It’s a great time to take the pain out of errands

See how one family made creative use of shared lists in OneNote

OneNote, a program in Microsoft Office, is a handy digital notebook you can use for text, pictures, digital handwriting, audio, and video recordings. One of the amazingly useful things it can do is let you make a single shopping list that everyone in your family can see, from any online PC or smartphone. And when a shared OneNote list is updated in one place, it’s updated everywhere, in real time. Everyone who sees the list will always see the latest version.

It’s easy! Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Create a get-to-it-from-anywhere list in OneNote

When you open OneNote on your home computer, click the File tab, choose Share, then choose Store Notebook On: Web to make the notebook available on your online SkyDrive account. SkyDrive is a free online service for storing and sharing documents. If you don’t have a SkyDrive account, you can set one up in minutes.

After you’ve created your SkyDrive-connected OneNote document, you never have to save or sync your changes. You’ll automatically have the latest version wherever you open your notebook: your home computer, your phone, or a remote PC.

To make a shopping list in OneNote, click anywhere on the page and start typing. Add a check box to an item with the To Do option in the Tags block at the top of the OneNote window (or use the Ctrl+1 keyboard shortcut).

A shopping list in OneNote with check boxes

2. Share your list on SkyDrive

To share your list on SkyDrive, create a new folder (just click the New folder link at the top of the SkyDrive browser window and follow the directions). Then click Share on the right side of the folder and type in the name of the person you want to share with. If that person is in your contact list, their name will pop up as soon as you start typing.

If you want, SkyDrive will also send that person an email from you to tell them the list is available.

Sending email to people you share files with

3. Update your list from anywhere

OneNote keeps your family on the same page, literally. So if you update your shared shopping list from your home computer while your spouse is shopping, they’ll see the new additions on their smartphone right away, highlighted with your initials next to them.

It works the other way, too: Make a change on your phone, and it will instantly show up on your home computer.

A shopping list in the OneNote mobile app

To find OneNote Mobile on a Windows Phone 7: On Start, flick left to the App list, and then tap Office and you'll see OneNote.

To find OneNote Mobile on an iPhone: Just search for "OneNote" in the App Store. More about OneNote on the iPhone.

And that’s all there is to it. You are now well on your way to staying connected like never before. It's a great time to be a family, and it all starts with Windows and a PC.

Availability of Windows Phone varies by country and region. Check here for local availability.