Integrating digital tools for a more productive workspace is a natural response to how many tasks are completed online. At Innovative Publishing, many team members work remotely. Staying on top of things is a balancing act, and some like to use digital platforms to organize their goals. Here are some examples:
Liz
Our creative director, Liz, uses paper planners for day-to-day tasks, but she uses Obsidian as her “second brain” for notes.
“It syncs on all my devices, including my e-reader, and lets me have separate workspaces called ‘vaults’ for my personal interests and for work,” she said. “The graph view lets you manually connect topics, and it’s a cool visual for what you know and where there’s room for more learning. Everything is taggable and searchable.”
Bailey
Bailey, one of our graphic designers and social media coordinator, likes using Goodnotes on her iPad for “dummies,” which are mockups for publication layouts. “When I am laying out a publication, I love being able to easily move content around without wasting paper,” she said. “I also have a color code highlighting system to help me keep track of my progress on projects.
“I will always prefer physical notetaking, though I see value in the digital,” Bailey added, “especially when I know things can change multiple times, such as the dummies, I [would] rather use digital to keep organized. Items, like a to-do list, I [would] rather have on a physical piece of paper. It feels easier to keep track of, and the satisfaction of crossing off the task is better.”
Another one of her go-to tools is Procreate , an iPad drawing application, as it has an accessible interface for sketching. “In our industry, a quick and easy-to-use app is vital to keep our workflows smooth and seamless,” she said.
Jessica
Our senior writer, Jessica, mainly sticks to physical paper but uses email labels for planning. She tracks different industries’ e-newsletters through subscriptions and utilizes those e-news folders when creating an editorial plan for a client, saving topic ideas to her Notes app. She also uses her Google Calendar to keep track of deadlines, and a Google Sheet that lists all article assignments.
Jessica stressed the importance of a collaborative method. She suggested using Google Sheets with clients so ideas could be added — from both sides. “Clients are a lot more aware of [their] industry than I am,” she said. “It could be a place where clients add in relevant legislation, too.”
Vallen
One of our editorial project coordinators, Vallen, finds that physical notes are good for efficiency. “Taking notes keeps me sane! I like to keep short notes on exactly where I am in each project, who it’s with (if not me) and what [the] next steps will be.”
She has a system for staying organized. “I used to use physical notebooks all the time, but now it’s become something I break out during busy seasons when I need a more detailed approach. I like to use Post-it notes: one for each project and with varying colors depending on where they are in the process.”
Vallen prefers digital tools, so her notes are easy to access anywhere. She sticks to her work apps rather than overloading with multiple windows. “I love using direct messages to myself to jot down random thoughts — the best thing is that I can easily set a reminder on them in Slack so that I don’t forget to come back to them!”
Clint
Clint, part of the business development team, said he prefers digital notetaking to organize his goals, recap his day and “set the tone” for the week ahead.
“I love physical notes, don’t get me wrong,” he said. “However, I transitioned myself to digital notes to stay more organized and fluid. I use a trusty app to keep my notes all in one place on my tablet.”
Clint mainly uses the app Notability for its cloud services, folders and how you can make notes or write directly on top of documents. “I like that I can use a different color to write at the tap of my Apple Pencil on my iPad.”
Riley
Riley, one of our sales consultants, likes digital tools for monitoring several companies, contacts and publications. She uses spreadsheets and customer records to prioritize and compare sales opportunities.
“For me, digital notetaking is a lifesaver!” she said. “It helps me keep track of all sorts of stuff, like advertising campaigns, publication deadlines, client conversations, follow-up dates and even ideas for future outreach. Since I work with multiple association publications at once, having searchable notes is a gamechanger. It allows me to quickly remember where a conversation left off and what’s most important to each advertiser.”
But she considers herself to be a hybrid person. “I don’t rely solely on digital. I also use a physical notebook, especially for daily planning. I like writing out my priority calls, immediate follow-ups and important deadlines. Putting things on paper helps me stay focused on what needs to be done that day without getting distracted by everything else on my screen.”
Diving Deeper into the Second Brain
In a previous blog post, we briefly explained the concept of a “Second Brain.” It’s a process that offers a landing pad for random thoughts and ideas. We’re inundated with information every day, and this can lead to distractions. The Second Brain acts as an assistant.
Here’s how you can curate a Second Brain:
- Decide how to capture ideas: You can set up voice notes to dictate your ideas or highlight notes in reading materials that sync to a platform.
- Examine your concepts: Some platforms can have separate pages for multiple projects, like tabs in a physical notebook. Reuse past ideas and rework them for different endeavors.
Brittany Caldwell is an Editorial Assistant at Innovative Publishing. She can be reached at brittanyc@innovativepublishing.com.
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