Readers had a great threadjack on how to keep your notes organized — and it's been far too long since we've talked about this! What are your tips and tricks for keeping your notes organized, whether it's notes about job-related matters or personal issues like healthcare? Do you use one system for work matters, and one system for personal issues?

For my $.02…

How I've Always Kept My Work-Related Notes Organized

Nothing I've found since has beaten the system I came up with when I was a lawyer working for a BigLaw firm… as I noted back in my post on how to organize your office:

I would keep one “general” folder with all of my initial notes from prior pleadings and general strategy notes, and then I'd start a new folder for each major assignment I was tasked with (memo, research, portion of a brief, whatever).

I would keep the recent and active folders near my desk in a folder tower or stackable paper tray (where each case had its own little slot … and then move them to a filing drawer or redweld once the case was Really Truly Over, or once the assignment got stale enough and I needed more room closest to my desk. (Oh, and I love my Brother P-Touch label maker.)

For my $.02 on the to-do lists, I keep a number of them. I keep a Post-It with my immediate tasks for the day, and I start a clean Post-It for every meeting to record action items for me and others. I also keep a longer to-do list on a notepad that I update about once a week, and consult in the rare event that I finish all of my must-finish-tasks for the day. I also keep a running big-picture to-do list…

If you wanted to do this with less paper, my newer system (which I implement more poorly) involves just straight text notes in the default Notepad app that comes with Windows. I like it because it doesn't take any memory to detract from the 10,000 tabs I inevitably have open, and also because if I'm copying and pasting phrases from anywhere on the web, then the Notepad app strips all formatting so it's plain text. Then I move it to a folder on whatever topic I'm looking at, along with any Excel spreadsheets or other related notes.

How I Keep My Personal Notes Organized

I've always been a huge fan of Evernote for my personal notes. I like that I can just as easily share things to it via my iPhone or email, or on one of my computers, and it has historically been pretty easy to find what I'm looking for.

I wrote about this extensively over at CorporetteMoms because this really became a Thing for me once I was juggling a lot of family-related notes… Each family member has their own big Notebook, with smaller folders for known issues that we're watching or researching. (I have a default folder called “aaToFile” in each notebook so I don't have to spend too much time thinking about where new items should go.)

Specifically, I keep these kinds of things in the family Evernote:

Articles (for me, mostly health-related research): I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve googled things regarding sleep hygiene, eczema, potty training issues, etc. — but now I send any interesting article with a link and sometimes even a quote to the relevant kid’s folder in Evernote. (One of my kiddos has a speech delay and some other sensory issues, and each of those issues have led me down a thousand rabbit holes on the internet.)

Facebook comment threads: If you're a parent and you’re like me, you’re in a lot of Facebook groups for mom-related things (for me, business-related things, too), where you can find some fabulous threads filled with advice and tips. I just expand the entire thread and send it to Evernote, with appropriate keywords, personal notes, or brief takeaways at the top of the note so I can immediately remember why I wanted to save it.

Notes from conversations, calls, teacher conferences, doctor’s appointments, insurance discussions, etc.: You know how sometimes you have a conversation with someone about your kiddo and then write an email to your partner (possibly your caregiver, too) to relay the information and get you both on the same page? I send that kind of thing to Evernote, and then I have everything in one place.

(Having one repository is important — when I forget to send information to Evernote, we're often wondering if we emailed it? texted it? printed something out? — and the information is frequently lost.)

{related: these are our best tips on digital journaling}

Readers' Tips to Keep Notes Organized

Readers had a threadjack about this very topic recently — some great suggestions included:

• I have one notebook where I number the pages and keep a table of contents, sort of like a bullet journal.
• I take notes in pre-punched 3-hole paper pads. When the pad is full, I take out the notes and put them in the appropriate binder (one for non-profit, one for personal finance, specific ones for work matters). Fast. Easy to take notes. Easy to reference notes once they are taken while issue is alive. Can be scanned later once the issue is closed and you want a permanent record. (Kat note — I did this for college and law school and can vouch for this being a great system; I'm trying to get my eldest son to implement this now that he's in middle school…)
• I use my iPad Notes for this. I have separate folders for each thing, work, nonprofit, home, personal goal planning, etc. Then I make individual notes inside those folders. E.g. for work, I have a note for each client name, and then any time I have a meeting or a call or strategy session, I add to that note. Since I can also use my iPad for email, texting, internet, watching Netflix, etc., it is more cost effective.
• I use a single notebook for everything. I put headers with subject and date when I’m on to a new topic.

Do tell, readers — what's your system? How do you keep track of information?

