Today I worked on:
Today I figured out / debugged:
Problems / Thoughts:
Other:
This is interesting because it helps me introspect about the work I'm doing, whether I should be doing it that way, whether I keep running into similar issues, whether I can fix things systematically, gauge happiness and stress levels, etc.
I've returned to this many times and often found it to be super helpful - the information that goes in here is hard-won details, and those are also the kind that are very easy to forget. It also sometimes helps with the "why had I done this this way" questions.
Perhaps I do need a personal version of this too.
My grandfather on the other hand, has kept a journal every day going back decades. In fact, as a gift to my parents when I turned 18, he shared with them the journal entry from the day I was born. He's now working on turning his journal into a self-published book for his children, grandkids, and great-grandkids.
That, and my increasingly shitty memory of small details, makes me want to get into journaling.
One, because without writing them down, my thoughts seem to take on actual weight in my head. Putting them into my journal seems to remove the weight while helping me to sort through things, sort of like talking to myself in real time.
Two, because it helps me to stay practiced with Vim. I started just one single file called journal.md, separated by markdown headers/dates and keep it in a folder that gets backed up instantly (though I'm thinking of moving it to Dropbox so that it also gets versioned in addition to immediate backups).
Three, because it keeps me writing. As someone who is continually writing short stories, it's important to keep the words flowing out of my head, even if I'm not writing about something that happened to someone else, real or imagined.
I do this for two reasons: - These notes may come in useful in my hobby projects, or at work. I have also been able to help my colleagues with information. - I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of open tabs in my browser. Saving links allows me to close the tab, knowing that if I ever need information on that topic again, I have some notes somewhere.
Evernote is not the perfect tool for this. Years ago I used Wiki On A Stick for this purpose because it allowed me to cross reference ideas and notes.
Check pocket. (http://getpocket.com/) It has definitely helped me with the overwhelming feeling from the number of tabs open in the browser.
Doesn't really help with writing down ideas, though.
The journal is a mix of a TODO list and a diary. I also have a tagging system for all the entries which allows convenient searches/stat building.
Benefits:
1. Allows to do primitive daily planning.
2. Having my daily plans/notes in searchable format allows to do all kinds of mass retrospectives (I know what movies I saw, music I enjoyed, things I did for both personal/job-related projects).
3. Being able to go back to a certain date and see what was done sometimes even helps to sort out various job-related issues.
I started after a manager kept claiming they had asked for something, or getting me to revert things they had asked for but claiming they never asked for that. Back then it was my word against theirs.
If I am asked to do something, the first thing I do is write it down and who its for.
My work is now free of other peoples bad memories and recollections. I am the go to person to settle disputes and provide reasoning for decision making.
It started out mainly as a way to manage my anxiety and feel more in control of my days (it has definitely helped). I find it really useful in managing my thoughts and reflecting on what happened the previous day.
In case you're interested, I use the Mac Notes app. I've set the order preference based on date created (the default is date edited) and tag each entry with #journal for easy searching.
I don't have a personal journal, but I do have a workflow that involves gradually collecting TODO notes on whatever I'm working on - then when it's done archiving the whole slab of text at the top of another file. Low-effort and surprisingly useful.
I've worked with people (software developers from a scientific background) that keep "daybooks", which are extremely helpful if you want to file patents in first-to-invent jurisdictions.