Maintaining Track of my notes

[Rogue909]

I work as a manufacturing/process engineer at a medium size company. I'm a bit younger and I've found I have trouble controlling my notes.
Specifically the problem I find myself running in to is when I get called away to put out the day-to-day fires. Sometimes I may be working on a larger scale project at my desk and I'll get called out to have a look at something. I'll grab my notepad and head out to the floor for note taking. Eventually this will end up with me finishing off a notepad where I have [Project A], 7 pages of fire-fighting. [Project B], 4 pages of fire-fighting, [Project A], shit-hits-the-fan week 17 pages, [customer/accreditation audit] pages, [Project A], [Project B]. Where did those notes for [Project 0] go?....
I tried keeping track of things on different notepads. So notepad 1 is for large-scale projects and notepad 2 is for the firefighting hat. The problem I've had with this is when a fire-fighting project evolves or shows a weakness in our system. After all, fighting these fires then fixing the problem to prevent recurrences is part of my job position. Naturally I'll get called for both and it's not always obvious when an issue is something where someone needs guidance or if something is going to develop in to a larger project. This ended with me having a firefighting notepad littered with notes that I was then trying to find to transcribe to my large-scale notepad.

How do other people here handle this?

Does anyone have a preferred writing pad? I've tried the engineering yellow pad for a bit; those don't survive trips to the shop floor. I'm using a cambridge pad right now but I've found as I near the end of the pad they become top heavy and cumbersome. Due to my poor note taking method I can't start ripping sheets out because I don't know if I'll be ripping out sheets relevant to some of my longer term projects.

For what it's worth... Obviously I realize that this organizational method doesn't work. I'd prefer if the comments were more constructive than 'organize better!'

 

[GregLocock]

Only use 1 side of the page. I just do strict chronological. I suppose in my spare time I could go through them with those stick on color tabs and assign a color to each project. 19 notebooks so far!

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376

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[Guest262653]

I feel your pain... I was having the same problem a few years ago, but I settled on the following solution:

I use an Oxford style A4 hardbound twin wire 5mm squared notebook, with pre-perforated and 4-hole punched sheets (Link). When the project ends or too much information is getting crammed in the same notebook, I remove the sheets and separate them by project in separate folders. That allows me to include other information in the same place (drawings, software outputs, important e-mails, etc). Any notebook brand can work but look out for how easy it is to remove the sheets without getting it all ripped.

 

[12345abc6ttyui67]

Personally I just go straight chronological only. So here are some spitballed ideas.

Split notepads into 1/4's or some other subdivision which suits with stickies. Use each 1/4 or whatever for project A, B, C, D. Whenever one project is done rip it out and stable together for filing. Eventually you'll end up with so few pages you'll just need to get a new notebook and use the other for scrap sheets.

Or, scan your notes daily and file electronically by project.

Or, use a pad of loose paper held together with a bulldog clip. Have separate box files / wallets / whatever for each job and file the loose sheets accordingly daily / weekly.

 

[RVAmeche]

I don't take a ton of handwritten notes (sloppy handwriting) but what I do use is just a folder on my computer called "engineering documents" or something to that affect. If I find a useful Caesar II article, piping article or something, comparison of tank codes, etc, I keep it in there (with separate folders for piping, tanks, pressure relief, whatever the main subjects of my work are).

I also keep a general running "notes" document for each section where I record things that seem worthwhile, such as lessons learned from projects (did we miss something on a piping design?), general references and common things that come up (3% & 10% rule for pressure relief, modeling notes for Caesar II). Your mileage may vary.

 

[Rogue909]

I appreciate all the responses. This may sound like an absurd question but can someone define how they are using chronological? IE; I start at the front of a notebook and work to the back. By default this is semi chronological, right? How do you control a chronological notebook when jumping between projects?

