of the blogs I write for or a magazine article. Having it all in front of me, in one place, is a great way to focus.
- I utilize an extensive tagging system. I create ‘subtags’ for my notes. For example, I can tag a note as a story idea and then add another, more specific tag like ‘restaurant review idea.’
- I use Evernote as a writing tool. I draft articles in Evernote and recently started using Michael Hyatt’s (Evernote Blogging Ambassador) story idea flow.
- I use Evernote to share with others. When I was starting Ditch the Box, I was working with a few people on how to change their food habits. I saved recipes to a Shared Notebook that they could access before the blog was live. When it came time to add them to the site, I was able to quickly access them myself (and I didn’t even need to retype!). [Learn about sharing from Evernote]
Evernote Food for recalling meals
I recently started using Evernote Food for keeping track of my impressions of dishes when I dine out. When I review a restaurant, I need to be able to capture what was in the dish I’m eating, and I have to be able to recall these details months later, when I’m writing. At that point, the dish might not even be on the restaurant’s menu anymore, so I have to be able to recreate the experience and recall my experience in that moment. [Learn more about Evernote Food]
Evernote for Everything Else
My Evernote use doesn’t end when my workday does. Here are some ways that I use Evernote to capture and remember other aspects of my life.
- I scan in recipes and workouts. I used to have physical notebooks with magazine cutouts, but when I was on the road, or at my sister’s house, I didn’t have access to my stuff. I eventually got rid of those notebooks in a bid to go paperless and now, if I see something in a magazine, I scan it into Evernote. That way, I can access workouts when I’m away from home, and my dad’s holiday dressing recipe when my family gets together at my sister’s house.
- I snap photos of wine labels and gift ideas. I can never remember wines that I like, so I’ve started taking pictures of wine labels. I also snap photos of gift ideas when I’m in a store. To recall them later, I add the store name and any relevant information that I might need to help my decision.
- I use Evernote to help me familiarize myself with my new grocery store. I moved a few months ago, and after eight years of shopping at the same place, I was completely disoriented by the new store. One day, I created an Evernote note in which I included a layout of the store, annotated with items that I buy every week. Now, I waste less time getting lost!
My discovery of Evernote has been life-changing. So much so, that I convert someone into an Evernote user about once a week!
The Evernote Ambassador Program
Evernote Ambassadors are amazing individuals that are here to teach, share and help you get more out of Evernote. Learn more about Ambassadors and consider submitting your story.
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Drap and drop them into a New Note or attach them to a note so you can access them from any computer or mobile device where you have Evernote installed!
Joshua Zerkel’s Productivity Tips (PDF)
Brandie Kajino’s Organization Tips (PDF)
Carley Knobloch’s Spring Cleaning Tips (PDF)
