7 Organization Documents on My reMarkable 2 [guide]

The reMarkable 2 is the perfect tool to get organized and it starts out with using the right types notebook. Learn more about how to really get organized with the reMarkable 2 tablet.

What qualifies me to write this article on organization and the reMarkable 2

I use my reMarkable 2 every day to stay organized and am constantly looking for ways to increase my effectiveness while maximizing my wellness.  In short, I’m always trying to increase the impact of my work, so I have more time for the important things – like family, fitness, travel, and hobbies.  To do this, I use the reMarkable 2 tablet to stay organized and offload notes and ideas out of my own brain. 

How do I use my reMarkable 2 to stay organized

I have a very active mind that tends to think about all sorts of topics.  When I was younger, I would try to manage this diversity of thinking along with the inevitable “to-do list” of school and work.  I would go to bed thinking about all of the tasks I needed to accomplish the next day – which caused me stress because I didn’t want to forget anything. 

Transition to paper notebooks to increase memory and decrease mental load

As a West Point cadet and later Army officer, I was introduced to the idea that the two items a Soldier always carried are “paper and something to write with.”  Through this practice, I started to keep running “to do” lists in Army issued notebooks or eventually Moleskin books.  By keeping a tally of any open tasks, I was able to stay extremely organized in highly complex work environment – all while keeping my sanity because I knew I’d written things down.

<< Photo of notebook shelf>>

I also found that writing things down (either tasks I needed to complete or notes on a project), really helped me remember things. This concept is actually supported by science.  Mark Murphy explains in a recent Forbes article that the two advantages to writing down goals and tasks are “external storage and encoding.”  External storage is the idea that you put the information somewhere that can be referenced.  Internally, the process of writing helps encode our neurons more vividly, thus making the information more readily available to our own brains. 

Transition from paper notebooks to digital reMarkable 2 notepad

But the paper notebook system still had drawbacks – limited space, difficulty carrying more than one notebook, no backup system, difficulty importing digital formats, difficulty setting aside space for projects, minimal security.

This led me to try a number of digital solutions – like Evernote (which I still use for many tasks), Microsoft OneNote, Palm Pilot (issued back at West Point), and eventually the reMarkable 2.  From the moment I tried the reMarkable, I’ve been enamored with it’s simplicity and impact on my personal organization. 

Document types I use to stay organized with reMarkable 2

Now I use the reMarkable 2 as the hub of my personal organization and it’s made a massive difference in my own effectiveness.  Over the past 3 years of use, I’ve figured out that there are seven basic types of documents on my reMarkable that enable my impact.  Below I’ve listed them out, with a short explanation of how I create them and what they are good for. 

Project notes / notebooks on reMarkable 2

Notes specific to a project is the first place that the reMarkable surpasses paper notebooks, because you can create a custom notebook for every single project.  I generally create new notebooks for strategic customers (when I want to record specific meetings) or large projects / themes that I’ll want to refer back to separately from normal daily activities (like a turning on a production line or shuttering a factory).

To create a new notebook, simply tap the “+ Notebook” icon at the top of the main navigation screen.  To make the notebook easier to find, I also tend to add a Tag to it (because of the limited search capability).  This tag might be the project type or even just “Project.”

Finally, if it’s a notebook I plan on using a lot, I may make a custom reMarkable notebook cover page.  This will spice up your navigation screen and can be really useful for lining out high level project information.  Sometimes I’ll write the goals for the project here. 

Articles from Read on reMarkable

The hardest part of effective organization is staying on task throughout the day.  I have found that the “Read on reMarkable” Chrome plugin is a helpful tool for timeboxing my casual internet reading time.  The plugin allows me to save an article for later reading on my reMarkable tablet.  This practice converts a potentially limitless internet surfing session into a focused time where I read through articles that I’ve set aside.

Additionally, the practice of using “Read on reMarkable” saves copies of the articles where I can take my own notes, highlight important text, and file them away for later reference.  I wrote this article on how to use “Read on reMarkable” for those wanting more instruction. 

