So to go along with Derek’s post from the other day, I wanted to include my amazing trio of failsafe go-to apps for keeping my OCD/designer/blogger self sane. I pretty much use these guys simultaneously:

NetNewsWire
I am a serious lover of design blogs. I would read them all day, everyday if I could. At the moment they’re backed up a bit because I’ve been too wrapped up in other things, but never fear! NetNewsWire keeps everything in line. It’s a desktop App for Macs [sorry PCs!] where I can subscribe to any blog feed, organize them by topic/unread count/etc., and flag my favorite posts. I follow over 70 blogs on a daily basis, so NetNewsWire keeps everything in line, it also has a little badge count for each blog displaying how many I haven’t read yet! NetNewsWire syncs with my google RSS reader which allows me to update it from any computer just in case I stumble upon a really awesome new blog that I want to follow, I can just add it even if I don’t have access to my NetNewsWire app, and it syncs automatically. What’s that? They have it for the iPhone/iPad too? THAT’S RIGHT. So now I literally have access to all of my favorite blogs in a snap!

Folders
As a blogger and designer I’m continuously running into inspiration and ideas while online, whether it be via blogs or maybe a cool color palette from a dress someone was wearing on Facebook. Who knows? Regardless I have to keep it all organized. So I invented a folder system which probably doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me. I have a folder on my desktop called ♥. Inside that folder includes: Architecture, Art, Awesome Ideas, Color Palettes, Fashion, Granola 101, Graphic Design, Great Pictures, and Interior Design. Inside each folder are even more sub categories for example, Interior Design has: Accessories, Bachelor Pads, Before & Afters, Details, Fabrics, Furniture, Galleries, Lofts, Mood Shots, Schemes, Wall Art, etc. Then each of those goes even deeper. Excessive? Probably.. But, I know where everything is at the drop of a hat. If I need to write a blog post about “red interiors” I know exactly where to go, or if Derek needs pictures of sofas in a snap? Easy peasy. So “Folders” is essentially an archive of all of my design ideas/inspirations that I’ve collected over the years. It sure beats tearing out mood shots form Dwell and pasting them in my design journals, plus! it’s better for the environment.. less paper :)

Evernote
This is hands down one of the best apps for anyone who likes to keep organized. As Derek mentioned, Evernote allows you to make notes and access them from any computer via your Evernote account online, the desktop app, or your iPhone/iPad. EASY! I use Evernote mainly to organize blog posts and ideas that I’ve saved from NetNewsWire or my folders system. For example, I have a notebook just for blog ideas, and within that notebook are a ton of notes each for different blog topics that I want to write about. I drag in photos, links, anything! The iPhone app is cool because you can text, take a snapshot, or leave a voice memo to yourself. Then the next time you access your Evernote account, they’ll be there! SO genius! I also use it for recipes, shopping lists, to do items, the options are endless!

So this method may sound crazy to some of you, but it definitely works for me :) How do you stay organized in a digital world?

cfs