OneNote has been around for a few years now but it is still one of those programs that is vastly under-utilised.

So let’s have a recap. What is OneNote? Simply put, it’s a Microsoft Office application that allows you to quickly capture ideas, notes, drawings, pictures, web links and documents on “Pages” that are grouped in “Notebooks”. You can keep these notebooks private or share and collaborate with others.

What’s new in OneNote 2013?

• Notebooks can now be saved in the cloud on your SkyDrive.  This makes sharing with others even easier as notebooks no longer need to be saved on a file server to enable collaboration.
• If your organisation uses SharePoint, notebooks can be stored centrally on your SharePoint team site.
• If you need to share your ideas the old fashioned way, you can now export snapshots or entire notebooks to PDF and distribute via email.
• Tables have been improved and can now be converted easily to Excel worksheets.  Excel worksheets can also be embedded in the notebook, as can Visio diagrams.
• OneNote 2013 integrates with Lync, to provide meeting spaces where attendees can collaborate on minutes or workshop ideas.
• “Touch mode” makes the ribbon and commands bigger, so it’s easier to use on a touch capable tablet or PC.  The new draw commands turn your finger into a pen.
• Quick Notes and screen clippings make it simple to take notes while you’re working.
• The ability to create Hyperlinks to pages in OneNote enables you to link ideas together, even if they are in different notebooks.  You can also forward these links via email and if the information is stored in SkyDrive, other parties can view via a web browser.
• OneNote apps for iPhones and iPads means you can take your notes wherever you go, even if you don’t have a Windows mobile or tablet PCs.

Improving your personal productivity with OneNote

OneNote 2013 allows you to bring all your ideas and notes together in one place.  You can segment ideas into different notebooks, however the information can be linked together easily.  Templates can be created for repeatable activities such as meeting notes or checklists.

From a personal productivity standpoint, having the data synced to SkyDrive or SharePoint means you can take it with you, no matter which device you happen to have.  OneNote can be a fantastic tool for managing both personal and professional goals, task lists, study notes, projects, client meetings, checklists, screen clippings and more.

Don’t have OneNote on your computer?

OneNote comes standard with all new versions of Microsoft Office.  If you don’t have access to this fantastic tool, talk to us today to find out more.