Some of our latest favorite books on productivity, below:

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It's been a while since we talked about general routines, and I thought it might be a fun open thread — what are your general routines during your workday? For example, what time do you arrive (whether that's to the office or virtually clocking in), what time do you actually start work, and when do you eat lunch? Do you try to schedule meetings for a certain time of day? What time do you leave work in general? (When you leave work, do you have routine times you check emails or otherwise do a status check?)

Of course, there's all the other fun weekday stuff as well: Do you have exercise classes or meetups that you consider part of your weekday routine? If you go out for lunch or dinner with friends, do you try to schedule a certain number of outings a week, go the same day every week, or anything like that?

In terms of personal care during the workday, if you have step goals, do you try to fit those in during the workday through routines or benchmarks (e.g., X steps by noon)? Hydration goals? Do you have a set time in your schedule for a snack or coffee break?

My General Workday Routine

My workday routine has been pretty similar regardless of my career or job. I'm one of those people who tries to get “me time” before work (whether it's exercise, meal prep, or whatever), so I tend to show up at the latest acceptable time to arrive at the office, ideally (for me) in the 9:00-10:00 range.

(That said, on days when I had a lot of work I would often get up at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m., work for a bit at home, then shower and exercise, and still roll in at my regular time…)

I'm never terribly productive in the late morning, though, so I don't usually get started with big thoughts until 11:00 a.m. or so at the earliest. I spend the time before that doing administrative tasks like reading and responding to emails, getting other things scheduled, or catching up on news (industry news if I'm being good).

I tend to prefer to eat lunch around 1:00 p.m., and in general I've always been one of those people who eats at my desk unless I'm meeting a friend, running an errand, or trying to get in more steps/movement.

It isn't in my head as a set routine, but I almost always get up around 3:45 or 4:00 to walk around a bit, get tea or a snack, and look at my remaining goals for the day.

Before I had kids, my sweet spot was to work pretty late — at one point I made the rule that I had to leave the office by 10:00 p.m. if there weren't any fires to put out. I would leave earlier sometimes for gym classes or dates or dinners with friends, of course, and sometimes just because I wanted to enjoy the weather or whatever.

(In fact, thinking back, I've always been that way — at my first unpaid internship at a magazine in New York City I was working late at the office, and slowly realized it was just me and a few of the guys from the business side who were playing pool. It was a loft-style office, so everything was pretty open. An older man walked over and asked me who I was and what I was doing there (gulp). He turned out to be the owner and publisher of the (very small) magazine, and was so impressed I was staying late he started paying me a small weekly amount. Score!)

In terms of checking in, I tend to do it as often as I think about it, but at this point in my life I also have alarms that go off on my phone to remind me to check and approve comments at regular intervals in case I get busy with other things.

Readers, how about you?

Stock photo via Deposit Photos / Syda Productions.

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I think most offices, at this point, have transitioned from their pandemic policies to whatever is next for the company policy — I know this can create a lot of flux! I'm curious: What is your ideal work location, if you could choose? What is your current work situation, and does it reflect your ideal?

Here are the questions:

• How has your company's policy changed, and do you think it's still in flux?
• Are you in the office all the time, or only some of the time?
• Do you still have your own office or cubicle, or are you hot-desking?
• If you're remote for some or all of the time, do you prefer to WFH — or somewhere else, like a coffee shop?
• (If you live with other people, how has their situation(s) affected yours?)
• What is your ideal work location, and are you seeking a new job because of it (seeking all remote work or all in-office work?)

I'd also wonder how seniority plays into this — I've seen a lot of chatter about how hard it is to teach new lawyers how to be lawyers remotely, for example.

As I noted back in early 2020, also, working from home doesn't necessarily mean working from your kitchen table. Some people prefer to go to coffee shops, libraries, or even hotel lobbies to get their work done. Having your own office, set up just for you, makes a huge difference also! Depending on your company policy, you could even become a digital nomad and live elsewhere in the country or world.

What is your ideal work location this year — office, WFH, remote, or hybrid?

Stock photo via Stencil.

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I've seen a lot of discussion lately in the comments about quiet quitting, disengaging from your career, and more — so I thought we'd discuss. What are your best tips on ways to stay engaged in your career? Why do you think it's important to stay engaged — or the flip side? Can you be engaged in your career and still have a work-life balance more heavily weighted towards life?

A question I'd be interested to hear some of the readers ponder: What are the best ways to stay engaged in your career when you're in a lockstep system like BigLaw, where everyone advances at the same rate and is paid the same?

