I've been thinking about trying that hybrid approach myself, but I'm curious—doesn't snapping photos of handwritten notes get messy after a while? Like, how do you keep things organized and searchable when they're just images? Do apps like Evernote or OneNote actually read your handwriting, or do you have to manually tag everything...? Seems like it could get tricky if your handwriting isn't exactly neat (like mine, lol).
Yeah, totally get what you're saying about the handwriting issue—mine looks like chicken scratch half the time. Evernote and OneNote do have handwriting recognition, and honestly, it's pretty decent... but it's definitely not perfect. If your writing is messy (like mine), you'll probably end up manually tagging or at least typing out a short summary to make it searchable later. I've found it's worth taking an extra minute to jot down a couple keywords digitally right after snapping the photo—saves a headache later on.
"I've found it's worth taking an extra minute to jot down a couple keywords digitally right after snapping the photo—saves a headache later on."
Totally agree with this. I've also started using apps like CamScanner or Adobe Scan because they automatically optimize images and let you add quick notes or tags right after scanning. Plus, they sync easily to cloud storage, so everything stays organized without much hassle. Definitely beats trying to decipher my scribbles weeks later when I'm double-checking payments or contractor invoices...
I've tried CamScanner before, and it's decent, but honestly, I found it a bit clunky for quick notes. Maybe it's just me, but when I'm on-site juggling a dozen things, simpler is better. Lately, I've been snapping photos directly into Evernote because it lets me quickly type in a few words or tag the image right away. Plus, the search function is pretty solid—even picks up text from handwritten notes or signs in the photos themselves.
One thing I'm still struggling with though is keeping track of partial payments or draws against the loan. Photos and quick notes help, but sometimes I need to reference back to earlier payments or invoices quickly, and scrolling through images isn't always ideal. Does anyone have a good system or app recommendation specifically for tracking partial payments and draws? Something straightforward that doesn't require a ton of setup would be great.
"Photos and quick notes help, but sometimes I need to reference back to earlier payments or invoices quickly, and scrolling through images isn't always ideal."
I completely relate to this issue—photos are handy, but not always practical for tracking payments. Have you considered a simple spreadsheet app like Google Sheets? You can quickly log partial payments, dates, and notes right from your phone. I've found that having a straightforward table format makes referencing past payments much quicker than sifting through images or notes. It requires minimal setup and syncs across devices seamlessly...might be worth a shot?
