5 reMarkable 2 Features for Consultants

The reMarkable 2 tablet is an incredible tool for management consultants because it packs so much capability & focus into a lightweight package.  I personally eliminated the handful of printed PowerPoint presentations and Moleskin notebooks in my briefcase, creating space and lightening my bag.  There are five key features that standout as key daily improvements for consultants on the move. 

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What qualifies me to review the reMarkable 2 for consultants?

I previously worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company and Deloitte on numerous projects, that required me to be on the road relatively constantly.  Since working as a consultant, I’ve worked as an executive at a number of Private Equity backed companies in both hybrid/remote as well as in-person situations.  I’ve personally used all of these solutions on the reMarkable 2 to increase my productivity while lightening my bag. 

I’ve been using the reMarkable 2 for over 2 years now and find it an invaluable tool for modern business people.  It’s significantly different than a laptop or traditional tablet (e.g., iPad) because it’s focused on one specific activity – writing.  I love that the reMarkable 2 allows me to focus on thinking deeply or focusing on the situation at hand.  That said, there are so many incredible ways that the reMarkable 2 can enable a management consultant to be more effective and focused. 

While I list of many productivity hacks for consultants, my biggest piece of advice to a new Associate would be to just write things down and stay organized.  If a first year associate asked how can I improve my day-to-day productivity, I would tell them to keep separate notebooks for different work streams / projects and just take good notes on your reMarkable 2.

5 features that make the reMarkable 2 a must have device for consultants

Feature #1 – reMarkable 2 notebooks for different consulting projects / engagements / studies

The ability to keep multiple notebooks on a single device was the key feature on the reMarkable 2 that initially drew me to the device.  Before I had a reMarkable, I would create multiple sections in a spiralbound or Moleskin notebook so that I could keep various projects together.  This allowed me to focus my notes or to dos for a specific work stream or client in one spot.  But it didn’t work perfectly (including over or under estimating how much space I needed, being difficult to find sections, and requiring multiple physical notebooks in my bag).  The reMarkable 2 changed all of that.

With the reMarkable 2, you are able to establish a hierarchy of folders and notebooks on a single device to organize projects or work streams in an easy way.  Experimenting with what works for you and your situation is key (and easy to change if you decide that you want to re-organize your notebooks).  Additionally, the reMarkable 2 can accept other document types (I most often import PDFs of PowerPoint presentations) and those documents can be organized in the same way. 

As examples, I’ve organized my reMarkable two with different folders for companies I’ve worked at (as well as a personal folder) and then created subfolders for different studies (or engagements as BCG calls them) or internal projects.  Within the folders, it’s easy to create notebooks specific to client conversations, work streams, or document types (e.g., Steercos).

Feature #2 – Marking up WIP PowerPoint presentations on reMarkable 2

The next consultant productivity hack is more focused on Engagement Managers, Project Leaders, Associate Partners, and Junior Partners and has to do with Microsoft PowerPoint.  It’s no secret that consultants love to use PowerPoint to communicate complex ideas or to drive action during a transformation.  But how do new consultants get good at making well thought out, crisply communicated, and good looking PowerPoint decks?  Through the mentorship and training of the more senior consultants!

Old method for marking up PowerPoint presentations

When I was a new consultant, most APs and Partners would have you print out your PPT pages or print out the whole Steerco deck and then mark them up with a red pen.  As my time at McKinsey progressed, this practice gradually transitioned to digital markups of WIP Power Point presentations where either the EM, AP, or Partner would add “Stickies” to the draft presentation. 

Mark up PowerPoint presentations with the reMarkable 2

While digital markup tools can be effective at fixing the presentation, they aren’t quite as good for tasks the involve redesigning the slide.  When a partner sends the dreaded “PLS fix” comment, it may not provide enough information to the junior consultant to clearly identify what they did wrong and how to fix the page.  Enter the reMarkable 2.  On the reMarkable, senior consultants can make all of the old school edits to the slide (such as move this from here to there, or shrink this and then add XYZ) without printing the pages at all. 

This is achieved by adding a PDF of the WIP Powerpoint presentation to the reMarkable 2 (which can take about the same amount of time as printing).  Then marking up the pages with the variety of pen types available on the ReMarkable and finally sending the markup back to the junior consultant to “pls fix.” 

