I'm a content writer, and I have yet to find a good way to organize my clients, orders, due dates, etc. I currently just put everything in a .doc document, but I'd like to learn some different methods. How do you organize your orders?
Well, I don' t think I am the poster child for the average writer, but I have created a database for it, which stores client information, assignments, due dates, etc.. Whenever I get a new order in, I add it to the database, so I can always look back on what needs doing, or what I did for this client in the past. I can even find my very first article in there I use custom scripts for it, but if you have a full version of MS office the same could be accomplished using MS access in combination with Outlook.
A client of mine loves his calender/scheduler software. You can set up autoreminders of deadlines or even a tickler system to call a client who hasn't been active. As neat as they are, I've just always relied on paper-based methods - no access to your records if the power goes out and much more portable.
I have not yet implemented an organization system. I did use the calendar in gmail for a while. I am thinking of setting up a excel spreadsheet for my work schedule. This will also let me know how many "billable" hours I am working on a project.
Visited a site which led me to another which led to discovering Julia Cameron and the Artist's Way and her concept of Morning Pages. I suspect, for me, perhaps moreso than the idea of opening up the mind, it is the very act of writing as opposed to typing that also helps me to remember better and lead to other ideas. I used to take my notes from client conversations and type them, make them "neat and tidy" and file them away. Somehow, no matter how much I employed boldface, font changes and color changes; the pretty version couldn't capture the thoughts and feelings I had directly or indirectly written longhand. Doodles or other stray thoughts that found their way on the page don't translate to a word processor and neither do those inspirational ideas stuffed in margins or in between the lines. Sure I could mark the inspired idea that pulled everything together but nothing I did was a match for the physical act of drawing a ring of circles around one idea, drawing a line through another or scratching something out to the point of practically ripping the paper. Yes, this isn't answering the original question but perhaps is a warning to try a number of different ways to manage your client notes. Don't automate just for the sake of automating if it doesn't work for you. Also, as your business grows, you may need to find new ways of filing, keeping notes or bookkeeping. And, as Kraven said, if you do use technology, always back it up and have paper versions of those things you couldn't live without if the lights go out.
I have developed an access file and it really works. As confused_freelancer said, Excel sheet would be fine, but I was in need of a script that can be updated automatically when I enter something new. When I was having excel file, i had to delete and re-enter info. Also, sorting out the orders,clients info, each day's assignments etc got a lot easier...