A Tour of My OneNote Work Productivity System

Summary

This video outlines the creator's digital productivity system, which transitioned from a paper-based to a OneNote-based system in 2022. The system includes a comprehensive 2023 notebook with interlinked sections for daily, weekly, and monthly planning, as well as a project and feature management system. It emphasizes daily task logging, end-of-day task assignment for the next day, and the use of templates for streamlined project and feature tracking. The system's searchability and the availability of a Bare Bones notebook for purchase are highlighted as key features.

Takeaways

• 📓 The speaker transitioned to a digital productivity system in OneNote after facing issues with their paper-based system.
• 🗓 They use a base notebook with a year calendar, week pages, and individual day pages for a comprehensive view of their schedule.
• 🔗 The notebook is well-organized with interlinked pages for easy navigation between different time frames.
• 📅 The week page provides a weekly overview, including meetings and tasks to follow up on.
• 📝 Daily pages include appointments, tasks, and links back to the calendar and month for context.
• 📈 The speaker maintains a log of tasks with start times, projects, and billing codes for client work.
• 📑 Projects are categorized with features and contacts, allowing for detailed tracking of work progress.
• 🔗 Features are linked back to their respective projects, providing a clear hierarchy of work.
• 📋 The use of templates in OneNote streamlines the process of adding new projects and features.
• 🔍 The digital system is searchable, enabling quick retrieval of information across the notebook.
• 🛍️ The speaker offers a 'Bare Bones' notebook template for purchase on their website for those interested in a similar setup.

Q & A

What prompted the speaker to change their productivity system in the fall of 2022?

The speaker changed their productivity system due to shortcomings in their paper-based system, particularly trouble finding information spread over five notebooks and difficulties with cross-annotating.

Why did the speaker choose OneNote as their new productivity tool?

The speaker chose OneNote because it was available at their client site, their own company, and at home, allowing for consistent access and use.

How is the speaker's 2023 notebook structured in OneNote?

The 2023 notebook has a section for a year calendar with links to individual days and an overall week page, separate tabs for each month containing month calendar pages, week pages, and day pages, all interlinked.

What does the speaker's week page in OneNote include?

The week page includes all the speaker's meetings, a follow-up item, and their on-call schedule for the upcoming weekend.

How does the speaker plan their daily tasks in OneNote?

The speaker lists their appointments and tasks on the day page, ensuring that at the end of each workday, they note down the first thing they need to tackle the next day to save mental effort.

What is the purpose of the speaker's daily log?

The daily log is a simple and straightforward record of the tasks started, the project they relate to, and the time spent on each, which is also used for billing purposes.

How does the speaker organize their projects in OneNote?

The speaker has a tab for projects, with each project having a tilde or squiggly in front of the name for easy sorting, and containing internal contacts, design notes, and a list of features.

What is the relationship between projects and features in the speaker's system?

Projects are overarching and may contain many different features. Features are more tied to the software release schedule and are the smaller chunks of work within a project.

How does the speaker use templates to stay organized in OneNote?

The speaker has a section of templates including daily, weekly, project, and feature templates that can be quickly used without having to manually set up each page.

What is the speaker's method for linking pages in OneNote?

The speaker uses the link button to connect pages and can also use a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+K) to type the name of the page they want to link to, making the process easier.

How does the speaker's system help with searchability?

The system is entirely searchable, allowing the speaker to quickly find all instances of a topic, such as 'SSN', by simply typing it into the search function.

Is the speaker's notebook setup available for purchase, and where can it be found?

Yes, the speaker's Bare Bones notebook setup is available for purchase at Laura Earnest's shop, which can be found at lauraearnest.com/shop.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Transition to a Digital Productivity System

The speaker introduces their current work productivity system, explaining the switch from a paper-based system to OneNote in the fall of 2022 due to difficulties in information retrieval. The digital system is highlighted for its accessibility across different sites and its interlinked structure, which includes a year calendar, monthly tabs, weekly pages, and daily pages. The speaker emphasizes the importance of planning tasks for the next day to streamline workflow and mentions the use of a daily log for tracking tasks and billing codes.

