If you are looking for a note-taking app that can help you get things done, look no further than Amplenote.
It’s a powerful and versatile app that combines four modes of thinking: jots, notes, tasks, and a calendar. There are very few apps that offer the same kind of functionality.
Here’s a look at what makes Amplenote a compelling app for note-takers.
What is Amplenote?
Amplenote is built around the concept of four apps that work together as one. The company refers to this as an idea execution funnel.
You capture ideas with Jots, and then refine and organize them with Notes. You create action items from your notes with Tasks, and schedule when those tasks should be completed with the Calendar tool.
It’s a workflow that many of us will be familiar with, but it normally needs three or even four apps to accomplish all of that. Amplenote gives you the ability to do all of this with just one app.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the components.
Mode 1: Jots
One of the most important habits for productivity is to capture your ideas and thoughts as soon as they occur. David Allen talks about this in some detail in his book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.
That’s what Jots is for. It’s an inbox for all your random thoughts, ideas, and things you would rather not forget. It’s organized by date, and you have a new daily Jot every day so that you can have some separation between the things that you choose to record here.
A jot can be converted into a full-fledged note or task later.
Mode 2: Notes
Notes let you connect and refine your ideas with rich formatting and linking. Amplenote lets you create beautiful notes with rich formatting options, such as headings, lists, tables, images, videos, and more.
You can also use Rich Footnotes to add extra information or context to any phrase in your note without cluttering the main text. Rich Footnotes can contain text, links, images, or even other notes.
One of the most powerful features of Amplenote is its ability to link notes together with bidirectional links. This means that you can create connections between your notes and see how they relate to each other. You can also use tags to organize your notes by topic or category.
Mode 3: Tasks
Of course, no productivity tool would be complete without tasks.
You can create tasks from any note by adding checkboxes or using hashtags like #todo or #urgent. Alternatively, you can just use the Task mode. You can assign due dates, reminders, recurrence patterns, and subtasks to your tasks to help you stay organized.
These are things you may come to expect from a task manager, but the one thing that makes Amplenote stand out from other task management apps is its Task Score feature.
Task Score is an algorithm that automatically ranks your tasks based on their urgency and importance using the Eisenhower Matrix. It helps solve the problem of deciding what to work on next; you just follow the Task Score suggestions.
The Task Score is calculated based on how long the task has been on your list, the priority level you gave it, the due date, and the amount of time you thought this task would take. Task scores are also color coded to help you find the ones you need at a glance.
Mode 4: Calendar
Plan and execute your day with drag-and-drop scheduling in the Calendar tool. In keeping with the idea execution funnel, you can drag-and-drop tasks from any note into your calendar view to schedule them for specific time slots.
Amplenote’s calendar view also shows you how much time you have spent on each task and how much time you have left for each day. This helps you track your progress and adjust your plans accordingly.
You can also sync your Amplenote calendar with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook Calendar to see all your events in one place.
Pricing and Availability
Amplenote is available on the web at amplenote.com. However, there is also a mobile app for Android and iOS. If you want to work offline, or in a standalone app, you can install the Amplenote PWA with Chrome or Brave. And there are web clippers for Firefox and Chrome.
The free plan is enough for most people to get started. However, if you intend to sync third-party calendars, get more themes, or publish your notes to the web, you will have to move to a paid plan. They start at $5.84/month.
Conclusion
I enjoyed using Amplenote. It’s s more than just a note-taking app; it’s a complete productivity system that helps you capture, organize, prioritize, schedule, and execute your ideas effectively.
If you can adapt or build your workflow around Amplenote, I can see how this would be a powerful app for increasing your productivity. I don’t know if I am ready to take that leap yet, but at the same time, I am endlessly curious about what that might look like.
I will continue to experiment with Amplenote, and I encourage you to do the same. Learn more at amplenote.com.
