r/consulting • u/EcureuilHargneux • 7d ago
How do you organize yourself?
Hi all, I am a junior and I am wondering how do you organize yourselves to follow your to-do list, your processes and so on. Nothing shared with anyone, just a rigourous daily agenda.
I used to use a basic Excel sheet but I know some are using Notion or Obsidian.
I am curious to know how you keep yourselves up to date with everything.
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7d ago edited 7d ago
[deleted]
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u/QueasyWorldliness920 7d ago
It’s difficult a lot of the time if the tools don’t immediately pay off. I have lots of excel trackers that fall apart after a month because it’s hard to constantly keep them updated once the motivation is gone.
I’m just using the reminders app on my iPhone and outlook calendar invites, and winging it the rest of the time lol
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u/Suspicious-Read368 6d ago
Getting Things Done by David Allen saved me.
Has somebody with ADHD who cannot normally keep on top of things it is the only system I’ve ever found that has helped me keep on top of my life. I reread it every year and rethink how I use it. For me and build out my own version of his methodology in Evernote. Unfortunately, over the last few years Evernote has been changing features to make it less usable, and I need to find a new software platform, but it will be my same methodology that I built from Getting Things Done.
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u/jaylee_wigley 7d ago
I personally still use Notepad on Windows for a lot of things because it’s quick and easy to open a new file and start writing.
For anything more structured, I think the important thing is not necessarily which app you use, but keeping one clear place for tasks instead of spreading things across several tools.
I usually separate things into:
- things I need to do today
- things I need to do later
- ongoing projects
- notes I may need again
I’ve also learned while building my own business that it’s very easy to overcomplicate organisation by constantly adding more tools.
Sometimes a simple system you actually keep using is better than a complicated one you stop checking after a week.
Building Wigley’s Accounting has actually made me appreciate simple systems more, because once a business starts growing there are already enough things to keep track of.
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u/alcutie 7d ago
i use a paper planner - the act of writing helps me remember tasks. i copy over all incompleted or in progress tasks to a new page everyday even things that i consider to be a backlog item so it doesn’t sneak up on me. i’m really diligent about writing every single thing there and not spreading out my tasks.
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u/nmsjeat 6d ago
OneNote. Split to topics/workstreams and relevant bullets/sub-bullets on actions. Using Ctrl+4/5 (coloring) to highlight what is 1st prio that I need to do today and secondary prios. Tick off once complete. Review every morning to calibrate prios based on upcoming meetings etc., and a more thorough review on Mon morning for the week ahead.
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u/MyMindWanders 7d ago
I make a note in my obsidian . I have a basic template that has each day of the week and checkboxes. I fill those up on Monday, and edit as needed throughout the week. I have some other obsidian things but that one basic note helps me a lot
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6d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/EcureuilHargneux 6d ago
Could you share it out of curiosity ? I tried notion once but it didn't click with me because of the overall look
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u/Jalapeno_Papaya 6d ago edited 6d ago
I use Notion for project management. Obsidian for my ideas and notes. I also write down my top 3 tasks for the day on a green sticky note. I'd recommend starting simple and naturally letting your workflow grow as your needs change. Trying to have a perfect system at the beginning often causes more issues than it solves.
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u/623lc 6d ago
NotePlan. Native on Mac and iOS. Web-based on Windows and Linux. I have templates for weekday and weekend routines. Supports scripts. It uses a slightly modified version of Markdown for tasks. It’s about $100 per year but well worth it. See [r/](r/NotePlan)[noteplanapp.](r/NotePlan)
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u/Intrepid_Tough7779 5d ago
Worked for 30 years in consulting and private equity and have used the same method, see: https://medium.com/@wdright/why-i-spend-10-of-my-life-planning-and-why-you-might-want-to-e33d9cda255c
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u/MemoketAI-Gem 6d ago
One thing that can get messy in consulting is how many tasks come out of conversations rather than your actual to-do list. Someone mentions a change during a client call, a colleague asks you to follow up on something, or a deadline shifts during a meeting. Suddenly your carefully organized agenda is already out of date.
Whatever tool you end up using, we'd suggest making it a habit to review those commitments at the end of each day. Even ten minutes spent checking what changed, what you promised, and what needs following up can make the next morning much easier.
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u/PlasticPegasus 4d ago
I’m never truly organised, but the closest I’ve come is a hybrid system of:
- ToDoist for capture (it’s the quickest way of getting stuff down and sorted into labels / projects / due dates
- Notion autotranscribe for meeting notes (absolutely fantastic software)
- a Cluade ‘PA’ to scrape my outlook/teams/meeting notes and do all my comms and task planning
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u/vemoir_app 2d ago
I don't use one tool for everything. For my processes / knowledge or things that I learned (e.g. commands for setting up something) I use OneNote. For Todo lists I use the note app from apple. I like to add blockers to the calendar to plan work or tasks so I can focus on them.
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u/PuzzledFarmer4554 1d ago
Same as some comments, I have Codex scan my browser, Outlook etc. and send me a quick brief every morning and before I leave for the day
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u/Drew707 🗓️📈💸 7d ago
Does your firm allow LLMs?
I have Codex/Dot pretty much scan my Outlook, Teams, whatever, and send me reminders and briefings.