05:12

🔗 Organizing Projects and Features with OneNote

This paragraph delves into the organization of projects and features within OneNote. Projects are described as overarching entities with multiple features, each tied to a software release schedule. The speaker discusses the use of internal contacts, design notes, and task lists within projects. They also explain the process of updating tasks at the end of the day and the utility of templates for quick project and feature creation. Linking and keyboard shortcuts are mentioned as features that facilitate easy navigation and organization within the notebook.

Keywords

💡Work Productivity System

A work productivity system is a set of methods and tools designed to improve efficiency and effectiveness in completing tasks. In the video, the creator describes transitioning from a paper-based system to using OneNote, which is a digital solution that helps in organizing and accessing information more easily. The system includes various elements like a year calendar, monthly tabs, and daily pages, all interlinked for seamless navigation.

💡OneNote

OneNote is a digital note-taking application that allows users to type, write, draw, and record notes. In the context of the video, the creator chose OneNote for its availability across different platforms and its capability to centralize information, which was a challenge with the previous paper-based system. It serves as the foundation for the creator's digital work productivity system.

💡Interlinked

Interlinked refers to the connection between different elements in a system, allowing for easy navigation and reference. In the video, the creator mentions that the year calendar, month tabs, and day pages are interlinked, meaning they are all connected and can be accessed from one another, enhancing the productivity system's usability.

💡Week Page

A week page is a part of the productivity system where the creator organizes and views their tasks and appointments for a week. It is designed to provide an overview of upcoming commitments and helps in planning and prioritizing tasks. The video script mentions that the week page starts on January 1st and includes all meetings and follow-up items, such as checking marketing data.

💡On-Call Schedule

The on-call schedule is a component of the productivity system that informs the creator when they are required to be available for work outside of regular hours. In the script, it is mentioned that the creator checks the on-call schedule to know when they are on call for the upcoming weekend, which is crucial for planning and work-life balance.

💡Daily Log

A daily log is a record of activities performed throughout the day, including tasks started and completed. In the video, the creator writes a simple and straightforward log that includes the time a task started, the project it relates to, and a list of everything done. This log is essential for tracking daily progress and for billing purposes.

💡Billing Codes

Billing codes are identifiers used to categorize and track work for billing purposes. In the context of the video, the creator uses billing codes to submit a timesheet every week for multiple projects. This system helps in organizing work hours and ensuring accurate billing for the client.

💡Projects and Features

Projects and features are organizational units within the productivity system that help manage work. Projects are overarching tasks that may contain multiple features, which are more specific and tied to the software release schedule. In the script, the creator uses these concepts to organize contacts, design notes, and tasks, making it easier to manage complex work structures.

💡Templates

Templates in the productivity system are pre-designed formats that can be used to quickly create new pages or sections without having to manually set up each time. The video mentions daily, weekly, and project templates that the creator uses to streamline the process of adding new projects and features, saving time and maintaining consistency.

💡Linking

Linking in OneNote refers to creating connections between different pages or sections, allowing for easy reference and navigation. The video script describes how the creator uses linking to connect projects, features, and tasks, making the system more cohesive and easier to navigate.

💡Searchability

Searchability is the ability to quickly find information within a system. The creator emphasizes that their digital notebook is entirely searchable, which is a significant advantage over the paper-based system. For example, searching for 'SSN' allows the creator to find all instances where the Social Security Number issue was worked on, demonstrating the efficiency of digital organization.

Highlights

Introduction to a video about the creator's current work productivity system.

Switch to OneNote in fall 2022 due to shortcomings in the paper-based system.

Difficulty in finding information spread across five notebooks without cross-annotation.

Use of OneNote for accessibility across client site, own company, and home.

Description of the base notebook and the 2023 notebook setup.

Interlinked structure of year calendar, week pages, and day pages.

Weekly view preference for an overview of upcoming tasks and meetings.

On-call schedule integration within the weekly view.

Daily task listing and prioritization for the next working day.

Simple and straightforward daily log with time and project details.

Billing column usage for weekly timesheet submissions.

Project tab setup with main projects, features, and internal contacts.

Linking of features to projects for task organization and tracking.

End-of-day task review and organization for ongoing project lists.

Utilization of templates for quick project and feature setup.

Linking pages within OneNote using buttons and keyboard shortcuts.

Meeting notes organization by month with DOT grid for handwritten notes.

Entirely searchable notebook for quick retrieval of past work.