Planning calendars (monthly & annual)

For longer projects or an annual view, graphical calendars be really handy.  For regular planning of my months, I actually tend to use Outlook (because my work life seems to be so fluid).  But when there’s a special project or extended family vacation, I find that the graphical nature of a month-long calendar let’s me plan logistics effectively. 

To create a multi-week or month long calendar easily (and for free), you can create the template in Excel or PowerPoint and then export it to PDF.  See this article for details on exporting PowerPoint presentations to your reMarkable.  This method will allow you to customize your format for your personal situation.  If a generic 4-week version is helpful, try using our pre-made template. 

<< Upload multi-week PDF>>

Looking out further, an annual planning calendar can be helpful in identifying opportunities or challenges in the upcoming year.  I usually just download a free PDF from the internet and then start marking it up with various pen types for different uses.  The below example shows where I’ve sketched out school calendar events in highlighter and then company holidays with a pen. 

Functional leaders reMarkable 2 notebooks

For executives that mange multiple managers or corporate functions, it can be difficult to keep notes on subordinate priorities and challenges.  I like to create separate notebooks for each subordinate leader that works for me and then record notes there for one-on-one meetings. 

The paper appearance of the reMarkable makes it clear that I’m not distracted during these meetings.  I really value the ability to quickly reference notes from previous meetings for asks or needed follow ups.  I also find that keeping running lists of improvement opportunities prevents good ideas from falling through the cracks.

Finally, taking notes throughout the year provides ample fodder for annual performance reviews.  My reMarkable notes allow me to provide better feedback to my team. 

Presentations & reference PDFs on reMarkable Tablet

I put monthly / quarterly board decks onto my reMarkable to allow effective notetaking during the meeting.  This practice also allows me to carry all of my board decks efficiently and discretely.  I take notes directly on the PDF during the meetings and can easily refer to these documents in the future.

The same idea is applicable for executives or consultants that need to markup PowerPoint decks that their team or teams are developing.  The markup can be done right on the reMarkable and then emailed back to the working team.

My briefcase is no longer jammed with printed PowerPoint decks for future reference.  This creates a better travel experience for me and with reMarkable tags I’m able to find key documents and pages quickly. 

Additionally, the reMarkable can be a great place to store quick references for easy access.  In the past, I’ve stored key phone numbers lists, maps, foreign language phrases, and itineraries on my reMarkable.  I love the ability to jot notes on these (like if they were paper).

Annual goal sheet

Taking the time to physically write out annual goals can be an incredibly powerful experience.  At the beginning of the year (or end of the previous year), I use my reMarkable 2 to write out my goals for the upcoming annum. 

To create my goal sheet, I have a separate notebook just for these goals.  I set the Notebook cover to the most recent page (so my current year goals are displayed).  I then structure my goals into a handful of categories (e.g., personal, professional, relationship, financial, family).  From there, I develop SMART goals for the year to build out my ideas.   After building my annual goals, I’ll occasionally check in on them to see where I need to make changes.  Additionally, you can export this goal sheet by email to print it out.

Daily organization reMarkable notebook

The daily organization notebook is the heart and soul of my reMarkable organization method.  I create a new notebook each month and a new page each work day.  This notebook is open most of my workday and keeps a running list of my meetings and tasks.

Each month, I create a new notebook on my reMarkable to make my notes easier to organize.  I also use the custom cover page to line out goals for the month.  These goals might be financial (e.g., $XM of revenue) or more thematic (e.g., complete the reorg project).  I also write the month name in large font to make the notebook standout in the home screen.

Each morning, I take 10 minutes to write down my meetings for the day, as well as line out to dos that didn’t get completed the previous day.  My practice of writing my schedule down goes back to working in a secure environment where I couldn’t carry a phone.  It also provides a dashboard for my day.  Copying tasks from the previous day allows me to prioritize any items that I need to prioritize (marked with a small exclamation symbol). 

reMarkable 2 organization FAQs