So yeah, im about to DM for the first time in 5e (using the essentials kit, starting dragon of icespire peak) and i've only played two games myself, so my knowledge is still quite green. However, all of the players i wil be DMing for are as equally green or absolute first timers, so i don't want to be editing their character sheets myself and i want them to get into the habit of it themselves. However, i do want to prompt them at least in the very early game to remember basic stuff like leaving doors open and equipping things, and all the minor but important details that are relevant. I'm concerned that ill be a bit overwhelmed by this along with trying to keep everything on track and fun and have to take breaks too often to either correct things or remember things. The campaign will be run entirely online and ill be sat at a dual screen setup so im hoping theres some decent online or desktop tool that can help me with this. At the minute the best ive got is just a google doc ready but i have a loud mechanical keyboard so im hoping i dont disrupt things with using it too much.

Anyone got any suggestions or ideas to help with this?

The best tool is the one you will use and update. If you like the tool you're using, keep using it. 

As for what you're asking, are you intending to keep track of the minutia of the game like which doors in the castle are open/closed, how many arrows does the archer have, does the fighter have any uses of their Healer's Kit left?

i would like to, but half for me to get used to doing it and half for the players to get them used to having to remember that kind of thig. I don't want to go full maths-teacher on them and force them to count every little thing like arrows and such (it is their first game, after all), but i do for my own benefit so i can get used to doing it, and used to using whatever tool i find. I abslutely hate google docs for it, as i prefer my information to be organised and in one place and searchable (Like a dnd beyond character sheet). Now i realise thats probably asking too much, but i was hoping someone had made something that could do it. Although its now giving me the idea of putting together a spreadsheet that could do it automatically.

I would like to track environmental details though, such as doors/windows/light sources etc. Essentially my intention could be described as like a tutorial-by-playing type of thing, So that my players get used to remebering details like that which could lead to an easier time doing more complex scenarios later in the game (for example people remembering to look for trap doors or remebering to close doors when attempting stealth tactics etc)

Maybe I'm not understanding exactly what you are looking for.

I might suggest that you leave the PC tracking to the players and focus on monsters and environment. Maybe throw a reminder at the player to mark off spell slot usage after you narrate the spell effect, mark off rations or arrows or whatnot as the use occurs. Make the reminder a habit, like part of the flow of your encounter narration and allow the players to keep the hard count of everything they own.

Keeping the environment in a general state cuts out a majority of the need to track the individual points. Use the Mine Features for Mountain's Toe Gold Mine as an example. It gives the general description of the overall location. If there are any deviations from this general description, they are outlined in the location key and only apply to that specific location or locations as described. If you feel that this would be easily missed information, you can highlight or tape flag the passage to draw attention to it. Whatever method you choose, consistency will help prevent getting mixed up later due to changes in your marking convention.

If you find yourself in the position that an open door will shift the dynamic of an encounter that drastically, I might offer the reminder that if the players don't remember to do a thing, their character might not forget it. If it seems feasible that the PC would do a thing that the player forgot about, I might allow them to alter the environment to suit. What you're describing seems to be playing D&D from a mostly metagame 3rd person perspective.

Hi Norman, there are several tools you can use in concert to plan and keep track of your campaign. I do my current game on line using the two monitor setup. You are using a published campaign which is a good way to start. Certainly not the only way, here is how I do it...

1. Use evernote, google docs (my preference), word or whatever to organize your notes. Cross reference page numbers or map designations. Note add'l loot or changeups to the written module. Prep any dialogue, descriptions or whatever for each section. Its great because you can quickly skip around as you have an idea and maintain continuity to your story. Then as the adventure rolls out you can quickly reference your notes and make any entries like monsters killed / not killed, locks picked or not, secret doors found or not, etc.

2. Use a good Virtual Table Top to manage your maps and tokens. I'll not go into detail about that here as its a religious topic much discussed in other threads. I ditched Roll20 for AboveVTT and am very happy with the results over the past 4 weeks.  I use two maps, one for me that has all the details, including changes that correspond to my notes, above, and one for the players.

3. Use the encounter builder on DDB to prep as you build out your map and your notes. If a room has 3 orcs and a goblin, just add them to the encounter builder and title it with the room number or other designation that matches your notes and your map. See?  Add the 3 tokens for the orcs and one for the gobin, fog it and move to the next part of the story. 

When you come to that encounter you just provide the description from the adventure and your notes, unfog the map to show the tokens and start the encounter on DDB. Boom! you can either use the encounter builder or the VTT tokens to keep track of monster hit points. You can make 90% of your combat rolls, saves and skill checks for the monsters from their stat blocks in the encounter builder.

At first it may feel like you're scrambling a bit. Over a few sessions you and the players will get a rhythm and be focused on the fun. 

Quick addition from a longtime DM.  Now, we play at a table and don't use any VTT tools, but we are currently in the Dungeon of the Mad Mage.   (WD:DotMM).  

My books have not left my house in two years thanks to DnD Beyond.  I use chrome on a Chromebook.  The key thing for me is having current tabs open in a select order so I never have to hunt:   Campaign page, DotMM Map for the current level, DotMM Text for the current level, monsters they are encountering, Spells search, Monster Search, Magic Item Search, and then anything else.  

I still track HP on paper.  And we still roll dice physical dice.   So I have not used the encounter builder.  (I do use it for homebrew campaigns or one-shots).   

But the key thing is getting used to a system with lots of tabs to have the info easily available and know instantly where to find it.   It is SO MUCH better than the old days of carrying and then balancing open a lot of books.