I was asked the other day by a "new landlord couple" how I'm able to manage so many rentals at once. So I let them in on my biggest secret, it's called a "Note Pad". I write things down by tenant, property, job and suspected materials/supplies needed.

Each time I know I'm going to a property and pass a supplier, I check with my shopping list to see if there's anything I need over the next week or two. As an example I was running low on 2 in. Flat Chip Brushes. At Home Depot they were $1.48 each. But at Harbor Freight they were on sale and with a coupon buying a box of 36 pieces, it only cost around $0.21 (twenty one cents) a piece. I could by 8 brushes at Harbor Freight for the price of 1 brush at Home Depot. All because I wrote things down on my note pad and checked it several times a day to "make things easier on myself".

-- buffing pad on drill to clean tubs

-- competitive quote on loans to drive down rate

Robert, I used to keep notes in the note section of my phone. when my phone died, they could not be retrieved. now I write up things in a draft email which I can access from my phone or desk. and I look at it every morning, update it before I leave a work site, check it while shopping, and review it at the end of the day to put together my to do list for the next day and order supplies ahead for pick up at the box store. I also take pictures of things I heed to fix or bring parts for. I also keep a note pad w a task list for each property, and a separate set of lists for big, medium, small and get around to it projects. BTW I keep a link to the harbor freight coupon in the bookmarks on my phone.

The answer to your prayers is available on Amazon: " Knock Knock Crap Pad, To Do List Note Pad, 6 x 9-inches - Knock Knock Pads have blazed the trail of notepad ingenuity, organizing lives, tickling funny bones, spawning imitators, and so much more. Writing a to-do list always feels good, but with this boldly jaded pad in hand, you’ll really show your crap who’s boss. Divide and conquer crap by category, then check it off as you get it done. Call it like you see it. The crap stops here. Includes handy crappiness scale. An ideal gift for anyone with crap to do. Each pad is 6 x 9 inches and has 60 sheets. Knock Knock, we put the fun in functional!"

Use cell phone camera to read fine print. Either take a picture and spread image to enlarge, or just put phone in camera mode is often enough to read a serial number

YOUR landlady

and a group of good honest trades people

LeePookie, can you elaborate a little bit, what you mean by "the funnel"?

Robert J, how do you keep up with your notes?

If you have several properties, then I can only imagine that you would have several notes to keep track of.

I think taking Robert J and Small potatoes' ideas together and put them in a format of the pad that WL mentioned would be pretty good.

Like every two to three weeks I order from Amazon another box of 12 note pads. Every night I update my next days to do list. Then the next morning as I received text messages, phone calls and emails from tenants, I update my list according to emergencies and general repairs.

It's something I've done forever and when I was a spring chicken I'd keep on working until everything on my day list was accomplished.

I use an app in my cellphone called ColorNote, has an image of a Yellow Sticky with the word NOTE in red, what ever file i open there, i can save it to the cloud, if my phone get lost or whatever, once i install the app in the new phone, everything will be there.

I also send WhatsApp Message to my wife or to myself with a specific subject, for example : Stove / Range Cleaning / Disinfecting Supplies 1 2 3 4 5 6... I put these words so when i use the search option i can find it easier...

Do the same with phone contacts or images.

I used to have Sticky Note Pads but i am not that organized so used to have lots of notes around jejeje or misplaced them easily.

MAP, I love onenote but hate ms one drive and forcing office online, plus it's not mobile friendly that I know of.

Busy, yes on the camera!!I do that too.

Don, chip brushes paint latex too and apply contact Adhesive,etc, plus make a good dust brush in a pinch. you can trim one w scissors and get better than passable paint performance.