Staying Organized as a Manager
When you’re responsible for several teams and a dozen people, the hardest part of a meeting isn’t the meeting itself— it’s remembering what you wanted to say, capturing what was said, and following up afterward. For me, staying organized became both a survival skill and an ongoing experiment.
Over the years, I tried different approaches: from minimalist note-taking to complex visual boards. Each came with strengths and pitfalls. This is a report of what I tried, how it worked, and what I’d recommend if you’re wrestling with the same challenges.
Markdown Notes: Simple and Flexible
My first attempt was simple markdown files in Obsidian and Typora. I created one doc per person I regularly met with, adding entries with timestamps, and separate docs for special topics.
- Pros: lightweight, distraction-free, searchable, and portable.
- Cons: too flexible, messy without discipline, poor overview, no collaboration.
Markdown shines for minimalists, but at scale it felt like herding cats.
Visual Boards in Miro
Later, I switched to Miro. I kept one private board for myself and shared boards with my directs.
- Pros: highly visual, collaboration-friendly, and flexible.
- Cons: clutter risk, slower to update, requires team adoption.
Miro worked best for overviews and transparency, though it sometimes felt like overkill for daily notes.
Confluence: Structured but Heavy
I also experimented with Confluence, trying to replicate personal notes and team boards.
- Pros: structured, integrated with Atlassian, searchable.
- Cons: heavy, not flexible, risk of outdated pages.
Great for official knowledge, less suited for the rapid pace of daily notes.
Pen and Paper: The Old Reliable
Despite all the software, pen and paper became a constant. A daily sheet with tasks kept me grounded.
- Pros: zero friction, physical satisfaction, always visible.
- Cons: not searchable, not shareable, no backup.
Paper works best as a daily companion alongside digital tools.
The lesson: no single tool solves everything. Different tools shine in different contexts. Use markdown or paper for daily tasks, Miro for collaboration and overview, Confluence for structured documentation.
Final Thoughts
Staying organized as a manager is less about tools and more about habits. Tools amplify good habits or get in the way of bad ones. My best meetings came from short, visible lists of what mattered most— whether scribbled on paper, in markdown, or mapped on a board.
If you’re struggling with meeting overload, experiment, mix analog with digital, and remember: the goal isn’t perfect notes. It’s freeing your mind so you can focus on your people.