Client work has a habit of multiplying.
A new engagement may begin with a conversation and a simple agreement. Then come the meetings, tasks, feedback, decisions, deliverables, scope changes, invoices, and follow-up.
Before long, the problem is not that you do not have the information. The problem is that the information created by the engagement has started living everywhere.
Meeting notes are mixed with task lists. Feedback is buried inside general notes. A scope change is recorded somewhere you vaguely remember writing it down. A decision made three weeks ago suddenly matters again, and now you have to go looking for it.
You could put everything into one enormous notebook, of course.
That works right up until it becomes a junk drawer with page numbers.
The Client Work Workspace takes a different approach.
Each client engagement gets a dedicated Workspace. Inside the Workspace, separate Structured Notebooks give the different functions of the engagement their own place to live.
The point is not to separate the engagement into a collection of disconnected places. It is to give the whole engagement one place to exist without forcing every part of it into the same pile.
Because that is where client work so often becomes harder than it needs to be. The engagement is already creating enough moving parts. The place you use to manage them should not become one more thing you have to manage.
Throughout this walkthrough, we will use an independent video producer creating a brand film for Cedar Hollow Coffee Co. to show you exactly what that looks like in practice.
You will see who the Client Work Workspace can help, what is included inside it, how the Workspace is actually used, and what each Structured Notebook looks like with a real client engagement inside it.
We will also look at how the Workspace works on Supernote, including the features of the device that make it easier to keep an active engagement organized and close at hand.
By the end, you will have a clear picture of what it looks like to give client work a dedicated place to exist—and whether that approach fits the way you work.
Who This Workspace Can Help
Some client engagements are neat and contained.
Others seem to grow a new branch every time the client says, “One more thing.”
That range is exactly why the Client Work Workspace is not designed around one profession or one kind of project. It is for people whose client engagements create information and work in progress that need a dedicated place to live.
The Client Work Workspace can help:
- freelancers managing client projects and engagements
- consultants working across multiple client engagements
- designers, writers, photographers, videographers, and other creative professionals
- agencies and independent studios managing client work
- independent professionals delivering defined services
- service-based business owners managing project-based client engagements
You may fit neatly into one of those labels. You may not.
Client work has never been especially good at staying inside tidy job titles.
If your work is built around seeing client engagements through, the Client Work Workspace was built with that responsibility in mind.
Take a Look Inside the Workspace
Now that you have a sense of who this Workspace can help, let’s take a look at what is inside.
The Client Work Workspace includes ten Structured Notebooks, each designed to handle a different function of the work in progress created across a client engagement.
Change Request Log
A dedicated place to record scope changes, requested updates, approvals, and adjustments as client work evolves.
Client Profile
A dedicated place to organize client details, preferences, project context, communication notes, and important background information.
Deliverables Notebook
A dedicated place to plan, organize, track, and review the deliverables connected to a client project.
Feedback Notebook
A dedicated place to capture client feedback, revision notes, requested changes, and response details throughout the project.
Invoice & Payment Notes
A dedicated place to track invoice details, payment notes, billing status, due dates, and client payment information.
Meeting Notes
A dedicated place to capture meeting notes, discussion points, action items, questions, and follow-up details.
Scope Notebook
A dedicated place to define project scope, requirements, boundaries, expectations, and agreed-upon work.
Task Notebook
A dedicated place to organize client tasks, next actions, responsibilities, deadlines, and project follow-through.
What to Know About Structured Notebooks
Before we get into how information moves through the Workspace, let’s take a closer look at the Structured Notebooks themselves.
Each Structured Notebook Is Its Own File
The Client Work Workspace does not come as one oversized PDF with ten sections inside it.
Each Structured Notebook is its own PDF file, so you can open the notebook you need without working your way through the rest of the Workspace first.
The notebooks still belong together inside the same Workspace. They just do not have to be opened together.
How the Page Fits the Information
Each Structured Notebook determines what kind of information belongs there. The layout helps you organize it.
