Evernote is a powerful tool not just for capturing information, but also planning projects and tasks. My Simple Curiosity has a very detailed guide to incorporating Evernote templates into your GTD workflow for project planning, plus sample templates to get you started.


Here's how it works:

You can create a template out of any note you make in Evernote by exporting it as a file with the ENEX format. Save it to a folder like "Evernote Templates" under your Documents folder and then edit the note using a text editor to delete the timestamp.

You'll also need to create a script (using AutoHotKey in Windows or AppleScript Editor on a Mac) that will enable you to quickly import the template file back into Evernote as a new note, complete with the proper creation date and saved tags.


Then, any time you want to make a new note from that template, you can simply press a keyboard shortcut in Evernote on Windows or trigger the script to run from your OS X menu bar.

My Simple Curiosity has the code examples so you can just copy and paste to get started. Here are the Windows template instructions and the Mac version.

This is really useful for quickly planning projects, but you could also adopt the system for other kinds of templates. For example, expense reporting, a food log, meeting notes, etc.

Also check out My Simple Curiosity's other really helpful Evernote tips and tricks, which include things like using saved searches and setting up notebooks GTD-like. And for task management, try The Secret Weapon's Evernote productivity method.


Getting Things Done with Evernote—Projects Part 3: Templates + Workflow | My Simple Curiosity