How to keep track of where things stand with each person you work with
Updated
Short answer: For each person you work with often, keep four things together: what you owe them, what they owe you, what you want to raise next time, and when you'll next talk. Update it as things happen rather than in a weekly cleanup, and look at it right before you talk to them.
Salespeople have a CRM for this. Everyone else keeps it in their head, which works until there are more than a handful of people and a busy week. Then you join a call and can't remember whether you sent what you promised, or whether they ever answered your question.
The four things worth keeping
- What you owe them: replies, files, introductions, decisions.
- What they owe you: answers you asked for, things they said they'd send.
- What you want to raise next time you talk.
- When you'll next talk: the next meeting, or the next time they're likely to write.
That's it. Birthdays, org charts and call logs are a CRM's job. For working with people, these four decide whether the next conversation moves things forward.
Where it lives today
Most of it already exists, scattered: an email thread, a Slack DM, last week's meeting notes, a calendar invite. Before you talk to someone, search each by their name, in Gmail with from: and to:, in Slack with from: and their name, and in your calendar, and note what's open.
Maya Chen I owe: feedback on the Q4 roadmap She owes: the hiring plan (said Friday) To raise: pricing for the pilot Next: 1:1 on Thursday
Keep it current as it happens
A list per person goes stale the week you stop updating it. Add to it when something happens, at the end of a meeting or when you send a promise, and cross things off when they're done. A thing you meant to raise is easiest to remember if it comes back when that person writes, not when you happen to look.
Questions people ask
Do I need a personal CRM?
Not for most work. You need to know, for the people you work with often, what's open in each direction and when you'll next talk. A CRM adds fields you'll stop filling in.
What should I write down about the people I work with?
What you owe them, what they owe you, what you want to raise next time, and when you'll next talk. Anything else is optional.
How do I remember what to bring up with someone?
Write it down with their name as soon as you think of it, and look at it before your next meeting with them, or have it come back the next time they write.