RVA,
What do you use for holding digital notes? I would love to get to the point where I can digitally document a project from beginning to end. The value add of another one of our engineers being able to jump in and effectively read through a digital copy of my notes in a project would be enormous. For training, assistance in new projects, etc.
P.S. I feel ya on the handwriting. My notes devolve into a sort of print-written-hieroglypic version of Klingon. I can read it and decipher my thoughts. I always feel bad when someone tries to look over a hastily written set of notes I've made. If I know a cross reading will occur I can slow down and make it legible but when I'm deep in the weeds legibility goes out the window.

 

[12345abc6ttyui67]

When I say strictly chronological I mean just that. No segragation of projects. Next day - next page.

Appreciate this isn't for everyone but I find I can usually remember when something happened relative to something else easily so I don't spend much time trying to find things. It also helps I don't often find myself having to go back to notes more than a month old.

It also helps that if I'm on multiple projects they are usually short (a few months) and thus are usually in a fairly condensed part of each book. For anything longer duration I am probably on it full time and hence don't have other things getting mixed up in the middle.

 

[RVAmeche]

I mostly just use Word for my personal use but depending on the project size we've started trying to use OneNote for project notes/items.

It's actually pretty cool because you can share it with the entire project team and comment back/forth, it shows who left which comment, etc. It can get a bit cluttered if everyone is dumping notes on it but its searchable so if you remember a pipe anchor issue, and you wrote it down, you can search to see what the resolution was.

 

[SuperSalad]

For strictly note taking, I like MS's Notepad. It is simply text entry. You can date stamp entries or even lines with F5 or automatically with a .log function, it makes notes totally searchable, and it doesn't get any more basic. If you want to be able to add drawings or anything other than line items it probably won't do though.

I use it primarily to take notes of phone calls from people who refuse to use email or produce any record of the things they say or decide, if you know what I mean

Andrew H.

http://www.mototribology.com

 

[ProEpro]

I have the same problem.

OneNote is actually very useful but doesn't work well at the side of a machine. However, you can add pictures of the pages of the notebook to it easily. I have done that occasionally. It also takes screen shots of online meetings ect.

I have tried the suggestions others have made about different notebooks or loose leaf binders. The binders are good when you need to store everything away at the end of the project. One nice thing about them is you can get a sturdy one that holds your pen and other stuff and just file away the pages as it gets full. This is the system my wife uses for her work. She also has a metal clipboard like a nurse that she likes.

Maybe a system on writing a tag or other reference on the bottom corner of the page with date and project. Still have to find the right notebook but quicker to find the right page.

 

[CWB1]

Notes involving IP or other security go into PLM, the rest into OneNote. I carry a half-sized notebook for quick scribbles/doodlings but it routinely gets tossed when it becomes full or starts looking ragged.

 

[DVWE]

I personally prefer good old fashioned composition notebooks for field notes. Back in the day, these books had nice rigid, hard covers which work great for the field. The majority found today are flimsy covers, which I hate. Roaring Spring is one of the few companies today that still make a decent enough hard cover. I like the 7.5 x 9.75 size for portability; however, there are many size options. Blank, grid, wide or college ruled. I have settled on both grid and wide ruled.

Add hand notes into OneNote or simply scan and create separate project folders.

Definitely chronological order, one side of the page only, and limit the amount of projects to two or three. Highlight the right upper corner in different colors corresponding to each project. Some people actually go as far as leaving the first few pages blank to create an index after the notebook is full. I do not.

A lot of times in the field, I write a paragraph to myself explaining all of my scribbles. If not then, the explanatory paragraph gets written into OneNote as the page is added.



The devil is in the details; she also wears prada.

 

[Agent666]

Onenote also has the ability to drag and drop pdf scans and either keep them as an attachment or render them as as imported pages (complete with capability to search the contents). It stores the pdf, so I think you can delete the original. Also having the ability to take notes directly on your phone say, or lookup previously site notes while out and about can be useful.

I'd scan on a project basis and dump them in onenote as rendered pages, no need to keep the hardcopies then and much easier to find.