Containers, columns, and open writing areas give the page structure without deciding what you have to write inside them.
There are no prompts to complete or predefined labels you have to work around. The layout gives the information shape while leaving enough room for the page to fit what the engagement actually needs.
You get enough structure to keep the page clear without having to force the information into boxes that were decided before the client work even began.
Plenty of Pages Without a Heavy File
Each Structured Notebook includes 100 pages and is about 180 KB in size.
The pages use a pure vector design with a 3:4 aspect ratio.
That keeps the layouts clear at any zoom level and the files light, with plenty of pages to use as the engagement develops.
No Hyperlinks to Navigate
Structured Notebooks do not use hyperlinks.
You do not have to tap through a menu or follow a chain of links to reach the page you need. You open the notebook itself and use the navigation tools already available on your Supernote.
That keeps each notebook focused on the information it holds instead of turning the page design into a navigation system.
Keep the Notebooks You Use Most in Quick Access
You will not open every Structured Notebook equally throughout an engagement.
Add the notebooks you are using most to Quick Access so you can reach them without going back through the Workspace folder each time.
As the engagement develops, update Quick Access to match the notebooks you are opening most.
The notebooks stay where they are. Quick Access simply gives you a faster way back to the ones you need most often.
How Information Moves Through the Workspace
Where Information Gets Captured
When new information comes in, where it gets captured depends on what kind of information it is.
Meeting notes belong in Meeting Notes. Client feedback belongs in the Feedback Notebook. A change to the original agreement belongs in the Change Request Log. A final decision belongs in the Decision Log.
The question is not which notebook has room or which one happens to be open. The real question is where the information belongs.
Each Structured Notebook already has a specific job inside the Workspace. When you use each notebook for that job consistently, information capture becomes much easier.
You are not making a fresh filing decision every time something new appears. You already know where it goes.
The same structure that tells you where to capture information also tells you where to find it later.
When you need to find a specific type of information, you go to the Structured Notebook assigned to it. You are not searching through the whole Workspace or trying to remember where you happened to write it down.
When Information Creates New Information
As an engagement develops, information captured in one notebook can create new information that belongs in another.
A meeting can end with a final decision. Client feedback can lead to a request beyond the original agreement. An approved change can affect a deliverable, a task, or an invoice.
When that happens, the original information stays where it was captured. The new information goes to the Structured Notebook assigned to that type of information.
The meeting record stays in Meeting Notes, while the final decision is recorded in the Decision Log.
The feedback stays in the Feedback Notebook. If it leads to a request beyond the original agreement, that request is recorded in the Change Request Log.
When You Need to Find Information Across the Workspace
Not everything you need to look at together will live in the same Structured Notebook.
The original agreement may be in the Scope Notebook, while a new request from the client is in the Change Request Log. Both pages are exactly where they belong, but there may be times when you need to compare them.
That is where Keywords on Supernote become useful.
Give both pages the same Keyword. Later, searching for that Keyword brings those pages into the same search result, making it easier to move between them while you compare the information.
The pages do not move. The Scope Notebook still holds the original agreement, and the Change Request Log still holds the new request.
The Keyword simply gives you a way to find those specific pages together when you need them.
You do not add Keywords to everything.
Information of the same kind already has a dedicated place inside the Workspace. Keywords are useful when specific pages from different Structured Notebooks need to be found and viewed together.
Use the Structured Notebooks the Work in Progress Needs
Not every client engagement will use all ten Structured Notebooks.
A short or straightforward project may only need a few of them. A longer or more involved engagement may use the entire Workspace.
You are not expected to use every notebook just because it is there.
Unused notebooks are not gaps you need to fill. They are simply parts of the Workspace the engagement has not needed.
The Workspace gives you the full Operating Environment. You use the parts that fit the work in progress in front of you.
See Each Structured Notebook From This Workspace in Use
Now it is time to see what all of this looks like with actual work in progress inside the Workspace.
We will return to the independent video producer creating a brand film for Cedar Hollow Coffee Co. and follow the engagement through each of the ten Structured Notebooks.