Details on how to move a Powerpoint Presentation to your reMarkable 2

The marked up Powerpoint received by the junior consultant can have the dreaded red pen all over it or any other color that the Partner decides to use.  This document will be received back as a PDF, which is easily readable on any consulting laptop.

Feature #3 – reMarkable 2 for keeping notes during a SteerCo (Steering Committee) presentation

f you’ve been a consultant for any length of time, you know that Partners are master multi-taskers and are constantly juggling projects.  Consequently, they are know to be in key client meetings (often called Steercos) and unless presenting, may be responding to emails on their laptop.  While this may maximize their daily productivity, it doesn’t allow them to fully focus on the content of the meeting or building a long term relationship with the client. 

Enter the reMarkable.  Instead of keeping a copy of the presentation (or a PDF thereof) on their laptop to read ahead or take notes on, this distracted partner can return focus on the meeting and client by keeping the steerco deck right on their reMarkable 2.  With a copy of the presentation digitally on their tablet, they can skip ahead / back to be ready for the right conversation while taking detailed notes about client requests right on the PDF.

Beyond just keeping notes (which any tablet can do today), the reMarkable 2 also helps with another key issue – client optics.  By their nature, traditional tablets can be loaded with apps that can steal attention during these critical meetings.  Even if the consultant is disciplined and doesn’t use other applications during the meeting, it isn’t always obvious to the others in the room.  Instead, the reMarkable 2 looks like a traditional notebook and it’s super obvious that the person using it is simply taking notes.

Marking up PDFs (including steerco’s and board decks) is one of my favorite reMarkable 2 uses to stay organized (and minimize paper in your briefcase). There are six other key organization documents that I recommend in this roll up to stay ahead of the pack.

Feature #4 – Keeping track of daily consulting tasks & meetings

As mentioned at the top of the page, staying organized in a fast paced consulting environment can be an absolute challenge for a new consultant. To help with organization and daily focus, created a “smart sheet” page for each working day can be a game changer. I generally organize these into monthly notebooks (per client or project) and then create a new page for each day. My daily sheets start off the morning with any tasks that need to carry over from the previous day, the days date, and a list of meetings. By the end of each day, my smart sheet will inevitably have notes from quick client conversations or phone calls as well as many other tasks or follow-ups that have arisen during the day.

Feature #5 – Signing documents while on the road

While potentially not a tool that most consultants will use everyday, the ability to sign documents on the reMarkable 2 is a game changer. Some instances when actual signatures might be required include:

• Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)
• Client on-boarding documentation (e.g., to get an access badge)
• Engagement letters
• Contracts
• Documents for personal purposes while traveling

While PDF “stamp” signatures can be acceptable in some instances, others require an actual hand drawn signature. I’ve used my reMarkable to quickly and easily sign documents when I was traveling or didn’t have immediate access to a printer. Additionally, signing documents on your reMarkable doesn’t create the inevitable waste of printing, signing, scanning, and shredding a document for just the signature.

Check out this deeper dive on how to use the reMarkable 2 to sign documents when on the move.

Bonus #1 feature: reMarkable handwriting conversion

Also hidden within the reMarkable tablet is the ability to convert hand written words into typed text. This feature is amazing for taking notes during a team or client meeting and then sending the results of that meeting to others (who don’t want to comb through your chicken scratch). To learn how to use handwriting conversion, check out this article. Or how to solve handwriting conversion problems.

Conducting expert interviews with the reMarkable 2

Many types of consulting rely on expert interviews to develop perspectives on new topics or niches quickly. A good consultant is highly skilled at effectively sourcing and interviewing experts, enabling them to integrate these perspectives with other sources of insight. The reMarkable 2 can be helpful for staying focused with your question list while easily sharing out the findings once the interview is complete. Learn more about how to use the reMarkable 2 for expert interviews in this detailed post.

Bottom line: reMarkable 2 is a wonderful tool for consultants

The reMarkable 2 is an absolute game changer for management consultants that have to manage multiple workstreams, clients, and development projects. It enables organization and “off loading” tasks and ideas while staying on the move as a perennial business traveler. I would highly recommend this tool to anyone working as a consultant.