{related: disengaging instead of quitting vs leaning out}

Why to Stay Engaged In Your Career

There are 168 hours in the week. If you have a strict 40-hour workweek and sleep for 7 hours a night, you're at work a full third of your time. I can tell you from experience: If you're not engaged, work is going to be a slog. Furthermore, it often feels like the main consequence of being disengaged is that you're unproductive, requiring more time at work.

In 2022 terms, this doesn't mean that quiet quitting or leaning out is bad — it feels like there is a huge movement that is reassessing what people want from their jobs, as well as what kind of work-life balance they prefer.

{related: how to set work-life boundaries}

Hopefully the below tips will be an on-ramp back to being engaged in your career and your job, regardless of whether you've been willfully disengaged for a while or if you find yourself disengaging by accident.

3 Ways to Stay Engaged In Your Career

Reengage with Your Career by Learning Something New

If you've been doing the same things at your job for a while now, mix things up by learning a new skill, an alternative way of doing things, or more niche facts. Some employers might keep lists of different skills (I know my old law firm did); you may also be able to look at your coworkers and classmates and see what things they've done that you just don't know about. Another option here: Find a conference or course you can take that is related to your current job.

• How to Keep Learning at Work
• The Best Online Women's Management Training
• Strategic Volunteering — Do You Do It?

Look for Complementary Career Paths

This kind of comes back to learning something new, as well as networking — there are probably a number of things you can do with your degree, job experience, skills, and interests — and it might be interesting to explore those. For example, a BigLaw lawyer might want to learn about smaller firms, in-house work, teaching, or transitioning to another job entirely for one of their legal clients. Don't forget about connecting with old classmates — it might be interesting to see where some have landed.

Some of our previous posts on this topic that might be of interest:

• Career Pivots: How to Change Your Career in a Major Way
• How to Build Your Network — And Maintain It
• Networking in Your Niche — But Outside Your Company
• Tips for Finding and Joining Professional Organizations

Tip #3 for Staying Engaged: Mentoring

If you're at the point where you want to disengage a bit, you've also probably reached the stage where you have some wisdom and can pass it along to someone else. It's as easy as asking a more junior coworker out to lunch — and note that it may even help you if you realize they have newer skills that you do not (tip #1) or if they're aware of different career paths you haven't considered.

• Mentoring Advice: How to Be a Great Mentor and Mentee

Readers, what do you think are the best ways to stay engaged in your career? Do the answers change if you're in a lockstep system like BigLaw? What do you think are the benefits to staying engaged?

{related: when to quit your career — and how to know if your job is right for you}

Stock photo via Stencil.

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A few weeks ago readers had a mini-discussion on how to make a hybrid work situation more efficient, which I think is a great topic for this day and age. Those of you who are in the office 2-4 days a week and allowed to work from home on other days, what are your best tips to making the hybrid work, work?

Here's the reader question:

For those of you who do a hybrid WFH situation, where you are in the office 2-3 days and home 2-3 days, do you have any tips for handling not being in the same place everyday? I really thrive on routine, and not having that makes me feel weird. I also have FOMO on what my coworkers get up to, and a brand new associate who I want to be available for. Maybe that’s ok and a hybrid thing isn’t for me, but I am really trying to wrap my head around what I know to be true – being able to work from home a couple days a week can be really great, if you make it great. And being gone a couple days a week isn’t really going to make me miss out on anything or harm my associate.

{related: our best tips for hot desking}

(First, a fun fact: as reported by the WSJ, a new study suggests that 2 in-office days a week, not 3, is the sweet spot for hybrid work.)

One reader noted the key to her success is a predictable schedule where she's WFH on certain, preplanned days. “It’s too stressful for my brain to have to consider options and reconsider options all the time. I also try to schedule meetings for the days I’m in the office. I haven’t yet figured out what to do with things like paper files and records, which are currently all at home.”

Another reader echoed her sentiments, noting

I think it’s ideal if you have predictable days in office, and use them differently-more meetings, mentoring, and small tasks/email in the office and then use home days for focused work on bigger projects.

{related: how to be a good remote worker}

Readers also noted that for supervisor/mentoring type roles you could do telephone check-ins regularly on WFH days so they know they don't need to save up their questions for formal meetings or in-the-office days.

Over at CorporetteMoms, we've rounded up advice from moms who work at home frequently, and one noted that she especially loves working from home on Thursday/Friday: “[I]t’s a nice way to start wrapping up the week, particularly when combined with ‘summer hours,’ (which run from the end of May—Sept.) that allow us to work only a half-day on Fridays.”

