Evernote is recommended for note taking, idea storage and gathering information from various sources. Trello is recommended as an easy to use to-do list and task management tool. Asana combined with Instagantt is recommended for more complex project management needs and visual Gantt chart views. Dropbox and other file sharing tools like Google Drive are recommended for easy file sharing and collaboration. Google Drive's online document editing is recommended for real-time collaboration. Slack is mentioned as a promising communication tool to get work emails more organized.

1. DIGITAL WORK TOOLS
For the rest of us

2. Tools should help you be more
effective

3. But most are just another
DISTRACTion
Made for the happy few who have all the in the .

4. The Best online
Work Tools
For the rest of us…

5. Easy to use
Free version to start
Proven track record
Tested in real life

6. There is not one solution
Pick a tool for
your work
TO DO’s
note-taking
File sharing
Collaboration
Connecting
…

7. EVERNOTE – Note Taking & idea storage
www.evernote.com
USAGE
Use for taking notes (meetings, ideas,…) & gathering information from various sources (from Internet,
pictures, scans,…). Comes with plugins for browsers, apps for smartphones and tablets and thus is your
always present companion.
Makes your notes searchable (even the handwritten ones via OCR), so it really becomes your extended
brain. Think of all those meeting minutes on paper you never found when you needed them!
Evernote has integrated annotation capability for pdf & images and a growing number of collaboration
possibilities.
A free version with most of the relevant functionality is available. Upgrade for more space & collaboration
stuff.
Real Life tips
• Use tags to quickly find back notes. I use one tag for
meeting minutes.
• Share notes online (privately) and link to them in
your other tools (eg. Trello) to avoid duplicating
information.
• Learn the e-mail syntax basic so you can quickly
send mails from your regular email program right
into Evernote.

8. Trello – TODO’s & Getting Things done
www.evernote.com
USAGE
By far the most easy to-do tool I tried in the last years. It is visual (think of it like a large & intelligent post-it
wall), so it is great in giving you an overview. Also, your less digital colleagues will be able to use it. As
tasks in real-life are never attained alone, this is by far the most important criteria to pick a to-do-tool. It
offers straightforward colour coded tagging ( = different colours of post-it’s) & drag&drop attachments.
Underneath the hood it offers more advanced futures to put everything into a calendar view, keep
information structured with checklists, voting capabilities, aging, archiving,…
Real Life tips
• Create a tag for tasks that you have delegated
(“Waiting on”) to quickly see the things were you
should start chasing people to deliver.
• Keep track of your work done: I create a list for each
month to put in all the ‘Done’ work (“Done-May”).
• Add links to Evernote shared notes to avoid storing
information two times.
• Create a meeting note for each one-to-one meeting.

9. ASANA + Instagantt – Project management
www.evernote.com
USAGE
Trello will go a long way, but for complex projects you probably need that little extra. People also tend to
like Gantt-like views of projects (to show you have timing under control). For these jobs/projects, I really
like the combo Asana with Instagantt (basically a layer on Asana that transforms your tasks in Asana in a
visual Gantt chart) that comes with exporting capabilities, progress bars and advanced filtering.
Asana itself is already a very solid project management tool, with easy shortcuts, lot’s of integrations in
other tools, semi-automated project status reporting that works lighting fast.
Real Life tips
• Take some time to learn the keyboard shortcuts to
work like pro.
• Share live versions of your Gantt chart with your
team.
• Create snapshots to see how your projects evolves
in real life compared to your initial baseline.

10. Dropbox + many others file sharing
www.evernote.com
USAGE
Sharing files with teams can be a hassle: You all know the limitations of your corporate network storage,
the 7 versions of the same file with always different filenames (importantfile_V06_adaptations_Filip.doc)
and sending mails with heavy attachments. Dropbox started a revolution years ago by creating an
insanely easy solution to have your files in the cloud and share them easily. Dropbox watches a directory
of your choosing and sync everything in it with your cloud space. Working on 2 or more pc’s on the same
file: easy peasy. Sharing files with co-workers on the other side of the world: check.
A lot of alternatives are available (Copy, Google Drive, Bix,…), so choose what works best for you (or
combine them ;-). If you are new, I suggest you go with Dropbox, that has still be far the most integrations.
Real Life tips
• Combine different tools to boost your free space
available.
• Give JoliCloud Drive a go, it is a virtual front end for
all your cloud drives (and more).
• Send links instead of attachments and see how
much more easy life is with a corporate email
account with limited space.
• Sharing files < > collaborating on one file (see below)

11. Google Drive collaboration
www.evernote.com
USAGE
Sharing files is not the same as actually working together on the same file at the same time. Cloud storage
doesn’t work in this case as 2 different files are created (awesomepresentation.ppt &
awesomepresentation_conflicting_copy.ppt). If you really want to work on the same file at the same time,
you need to be able to access and write at the same file in real time. The most common tool is Google
drive and more specifically the part of Google Drive where you can create new files (so not uploading an
existing Powerpoint for example). Use for text documents, spread sheets and even complete
presentations.
Real Life tips
• Learn to use the limitations (compared to a full-
blown word processor or presentation tool like
Powerpoint) to your advantage: who needs those
fancy slide transitions anyway?
• Google Forms is a great way to quickly get customer
feedback and get everything in a nice overview.

12. A little
extra

13. SLACK collaboration - talk
www.evernote.com
USAGE
Still need to test it in a real-life environment, but in terms of getting your work e-mail inbox more clear,
after already cleaning out the heavy attachments (Dropbox), storing old but relevant mails (Evernote) and
make to-do's actionable instead of a mail (Trello), the last step is getting the (semi-)real time
communication out of your inbox. Think of mails like: “Can you send me that file”, “I like to share this
webpage I think is relevant with you” and “Want to go for lunch?”. Slack seems very promising in terms of
integration with Dropbox.
Real Life tips
• Still working on it: go and try it out.
• I love how the setup for first use is done: you
actually answer to a ‘slack bot’ who is using real-life
questions. Check it out!

14. Other must haves?
Reach out.

15. Want to grow the PIE for your business
by leveraging digital tools ?
JOINED! Can help you.

16. Attribution
• Icons
on
Fla1con
by
Freepik
&
Icomoon.
Licensed
by
CC
BY
3.0.
• Stock
photos
by
Death
to
Stock
Photo.