It’s a fitting day to write about Evernote and how it can help you start organizing your life in 30 minutes or less. Depending on which internet site you visit, today (or sometime the first half of this month) is National Clean Off Your Desk Day, or #CleanDeskDay.

Without a doubt, the one tool that lets me keep my desk clear, and especially from little bits of scrap paper, is Evernote. I’ve been singing Evernote’s praises for about two years. I mean, I don’t usually doodle hearts around a company logo! Today is the day you install it.

• Your 30-minute challenge today is to download Evernote on your computer (PC or MAC).
• Good, NOW download it on your smart phone or tablet (iPhone or Android)
• Excellent. NOW download it on your work computer, if you aren’t prohibited by a firewall.
• Now create these notes to get started:
  • Shopping list (non-food or food, but I would keep them separate)
  • To-Do
  • Gifts to buy
  • Books to read
  • Movies to see

• If you are working on a project or see a few notes that kind of go together, feel free to stack them to make your first notebook.

You’ll find that the more you use it, the more you’ll use it. Oh, did I mention it is free?  You can ante up for the paid subscription, but you may never need to. Even in the free version, you can type notes, clip items from the web, add pictures, and even voice memos to yourself (it’s the little icon that looks like a microphone).

And the Search capability inside the notes is excellent. You’ll find yourself searching for things and actually finding them.

Do NOT put banking info or passwords into Evernote. It is not bank-level security.

If you are a foodie, a doodler, or have a huge network, you can use some cool features like Evernote Food, Skitch, or Hello. It’s the PERFECT place to store all of those ideas and drafts of the book you’ve been writing for ages. It’s available via any device you have on you, so no more excuses!

This post is part of my 31 days of 30-minute Organizing Projects. Be sure to subscribe for daily emails with projects you can complete in just a few minutes to start your New Year off right.