9 Top Basecamp and Evernote Hacks to Simplify Your Life

Part I: Basecamp

1. On The Big Screen
   Statusboard is a great way to manage projects as a team if you can access a big screen. No need to huddle around a laptop, tablet or iPhone – you can broadcast your projects, as well as Twitter mentions and Google Analytics for all to see. You can currently sign up for free during their open beta.
2. With an EasyInsight Integration
   EasyInsight is a SaaS-based reporting tool which integrates with other project management software, like Salesforce (which also integrates with cloudHQ).
   Instead of spending ages organizing data and trying to create reports, EasyInsight has a drop and drag functionality which saves hours when it comes to generating reports and dashboards your team can use.
3. Rappel
   Rappel is said to be the best iPhone app for Basecamp, even with the $9.99 price tag. Rappel has the speedy functionality of an app, with all the Basecamp features of the browser version.
   If you don’t want to pay the extra $9.99 fee, just sync Basecamp with Evernote or Google Drive through cloudHQ and you can still see all your upcoming tasks.
4. Archive Function to Keep it Tidy
   The last thing you want is for a tool which helps keep you organized to get as messy as your inbox. Use the Archive function (which is located in your settings) to archive a project once all of the tasks have been completed. At least this way your clean and easy-to-navigate dashboard full of projects will stay organized, showing you only the projects you are currently working on.
5. Assign to-do tasks to a group
   At present there’s still no way to assign to-do tasks (within a to-do list) to a group of people.
   Basecamp is “still unsure how or whether to approach that one,” they advise in a blog. A great work around is to leave a task unassigned and notify everyone involved using the comment feature, which means the project team members will receive an email.

Part II: Evernote

1. Keep An ‘Ideas’ Notebook Easily Accessible
   You never know when a great idea will pop into your head. The best way to keep track of them, unless you carry around a physical notebook, is to have a dedicated notebook in Evernote for your ideas. Either write them in the Text function (under ‘create a new notebook’) or write / dictate them in a native note taking app and save it to Evernote, within your ‘ideas’ notebook.
2. Create a Research Document For Each Project
   Except for academics, research for most of us is a series of interconnected Google searches; usually resulting in more browser tabs, bookmarks, or pictures than you can count.
   Rather than bookmarking everything, create a notebook in Evernote where you can save all of the links (and any notes you need to make) in one place.
3. Share Only What Others Need
   Starting an exciting new project when there’s more ideas than time? Don’t be that guy bombarding everyone with emails.
   Instead, save your ideas in a single notebook, and then share it to everyone who’s part of that project. Your team will thank you for helping them achieve an ‘inbox zero’ status.
4. Keep A Clean Desktop
   During the working day, many people take notes in text files. Keeping and organising them can be a nuisance, and just like cleaning, the longer you leave it, the harder it can be to tidy up.
   Make it a daily habit to Evernote your notes at the end of the day. This will give you a clean desktop for when you start tomorrow again.

Backup and Collaborate

Whether you use Basecamp, Evernote, or other clouds, you should sync your cloud so that you can be platform agnostic, collaborate easily across team members and platforms, while ALWAYS backing up your work. cloudHQ has an easy to implement wizard that integrates platforms like: Google Drive, Dropbox, Basecamp, and Evernote; which means that you can have your whole team working on projects at their convenience: anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

cloudHQ is already integrated with all cloud industry leaders, so now could be a great time to put these hacks to the test. If you need any help getting your syncs set up, go ahead and book an appointment with us by clicking on the button below: