Project Management 103
The Project Note
Series: Productivity for Orchestrators · Part 3
In the previous post, I broke down how I structure my project to-do list—from first contact to final delivery.
Now it’s time to look at the next piece of the setup: the project note. This is where I track conversations, decisions, preferences, and everything that doesn’t belong on a checklist—but is too important to leave in my head.
When a new project enters my system, a dedicated project note is created automatically.
Like with the to-do list, this isn’t about which app you use. Use whatever tool you like—the Notes app, a Google Doc, a physical notebook if that’s your thing. I use Obsidian, mainly because it lets me link notes together in a flexible way. But again: this post is about the system, not the software.
The key idea is this:
You need one place that holds the core agreements, context, and conversations that shape the project.
Why This Note Exists
This note is not for creative exploration or musical sketches. It’s not for task tracking either. It’s for recording decisions—both the ones that were made in writing and the ones that happened in a hallway, on a phone call, or in passing.
When the note is created, it’s automatically:
Named according to the project’s internal title
Placed in the right folder in my Obsidian vault
Tagged for visibility on my project dashboard
Pre-filled with prompts and headers
If that sounds overly technical, don’t worry. The automation just saves me clicks—the value is in what the note contains.
What Goes Into the Note
At the top, I include a set of preliminary prompts that guide me through the key things I need to know before work begins. These might overlap with the to-do list, but here, they become a space to store the actual answers. Things like:
Instrumentation: Not just “to be confirmed,” but the specific lineup—typed out once it’s locked.
Budget and payment structure: What was agreed on, and how it’s structured—so I don’t need to dig through old emails.
Start and end dates: Including any soft deadlines, approval checkpoints, or session dates.
Role and scope: Am I orchestrating, arranging, delivering score and parts, attending the session? It all goes here.
Client preferences: Linked directly to their dedicated note—more on that below.
That last point is important:
In Obsidian, every client I work with regularly has their own preference note, where I track how they like things done. These notes are updated over time and linked to each new project note involving that person. This way, I can see everything relevant in one place—even if we haven’t worked together for a while.
Callback Links: One Click to Everything
Another thing this note includes is a callback section—a list of links that open all the tools connected to the project. That means I can jump straight to:
The Slack channel
This Obsidian project note
The production sheet (in Google Sheets)
The OmniFocus to-do list for the project
The Drafts scratch note for ongoing meeting notes or call logs
I don’t always need all of these at once, but when I do—especially during heavy delivery days—having them bundled in one note saves friction and mental overhead.
How I Handle Meeting Notes
Although the Obsidian note includes a “Meeting Notes” section at the bottom, I don’t actually take notes there during calls or while working.
Instead, I jot things down in Drafts, because it’s fast and always one keyboard shortcut away on my Mac. This allows me to capture ideas, quotes, client comments, and follow-up items without switching apps or breaking flow.
Once a day—or whenever it makes sense—I process my Drafts inbox and move each relevant note into its permanent home inside the corresponding project note in Obsidian. This gives me the best of both worlds: fast capture, and structured archiving.
Template Structure
To give you a clearer picture, here’s a breakdown of what my project note template typically includes:
Timeline: Not just start and end, but delivery checkpoints, spotting session dates, and internal review cycles.
Budget: Including payment terms, invoicing schedule, and any special financial arrangements.
Instrumentation: The confirmed lineup, with any known caveats or potential changes.
Role: What exactly I’m responsible for on this project. This saves awkward re-negotiations later.
Contacts: Who’s who on the team—composer, producer, music editor, assistant, etc.
Outstanding questions: Anything I still need to ask or clarify before I can dive in.
References: Other scores, arrangements, sound examples, or previous work I should align with.
Meeting notes: A placeholder, which I later fill with processed Drafts entries.
When The Project Is Done
Once the project wraps, the project note becomes part of my archive. I export it to PDF and store it in DEVONthink along with the invoice, final score, contract, and other materials.
When I need to revisit the project months later—whether to confirm a lineup, review an agreement, or prep a sequel—I can pull up a single file and get the full context.
Again, it doesn’t matter what tool you use. Obsidian, Notes, Google Docs—whatever fits your workflow.
But take a moment to reflect on your last few projects. What kinds of information did you keep needing to look up? What came up again and again in emails, meetings, or revisions?
Write those things down. Build a simple template in your note-taking app—or just create a plain text file you can duplicate each time. The point is to reduce mental clutter and avoid repeating the same work.
And while there’s nothing wrong with physical notebooks, the downside is that you’ll need to recreate your structure manually for every single project. Digital notes scale better.
In the next post, I’ll walk through how I set up the production sheet—the spreadsheet that keeps me and everyone else aligned as the music takes shape.