Productivity Apps Tested but not always Approved #1: Google Keep

At 247meeting, we are always looking for new ways of improving our processes to spend more time on what’s worth it and less time on small chores. We also need to keep track of all the ideas that cross our busy minds.
We don’t think we are the only ones in this situation, that’s why we decided to share our tests of Productivity Apps with you. We hope it will help you find the tool that best answers your needs.

Every time, one of our team members will have at least one month to try an app before sharing his honest feedback, explaining why the app meet or don’t meet his requirements.

Amy, can you tell us a little bit about your workflow and the kinds of tasks that you need to track?

I work predominantly in the Marketing department, though I have experience in different departments in 247meeting, so I help out with many different tasks. As a marketer, I need to keep tabs on interesting content that might not form into a fully fledged post until a later date. I’ve tried multiple ‘revolutionary’ to-do lists, but none of them worked for me. I’ve found that setting three or four important tasks per day and then letting the demands of the day change that list as needs be is the best method for me. Accumulating tasks or items into a long to do list is just demoralising.

What were your first impressions of this Productivity app?

I thought Google Keep was more like glorified sticky notes than a productivity app when I first started using it but I wanted to give it a chance as a new approach to a to do list.

Did those first impressions change as you used the app?

The interface definitely looks like digital sticky notes but as I discovered the different features like reminders, tags and colours I realised it could be the perfect mix of a professional form of Pinterest and a less rigid to do list that supports different kinds of actionable items, rather than just tasks.

What are the app’s strengths?

The interface is really flexible. You can make little to do lists within one note, set reminders on notes. Google Keep supports multiple media formats, images, links, etc. You can use colour coding or tags – Google Keep can adapt to your personal working style.

What do you think are the app’s weaknesses?

If you use Google Keep, like I do, to keep note of information that you don’t know how you want to use yet, things can get lost in your vast expanse of notes but making sure to use relevant tags can help with this. The reminders are not as intrusive as they could be (i.e. you don’t get email reminders or desktop notifications when something is due.) Finally, as with all Google Products, there is a real danger of Google pulling the product if it’s not perceived as successful.

Is the app similar or dissimilar to other apps you have tried (if any) for the same purpose? Is there anything that makes it stand out?

It’s not similar to most productivity apps as it’s not based on a to-do list. It is a little bit similar to Evernote but more lightweight in design.

Would you recommend this app to a colleague?

I would definitely recommend Google Keep if a coworker had a work style similar to mine. However, I don’t think someone who is a fan of the straightforward to do list would work well with Google Keep.

Will you be using the app going forward?

Yes

Rating out of 5:

Looking out for smart apps to help you focus on what matters? Take a look at 247meeting Mobile app.
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