MBN Payment Systems: Evernote is a program that takes notes and it won'...

MBN Payment Systems: Evernote is a program that takes notes and it won'...: Evernote is a program that takes notes and it won't cost you a penny. Just to be clear, I don't get a penny for plugging Evernote. I've be...

Evernote is a program that takes notes and it won't cost you a penny.

Just to be clear, I don't get a penny for plugging Evernote. I've been using it for 6 months now and I can't do without it. I think it is a great program and can be essential to every retailer, restaurant owner, student, and anyone else using a computer. It's just great.

(By the way, Cash Register Express and Restaurant Pro Express are my favorite programs. Evernote is my favorite software program not developed by pcAmerica.)

Evernote is a note taking software program. That doesn't sound so great, but read on.

My life (and the life of business owners, managers, students, politicians, and just about everyone else) is pretty complicated. On a daily basis, I need to remember just too many things. I'm always hearing good ideas for future articles. I need to keep and retain information related to various family medical problems and insurance policies. I need to remember information related to various appointments that I have made. Students need to remember lots of information related to the courses they are taking in school. We all need to remember what needs to be picked up at the supermarket. Do you remember that stock pick you just heard over the radio? How about those promises you made to various different customers? Did you forget to order that special product your customer wanted? Did you order extra restaurant food for the large party coming in next Wednesday evening?

OK. You get it. Our heads are filled with all types of miscellaneous information.

Evernote can help organize your entire life.

With Evernote, you can add, edit, delete and organize everything that you need to remember.

Let's say you have a customer named Alice Smith who enters your business. Alice is looking for a specific type of kitchen table that she wants to purchase for her house.

You can place this information on a piece of paper that you will inevitably lose. Or you can use Evernote to help you organize this specific task.

Make a note called Alice Smith. Under this note, you can add Alice's contact information and more information related to her needs. Later, when you are home and have more time, you can go back to this note and surf catalogs or the Internet for photos and prices of tables that may satisfy Alice's needs. You can add photos, Internet links, and an infinite amount of quick notes related to your project. When Alice enters your store next week, you can access the project (or Alice's Note Area), and you have all the information at your fingertips including links and photos.

Evernote can take care and organize all of your notes. You can add documents, photos, and other information to your notes. You can format your notes in a manner that you can eventually cut and paste into another document. You can import and export all sorts of files.

Now here is what makes Evernote so great.

All of your notes are stored in the Cloud. You can access your notes at home, at your office, at a hotel, or anywhere else with access to a computer. All you need is your user name and password.

You don't need Internet Access to use Evernote. You can optionally add a small program to your computer. This program let's you use Evernote without any access to the Internet. Once you have Internet access, Evernotewill automatically synchronize your computer with the files that Evernote stores in the Cloud.

All of your computers are always synchronized. If you add some notes at your business, those notes are synchronized with your Evernote account in the Cloud. When you turn on your computer at home, those notes automatically get synchronized with the information in the Cloud.

In other words, no matter where you are, you can useEvernote and your files are automatically transferred to your work computer, home computer, laptop, or any other computer.

It gets better. Do you use an iPad? Any other tablet device? A Blackberry? Other types of cell phones?

  

Evernote works with and Synch's with almost any type of device (computer, laptop, iPad, phones, tablets).

I haven't even begun to tell you about all of Evernote'sfeatures. You need to try it.

Evernote won't cost you a penny for storing up to 60 MB's of information in the Cloud. The premium version will cost you $45 per year and will give you a full GB of information transfers per month plus some additional features. I'm happy with my no cost version and don't believe I'll ever have to update to the premium version. However, I'd gladly pay $45 per year for what I am getting at no cost (but don't tell the Evernote people).

Evernote has become my favorite free program. It is great for every retailer, anyone who works, anyone who doesn't work, and can really help students to organize their tasks and studying.

