How do you keep track of clients, projects, deadlines, and follow-ups?

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

1. 1
   Using a mix of spreadsheets, Notion, Calendar, and email
2. 2
   Implementing a simple next-step field, one owner, and a clear follow-up date instead of a giant dashboard
3. 3
   testing Quo as a stand alone tool
4. 4
   looking into HubSpot sales software
5. 5
   Building a custom self-hosted tool that reads the mailbox via IMAP
6. 6
   Relying on a gut feeling instead of a structured system
7. 7
   Trying existing CRMs and abandoning them because manual data entry is too burdensome
8. 8
   Using Airtable with attachment fields for invoice files and photos
9. 9
   Using Apple Notes with individual notes per client and the built-in scan option
10. 10
    Using dedicated scheduling and invoicing software like Jobber or Housecall Pro
11. 11
    Spreading documents across Google Drive, WhatsApp, and other tools

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.