Lately I have been looking for various ways to refine how I work, the goal is to have things synced to be able to access from various places. Since I am not always at the computer, or the same computer for that matter, it can be difficult to keep my ideas with me all the time, and even more difficult to continue on an idea that I may have already started. Dropbox has proven to be a great tool for me, I can upload things that I want to be able to access later, and then download them elsewhere, and I have been looking for a tool to compliment that well on Android. When I was using the iPhone 4 there were many note applications that synced directly to Dropbox, but I haven't found any that worked well for me on Android, as most of them require you to save, then upload and that isn't what I was ultimately looking for. Let's hit the break to see how I was able to solve this issue, and what you can download to do the same.
To keep track of my thoughts on the computer I started using Notational Velocity, a great free application that allows you to sync your notes to Dropbox and SimpleNote. While this may be meant for notes, I realized there is no reason that it couldn't be used for writing posts and keeping ideas for posts. Heading into the Google Play Store, I noticed there was a great free application very similar to Notational Velocity title Notational Acceleration. The application is free so I had to give it a shot, and immediately I was pleased.
One thing an application like this needs to be is dead simple, if I have a thought in my head and I want to get it jotted down, I need to be able to do so with ease. Notational Acceleration is very simple in the way that it is used, you log-in with your free SimpleNote account, and then that is about it. You create a new note or search for an existing one by typing in on the top line, and if there is not a note that exists about the topic it creates a new one. From here you can jot down a couple of thoughts in the box and then save it for later, or you can write all you want in the box. These thoughts are automatically synced to your SimpleNote account, which can be accessed from anywhere, so all of your thoughts are with you on the go.
When back at my Macbook I can fire up Notational Velocity, which not only syncs my notes that I wrote while mobile to the computer, but it also backs everything up to Dropbox. While it may seem redundant to have your information backed up all over the place, sometimes it is better to be safe than sorry, right? With the use of three free applications I am now able to sync my workflow and ideas across just about any platform that I am using at that time, and all of my information is easily accessible to me with just one log in.
Whether you are looking for ways to keep notes throughout the day, write minutes for your meetings, or you are writing longer pieces that you want access to where ever you may be, this set up may work just as well for you as it does for me. This set up works for me between my Mac and Galaxy Nexus, but if you happen to be a Windows user, or you are in need of a client that syncs for another platform be sure to hit up the SimpleNote website for a great list of applications that utilze their services.
What better time than now is there to take your productivity to the next level, sync your ideas, notes, tasks and anything else you could put into a document across all your platforms. [Download from Google Play (opens in new tab)]