Availability of the productivity notebook template in the creator's shop.

Upcoming video teaser for tips and tricks on using the notebook setup.

Transcripts

hi welcome to a video about my current

work productivity system I decided to do

this in a video format rather than words

just because I think it will be easier

for you to understand how I have this

working

I changed to the system in the fall of

2022 after some shortcomings in my

paper-based system became glaringly

obvious most specifically I was having

trouble finding information that I

recorded this was partly because

information is spread over five

notebooks but also because I'm not

really good about cross-annotating

things

so I decided to move to OneNote and that

decision was prompted mainly because I

have one note available at my client

site at my own company and at home

so this is the base notebook that I have

that I work from and this is my 2023

notebook I have a section for a year

calendar that links not only to the

individual days but to an overall week

page

I have a separate tab for each month

which contains the month calendar Pages

for the week and then Pages for the days

so all of this is interlinked and if I

want to if I come into a day I first

will go to the week page now I like to

see things as a weak format so that I

can see what's coming at me this isn't

the first week in January it starts on

January 1st and it goes until January

7th and you can see I have all my

meetings in here along with the one item

that I need to follow up on which is

checking on the marketing data on

Wednesday

I also have my on-call schedule in here

so that I know I am on call next weekend

from here I can go to the individual day

page the day page has links back to the

calendar and the month and I list my

appointments and then any tasks now the

tasks are not assigned necessarily on

the day that I am working I always make

sure that at the end of the work day I

put down in my next working day the

thing that I need to tackle first this

saves me a whole lot of thinking and

remembering at a time when my mental

agility is probably not at its peak

during the day I write a log this log is

very simple and straightforward it has

the time that I start the task and then

the project now my billing column I use

for billing the client I have to submit

a timesheet every week and I bill three

or four different projects every week so

I make sure that I have my billing codes

in there

and then I just list out everything that

I did

now this is good as far as a daily sheet

but if I want to know what's going on I

have to go to my projects so I have a

tab for projects here my main projects

always have this little tilde or

squiggly in front of the name because I

can sort them

alphabetically and the projects will

float to the top in the work that I do

projects are made up of features and

projects are kind of an overarching

thing that may have many different

features features are more tied to the

software release schedule

so in my project I have the contacts

these are internal contacts so

um I didn't list email addresses but if

they were vendors I would have their

email addresses in here as well and then

I list the features this is also a space

for design notes and log things that do

not necessarily fall into the features

so from here I can go to my features and

this is a very small chunk of work and I

have a link back to the project telling

me what it is

and then I also list the tasks now I

don't do this during the day I do it at

the end of the day I will use this and I

will copy all of my items

and then go over to here and then just

paste it in and then move the items back

into the list so I have a running list

of what I did on every project takes me

about five minutes to backlink all of

that stuff and it's very helpful

one of the things that I use to keep me

on track here is templates and I do have

a section of templates in here I have a

daily a weekly dot grid for plain notes

a project template that you just saw in

my feature template

and I can keep these available so that I

can quickly use

project and features straight from here

without having to do anything gymnastic

like

so if I want to add another project I

just come in and I add a project

foreign

it's very easy to link things together

you can do it using the link button and

I can go in here and say that okay this

is my project it is Project sample and

it will link there and I can go there

now this it's even easier you can do it

using a keyboard shortcut with Ctrl K

and then you can just start typing the

name of the

page that you want to link to and it

will do everything for you

so this is my main work notebook it's

done everything I've needed to do if I

have meeting notes I will generally put

them in the month that they occur I'll

use a DOT grid and just add it to the

bottom and just start typing notes in

there or using my tablet to handwrite

things

I find that this is working really well

as far as keeping me on track and it is

entirely searchable

so for instance if I wanted to know all

the places that I worked on the Social

Security Number issue I could just type

in SSN

and I can see that I worked on it as

part of the credit card application

rewrite on January 3rd

so this notebook I've put together I do

have this available in my shop if you

are interested in purchasing it it's a

Bare Bones notebook it has all of the

days for 2023 laid out you can set your

own templates and go from there and to

find that it's Laura earnest.com forward

slash shop

in my next video I will show you some

tips and tricks that I picked up while

putting together this notebook that made

it much easier than having to click and

type for every single page out there

thanks for watching