* use a spiral-bound notebook and keep my pen tucked in the spiral binding so it never gets lost (I actually use a Pentel 0.9mm clutch pencil, and think I've lost two pencils in 25 years)
* buy my own notebook, different from the standard one everyone else has, so I can find it easily (I've never lost one)
* draw boxes to highlight To Do items or deliverables from others
* every meeting starts with its name and the people present (initials for colleagues, full names for those more distant)
* every few pages, bring forward old To Dos in a list in the top right margin
* start work notes from the front, personal notes made while at work from the back
Honest question: How long have you been maintaining this kind of thing? I tried something this detailed a few times in the past and at most was able to carry this on for about two months. Painfully.
I should also have mentioned the notebook format is A5, not A4/letter. It is small enough to carry everywhere. If I have a few A4 printouts, I normally fold them in half and tuck them inside the front cover. Inside the back cover I always have a few sheets of blank paper, for sketching ideas on with colleagues.
This is the specific notebook I use: https://www.viking-direct.co.uk/en/office-depot-wirebound-no.... I tried Moleskin etc but they aren't as convenient for carrying my pen, aren't as expandable for carrying extra papers, and are 3 times more expensive.
I've been doing this since my first full-time job, so around 26 years. If you carry it with you everywhere at work, and open it at the start of every meeting, it quickly becomes automatic.
The key I think is only having one place where you write stuff down. That makes it automatically an append-only log :) The rest is optional. I have occasionally tried keeping notes electronically, but was never able to maintain it consistently for more than a few days, and found myself wanting to write different types of notes in different places.
* use a spiral-bound notebook and keep my pen tucked in the spiral binding so it never gets lost (I actually use a Pentel 0.9mm clutch pencil, and think I've lost two pencils in 25 years)
* buy my own notebook, different from the standard one everyone else has, so I can find it easily (I've never lost one)
* draw boxes to highlight To Do items or deliverables from others
* every meeting starts with its name and the people present (initials for colleagues, full names for those more distant)
* every few pages, bring forward old To Dos in a list in the top right margin
* start work notes from the front, personal notes made while at work from the back