4) Cool Tool: The Right “Grass-catcher” app

This one continues to be easy. I have yet to meet anyone who, upon having given Evernote a fair try, isn’t impressed. It’s fast, it’s synchronized (with every device you own), the notes are always available off-line, and it’s full-featured. Basically, think of it as a funnel into which you can throw all your ideas, goals, things to remember, notes, and everything else. On the other side, you can retrieve everything. It has been said that the spreadsheet application virtually CREATED the market single-handedly for the personal computer. Why? Because paper spreadsheets were made SO obsolete by computerized versions.

To me, Evernote is another one of those apps.

http://www.evernote.com

Having said that, when you’re on an international trip, I still suggest we carry a thin notebook & a pen, and write everything down. We all need to get in the habit of making diligent and accurate notes. The notebook has to be thin enough to stick in your shirt pocket or hip pocket, so you always have it with you. Do a section for finances. Write down every expense, make note of every currency exchange, including the commission and the exchange rate. Do another section for language learning. Jot down words you want to learn to say, words you can’t quite understand, whole text phrases you want to memorize, etc. Depending on the stage of your work, you might want other sections for interviews & cultural lessons, another for prayer requests & praises & devotional thoughts, another section for contacts & addresses & people with whom you’d like to follow up. Most of all, write down the ideas you want to share with folks back home. I know we can take notes on our digital devices, but sometimes, paper still wins.