 

[EngrPaper]

So my note taking methodology is this: All paper notes of importance go in my Leuchtturm notebook (I like fountain pens, so the paper quality is good). This notebook goes from front to back, most entries dated (unless its just a doodle as I am thinking about a layout or options). For my relatively official record that I keep, I use LaTeX files (plain text that can be compiled into PDFs). All notes for a month go in one file, and at the end of the month I will compile that .tex file into a PDF for record keeping. By keeping all of my notes in .tex files, they remain searchable via the terminal and also revision controlled through Git. At the beginning and end of every day, I run a bash script that commits my Git repository, which time stamps all of my changes for that day with a note BOD and EOD (beginning/end of day). I also keep a separate .tex file for meeting notes, separate from my "daily" notes.

 

[miningman]

I dont understand how the engineers of 50 years ago managed to build anything or maintain their files. Imagine, not a computer in sight, and yet things still got done!!!! Of course there was no facebook to act as a distraction , so I guess they had more time for productive work in any given 8 hours.

 

[StrucDesignPE]

Specifically the problem I find myself running in to is when I get called away to put out the day-to-day fires. Sometimes I may be working on a larger scale project at my desk and I'll get called out to have a look at something. I'll grab my notepad and head out to the floor for note taking. Eventually this will end up with me finishing off a notepad where I have [Project A], 7 pages of fire-fighting. [Project B], 4 pages of fire-fighting, [Project A], shit-hits-the-fan week 17 pages, [customer/accreditation audit] pages, [Project A], [Project B]. Where did those notes for [Project 0] go?....
I tried keeping track of things on different notepads. So notepad 1 is for large-scale projects and notepad 2 is for the firefighting hat. The problem I've had with this is when a fire-fighting project evolves or shows a weakness in our system. After all, fighting these fires then fixing the problem to prevent recurrences is part of my job position. Naturally I'll get called for both and it's not always obvious when an issue is something where someone needs guidance or if something is going to develop in to a larger project. This ended with me having a firefighting notepad littered with notes that I was then trying to find to transcribe to my large-scale notepad.

In my day-to-day note taking, each job that I work on has a job/project number. It's easy enough for me to write that and the date at the top of any page I take notes on. If your setup is different (which it sounds like it is), I would recommend you come up with some shorthand notation that you can place at the top of each note page. In short, develop your own system of project numbers that you can keep track of. Keep a running list on your desk of what notation stands for which project. For instance, you could note Project AAA on the top of your note sheets and then on your list on your desk, say Project AAA = whatever descriptor. Then do Project AAB, then AAC, etc. May be a quick way to keep note pages organized. What it ultimately comes down to is being organized and disciplined in your documentation procedures.

 

[dbooker630]

I still use a classic Franklin Planner to take notes and keep track of what task I happen to be on. They range in size from 3"x5" up to 8.5"x11".

 

[AlaskanME]

OneNote has helped me track everything from daily maintenance to small and large projects. I still have a notebook to write in that I eventually transfer to OneNote after the day or week. Being able to search, collaborate, and attach pictures makes OneNote invaluable.

 

[braddles90]

I bought an iPad Pro for work a couple of years ago with the pencil, and I think it's very convenient for taking notes at work. Not a perfect solution, but I can keep a single note file for clients (instead of worrying about leaving blank pages, etc). The pencil is real smooth and accurate, depending on the app you're using (I've found Notability the best so far). Being able to share notes, markup drawings, screenshot, etc, has been super useful in some different situations. Most app's have handwriting recognition as well, so if you're diligent about your hand written notes you can convert to text and email directly. Useful.
Of course, not great when you're out next to a machine, but I have just used regular pad/paper and taken a photo/'scan' with another app (Scannable) and added this to my project file.

 

[Agent666]

Microsoft Office Lens integrates with onenote pretty well. You can even use it to scan business cards on your phone and it creates a contact using text recognition.