{related: 30 random work-from-home tips}

Similarly, when we've discussed how to make the most of face time at the office, we've shared tips such as visiting people's desks, cubicles or offices just to check in, as well as lingering after meetings and showing up for happy hour when you can. (This is probably the one downside for choosing Friday as your WFH day!)

We've also rounded up mistakes to avoid when working from home over at CorporetteMoms, in part inspired by reader threads here on Corporette about things people hate about WFH culture — one of the biggest mistakes people make personally is not keeping an eye on career growth. As we noted there:

Not growing enough in your profession [is a big pitfall to avoid when WFH sometimes or always] — I recently heard a speech about how most women “fail” in their careers at least once because they turn into one-trick ponies, and I think it's doubly hard to push for new skills or “growth” work you're not ready for if you're off people's radars.

Readers, what are your thoughts — those of you who are in the office 2-4 days a week, what are your best tips to make the hybrid work situation more efficient and predictable? What are the major struggles you're coming up against as you try to make it work, and what gaffes are you seeing colleagues and subordinates make?

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A few weeks ago I saw an interesting Twitter thread from Business Insider about how, while there's much being written right now about “the Great Resignation,” there's actually something more common happening around the globe with workers: disengagement.

They posited that instead of outright quitting, people were disengaging with their work — phoning it in, not taking on as many projects as they could, feigning being busy. (Acting like there's more to life than career! The nerve!) I thought it was a really interesting topic — particularly when set against what a lot of us probably think about now as “leaning out” (or even just general work-life balance!!) — so let's discuss.

Have you ever disengaged from work instead of quitting? Have you ever managed someone who disengaged from work instead of quitting? Where are the boundaries between disengaging, leaning out, and having healthy work-life balance — and is there a business etiquette associated with them? (And how does all of this compare to burnout?)

Psst — they're also calling this “quiet quitting“!

I recognize this from my own work history, to be honest, although I would have called it “treading water” instead of being disengaged. At a certain point in my legal career I decided other matters took priority, and instead of Striving! to! Make! Partner! or even looking for a better job for the long run, I just… treaded water at my BigLaw job. I did the work assigned to me without being overly concerned about my ultimate hours. I still worked late, still did good work (on good cases, for the most part; I was very lucky in my career!) and still got my full bonuses … but it was a far, far cry from the Go-Getter attitude I'd had all during law school and the first year or two of practice. (I would not advise this in the BigLaw of today… I could kind of get away with it way back when because business was booming.)

I remember thinking at the time that this was the natural way of things — a sign of adulthood, even — that instead of trying to “go hard” the way I'd gone in law school, I should recognize that my career has a longer timeline, and that my career shouldn't be the only thing in my life. (I actually used to have the mantra “My job is not my career is not my life.”) It was me trying to find some semblance of work-life balance, for the first time ever in my life. (I also have some shame in even telling you guys this, even though so many years have passed — like I was doing something wrong by not Striving Super Hard to be the best third year associate to ever third year associate!)

I'm really interested to hear what you guys think about this. For my own $.02, I'd define these slight but important differences:

• Treading water / being mildly disengaged / “prioritizing work-life balance”: Doing the work required of you but nothing more — “keep the job” instead of “advance the career” kind of thinking. I'd hopefully think most pandemic-related work disruption would fall into this category, e.g., as parents manage erratic school schedules / sick family members / disruption of regular care schedules.
• Being burned out: Being unable to engage with work at the level to which you'd like to because you actively need to prioritize self-care, sleep, Life Outside of Work-type things to reconnect with yourself — “Who am I and what am I doing here?” kind of thinking, with job/career being totally secondary.
• Leaning out; Similar to treading water but perhaps with a set end date (baby's second birthday, for example, or birth of a second child); hopefully done intentionally enough that there's a conversation with management about flexible work, reduced hours, etc. “Pause/decrease the job in a way that leaves you an on-ramp back to full job/advancing career” kind of thinking.
• Disengaging instead of quitting: Intentionally doing as little work as possible, feigning being busy, and taking every shortcut necessary. Think George Costanza. I would call this kind of thinking “indifference to end of career/job.”

Readers, what are your thoughts? (And are there other categories that you would add in this list — go-getters who are striving to prove themselves at the job? Movers who are intentionally trying to level up their career by seeking a new job or more responsibilities/titles at their current job?) Do you think workers should signal to their managers as they move in and out of these different attitudes toward work, or that business etiquette dictates that conversations be had?

If you've managed people in any of these categories, were there red flags for you as a manager — and how did you handle that? For readers who recognize themselves as being disengaged or treading water, how did you reengage or “start swimming” again?

Stock photo via Shutterstock / Dean Robot; “whatever” in font Perfect Redemption.

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