The mockups show only one way the layouts can be used as the engagement develops. They are not instructions for how every page should be filled out or a script for how every client project should unfold.
Instead, we will look at what each Structured Notebook is for, what information belongs there, and what the Cedar Hollow engagement looks like inside it.
Client Profile
The Client Profile holds the information that helps you understand the client throughout the engagement.
Use it for things like:
- background and company context
- brand and audience information
- communication preferences
- key people and decision-makers
- working notes that may matter later
When you need to check who makes the final call, how the client prefers to communicate, or what matters to the brand, this is where you look.
Scope Notebook
The Scope Notebook holds the current boundaries of the engagement.
Use it for things like:
- project goals, status, and key dates
- work included in the agreement
- scope boundaries and exclusions
- approved changes that alter the original scope
When you need to check what was agreed to, what falls outside the agreement, or whether an approved change altered the scope, this is where you look.
Meeting Notes
Meeting Notes holds the record of what happened during a client meeting.
Use it for things like:
- meeting details, purpose, and attendees
- discussion notes and important context
- key outcomes
- next actions that come out of the conversation
When you need to revisit what was discussed, who was involved, or the context behind an outcome, this is where you look.
Task Notebook
The Task Notebook holds the tasks that need to move the engagement forward.
Use it for things like:
- work that needs attention now
- tasks coming up next
- items waiting on the client or someone else
- detailed task lists for specific deliverables or parts of the engagement
When you need to see what needs attention, what is coming next, or what cannot move forward until someone else responds, this is where you look.
Deliverables Notebook
The Deliverables Notebook holds the work the client is expecting to receive.
Use it for things like:
- individual deliverables and their current status
- versions, formats, quantities, and due dates
- next steps for each deliverable
- final delivery requirements and handoff notes
When you need to see what is being delivered, where each deliverable stands, or what still needs to happen before final handoff, this is where you look.
Feedback Notebook
The Feedback Notebook holds client feedback on work being reviewed.
Use it for things like:
- feedback tied to a specific version or review round
- detailed comments and references to where changes are needed
- priorities, status, and next review steps
- overall feedback and revision notes
When you need to see what the client said, what needs to change, or which feedback is still open, this is where you look.
Change Request Log
The Change Request Log holds requests that could change the original agreement.
Use it for things like:
- what the client is asking to change
- the original scope and areas that may be affected
- impact on scope, schedule, budget, or production needs
- request status, approval details, and follow-up notes
When you need to see what was requested, what the change could affect, or whether it was approved, this is where you look.
Invoice & Payment Notes
The Invoice & Payment Notes holds billing and payment information across the engagement.
Use it for things like:
- invoice numbers, amounts, and dates
- deposits, balances, and payment status
- additional invoices for approved work
- payment activity and billing notes
When you need to see what has been invoiced, what has been paid, what is still outstanding, or what billing step comes next, this is where you look.
Make the Workspace Yours
Now that you know how the Client Work Workspace works, it’s time to start finding out what it can do for your own client engagements.
A short project may only need a few Structured Notebooks. A longer engagement may use the entire Workspace. One client may generate plenty of feedback and change requests, while another moves from meeting to deliverable without much in between.
Use the notebooks the work in progress needs. Keep each kind of information where it belongs. Let the way you use the Workspace develop with the engagement.
The structure is there. How you use it is up to you.
Featured product
Everything you have seen in this walkthrough is included in the Client Work Workspace.
You get all ten Structured Notebooks, ready to set up on your Supernote and use with your own client engagements.
Pickup currently not available
How to Set Up the Workspace on Supernote
When you are ready to set up the Client Work Workspace on your Supernote, we have a full setup guide that will walk you through step by step.
It covers downloading and extracting the Workspace, creating the Workspace folder in Files, transferring the Structured Notebooks, and using Keywords and Quick Access with the Workspace.
Read How to Use a Workspace on Supernote for the full walkthrough.