Scrivener + OneNote = Perfection

Blog, Mac, Software, Windows

As a relatively new Mac user, I am completely enjoying my introduction into the wonderful world of Mac Application. Unlike many Windows Apps that still sport a 1990s Windows ME look, Mac Apps are clean and contemporary.

One of the new applications I am falling in love with is Scrivener. Scrivener is a writing tool without equal.

Scrivener's Corkboard

Unfortunately, for someone like me trying to juggle both a Windows OS world and a Mac OS world, there is nothing close to Scrivener for Windows. I have tried many of the suggested applications, but without exception, the Windows apps lack the killer features Scrivener offers.

For me, it’s not too critical, because I do have a Mac, and Scrivener is quickly becoming part of my workflow. What I am missing on the Mac side is Microsoft OneNote. As with Scrivener, OneNote is without equal as an information gathering tool. The newest version of OneNote 2010, just released this spring, takes the app from good to Wow! I love OneNote.

OneNote 2010 Screenshot

This got me to thinking about my “perfect” toolbox. What would it look like if all applications were cross-platform?

Here is my Windows toolbox (Work):

  • OneNote (structured research for projects/papers. Better organization, note-taking, highlighting, compiling)
  • Evernote (general information capture)
  • PersonalBrain (long-term information store. Shows connection between areas of focus. Thoughts link to pages in OneNote or Evernote)
  • MindManager (Dashboards for planning and 30,000 to 50,000 related tasks. Mindjet the maker of MindManager offers a Mac version of MindManager, but it is essentially a new purchase at upgrade pricing. At $XXX+, that’s too much for cross-platform convenience.)
  • Microsoft Word (like it or not, most of my writing must end up in Word format, which is the standardized format in most sectors)
  • TaskAngel / Toodledo for list management and GTD implementation
  • GoToDo app on Android mobile phone syncs with Toodledo
  • I will add The Journal to this list. I have played with the trial version the last few weeks, and this will become my writing tool. Prior to this, I have used Microsoft Word.

Here is my Mac OS toolbox (Home):

  • Evernote (sync with my Windows data)
  • PersonalBrain (syncs with my Windows brain via SugarSync)
  • OmniOutliner (the best outliner I have used without question. If only it was available for Windows!)
  • Scrivener (This is where my search for a Windows replacement for Word started. I love Scrivener and would pay any price to have access to its features on both Mac and Windows. The Journal is my Scrivener counterpart in Windows, but to be honest, it’s not even close.)
  • Toodledo via the web interface.

What’s missing from my Mac OS perfect world? OneNote. I love OneNote.

So, if we can engage in some fantasy right now, here is my “perfect” toolbox if all of the applications in the world were cross platform:

  • OneNote
  • MindManager
  • PersonalBrain
  • OmniOutliner
  • Scrivener
  • Microsort Word (a necessary final destination)
  • OmniFocus (synching with Toodledo)
  • GotToDo on my Android phone

What do you think? How would you blend applications in perfect world?

 

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Published by Chris Eller

Christ Follower, Husband, Father, Pastor, Geek, Writer, Photographer.

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3 thoughts on “Scrivener + OneNote = Perfection”

  1. Hi Chris,

    Thanks for the follow on Twitter. It’s nice to meet you.

    Like you, I love Scrivener, Personal Brain, and OmniOutliner. For me, Pages is greatly superior to Word and exports files in Word format. Mac’s Keynote is also a great alternative to PowerPoint.

    Could you say a bit more about why OneNote is so much superior to you over Evernote? I’m curious.

    Thanks!
    Tara

    1. Tara –

      Thanks for the feedback. I am a little over a year into my adventures with a Mac, so I am learning a lot. Moreover, given that my work environment is 100 percent Windows, most of my work-related tasks are completed within a Windows environment.

      OneNote is a great tool for collecting and organizing. I use Evernote as a collection tool, but to be honest, I find it difficult to organize data using Evernote. The killer features Evernote provides include a great search engine, cross-platform, set-it-and-forget-it syncing, and the ability to e-mail directly into an Evernote Notebook. Beyond this, Evernote’s organizational abilities are limited to notebooks and tagging.

      With OneNote, I can highlight and tag at multiple levels. I can perform a “search and compile” that brings all of my notes and highlights into one simple summary page. I can hyperlink into any paragraph, page, section, or notebook. This is where OneNote shines.

      I use MindManager as my primary outlining tool within Windows. Right now, for example, I am collecting research for a literature review. All of my findings go into OneNote in the form of printouts of pdfs. OneNote performs a quick OCR of the pdf to make searchable and then I can read, highlight, tag, and organize within OneNote. As I begin to develop my outline in MindManager, I can create hyperlinks directly into the paragraphs within OneNote that I want to cite in my final article. (I use Zotero to manage my bibliography.)

      What I like about Scrivener is that it appears to give you access to all of these components (collecting, organizing, outlining, and writing) within one application. Unfortunately, I have not used Scrivener (yet) for any of my academic writing projects, only for more informal writing.

      By the way, I first connected with you through your GTD-Virtual Study Group. Excellent podcast!

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