I love all things Google, but there is one Google tool that I use every single day. Every. Single. Day. And that tool is Google Keep. Google Keep is a digital note-taking device that works across all of your digital devices for quick and easy access. Users create sticky notes to create to-do lists, set reminders, record voice notes, and even work collaboratively with others. And these sticky notes can be arranged, formatted and designed on a colorful digital board to brighten your day while also being productive.
Here is a glimpse of my Google Keep at one moment in time:
I use Google Keep for MANY reasons. Here are a few that
matter most to my coaching:
I create my daily to-do lists to prioritize what matters
most throughout the week. I now prefer daily lists over weekly because they
feel shorter and more manageable. I color code them to bring a bit of
brightness to them, too. It matters. Here are my current daily lists at this
very moment:
I also create a Radar List for to-do list items that I know
are looming ahead of me and I want to start thinking about. On this sticky
note, I note upcoming events that do not need my immediate attention, but I
know I’ll need to start things about them soon.
I curate ideas and resources that I want to remember, share
or use in my coaching. At first, I created one note with all my go-to sites,
but now, I create multiple notes around a common theme: reading, writing, professional
learning, coaching and more. By keeping them on a note, I can easily share them
with others, too.
I collaborate on shared notes to connect with teachers. I
learned this lesson from my oldest son. I was working and suddenly, "Buy
Me Pencils" appeared on a colorful note.
He realized the power of Google Keep collaboration long before I did!
After creating a note, I can easily invite someone to collaborate on it with me
to share resources, ask questions or just stay connected. You’ll find one of my
collaborative notes with Kris McGee below. We use it to share notes, add agenda
items to a virtual session and just say hello. =)
Once you start creating multiple notes, you’ll likely want
to organize them with tags. I organize my notes by grouping them together: To
Do Lists, Teaching, Professional Development, Collaborations, Classroom
Coaching and more. This makes it easy to find the notes I need when I need
them, rather than scrolling through them all and becoming distracted.
I also make use of color and images to brighten my Google
Keep and offer a sense of creativity and happiness, even amidst my to-do lists.
My colors are random, but you can assign certain colors to certain notes and
labels, if you like. And if you want to go even farther, add images to your
notes, too! Kasey Bell from Shake Up Learning offers step-by-step guidance and
some examples I know you’ll love.
So, how will you get started with Google Keep? Share your
comments below and feel free to add a screenshot of your Google Keep page below
for all of us to learn from!
Do you like this coaching sketchnote? Gain access to over 75 other coaching sketchnotes and sketchtivities in my FREE Coaching Sketchnote Book! Just enter your email to be added to my email list and join in!
Add your comment