Here's a little advice to new Evernote users. It does an awful lot of things. Start by using it for notes. The more you use it, the more you will find it to be indispensable. Lots of online help is available to learn all of its features. Take your time digesting all of the features. Just start by taking and organizing some notes.

MBN Payment Systems: Energy bars are supposed to provide a quick-yet-nu...

MBN Payment Systems: Energy bars are supposed to provide a quick-yet-nu...: Energy bars are supposed to provide a quick-yet-nutritious boost. But while certain bars are tasty and good for you, others are unp...

Energy bars are supposed to provide a quick-yet-nutritious boost. But while certain bars are tasty and good for you, others are unpleasant to eat or not healthful.

Some contain more calories than we really need—often upward of 300. Many have excessive sugars—anything above 15 grams is too much.

You’ll find heavily processed and artificial ingredients in some, including aspartame, soy protein isolates, whey concentrate, isoflavones, hydrolyzed collagen and hydrolyzed gelatin, which don’t deliver as much nutritional value as unprocessed and natural ingredients.

The most healthful and delicious energy bars, all of which generally cost between $1.40 and $3 per bar…

BEST HIGH-FIBER BAR: Gnu Bar. One bar has 12 grams of fiber—almost half of our daily fiber needs. Unlike many high-fiber snacks, it doesn’t have a “cardboardy” consistency. Gnu is among the lowest-calorie full-size energy bars on the market—130 to 140 calories per bar. www.GnuFoods.com

Drawbacks: Going from a low-fiber diet directly to a high-fiber diet can cause digestive distress. Start with just half a Gnu Bar a day if you do not currently eat many high-fiber foods.

BEST MEAL-REPLACEMENT BAR: ProBar. These taste great, and they’re made from healthful ingredients such as dried fruits, nuts, seeds and rolled grains. At 370 to 390 calories, they’re much too filling for a snack, but they occasionally can replace part of breakfast or lunch when you are in a hurry. www.TheProBar.com

Downside: ProBar’s eight to 12 grams of protein are low for a full meal. If possible, supplement a ProBar with a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt.

BEST PRE- OR POSTWORKOUT BAR: Picky Bar. This has the ideal ratio of carbs to protein—4:1—to prepare the body for a strenuous workout or help it recover.www.PickyBars.com

Downside: Picky Bar’s 22 to 23 grams of sugar are acceptable before or after a workout—our bodies consume simple sugars when we exercise—but excessive at other times.

BEST ENERGY BAR THAT TASTES LIKE DESSERT: Kookie Karma. A cross between a cookie and a bar, this round-shaped snack is made from healthful ingredients such as nuts, seeds and fruit. www.KookieKarma.com

Downside: Some varieties contain xylitol, a natural sugar alcohol that can cause gastrointestinal distress.

BEST SAVORY ENERGY BAR: SavoryBar. While most bars strive to taste like dessert, Savory Bar comes in grown-up flavors such as Rosemary, Sesame, Spicy and Everything (which features sesame, poppy, onion and garlic flavors). Savory Bars have a crunchy, crackerlike consistency. www.SheffaFoods.com

Downside: With just four grams of protein and only 140 to 150 calories, a Savory Bar might not be sufficient to tide you over until mealtime. Consider pairing one with a healthful protein such as cottage cheese.

BEST ENERGY BAR THAT’S VERY WIDELY AVAILABLE: Kind Bar. This simple, healthful, nut-based bar can be found in many convenience stores, supermarkets and Starbucks. With as much as seven grams of protein and five grams of fiber, and 10 to 13 grams of sugar for most varieties, it’s a healthier choice than other very widely distributed bars, including PowerBars, which have as much as 30 grams of sugar, and Luna Bars, which feature heavily processed ingredients such as soy protein isolates.www.KindSnacks.com

Source: Carolyn Brown, RD, a nutritionist and registered dietician with Foodtrainers, a private nutrition consulting company based in New York City. She holds a masters degree in clinical nutrition. www.FoodTrainers.net