What if I told you there was a straightforward method that could help you become a little more mindful, lower your stress levels, and improve your decision-making in less than ten minutes per day? What if this method didn’t call for any expensive changes, but rather was a straightforward change in your behavior?
Guide to Keeping a Work Journal (with a downloadable template)
Benefits of keeping a work journal
The advantages of keeping a journal at work include the following:
Ability to track personal performance
You can track your advancement over time by keeping a journal of your routines and activities at work. This is especially helpful if you’re applying for a new job or when it’s time for performance reviews. You can refer back to your work journal and make a list of your most recent successes or abilities that you developed while working on particular projects.
Find areas to improve
A work journal allows you to note both your successes and areas for improvement. For instance, you might discover that the days you start work earlier are the ones on which you are most productive. Then, you could adopt new routines to assist you in rising earlier in the morning, like making plans for the following day’s activities the night before. Additionally, a work journal can help you identify any recurring errors so that you can take steps to stop making them.
Record creative ideas
When a work-related idea strikes, you may not have the time to investigate it right away. Instead of forgetting your fresh idea, record it in your work journal. This enables you to think about all of your creative concepts later, when you have more time.
What is a work journal?
A work journal is a record that tracks your advancement at work. A work journal can be used to keep track of projects, objectives, thoughts, and reminders. There are several ways to keep a work journal, including digital note-taking or writing in a notebook. A work journal’s format and content are up to the author and what suits them the most.
How to use a work journal
Try out the steps below to get started keeping a work journal:
1. Choose a type of journal
Pick a place where you want to keep your notes. A separate journal, a document saved on your computer, or online journaling software are a few typical alternatives. Each choice has benefits, so this decision is solely based on personal preference. Try a notebook, for instance, if you enjoy writing things down by hand. Try a web-based note-taking app if you prefer to carry your notes with you wherever you go. Pick something that will not only make it simple for you to take notes whenever necessary but also make them simple to review in the future.
2. Establish your work goals
Record some of the professional goals you want to complete. Your objectives may be a reflection of your overall career plans or the projects you are presently working on at work. Goals for a social media manager, for instance, might be to become the marketing director within two years or to increase a client’s social following by 30%. When setting goals for yourself, be as specific as you can and include a deadline to make the goal more manageable.
3. Plan how to reach those goals
Make a list of your weekly goals and how you intend to achieve them at the beginning of each week. The best time to do this is on Monday morning because it puts you in a proactive frame of mind for the rest of the week. Additionally, it provides specific tasks for the week so that you never have to wonder what to do.
4. Record your accomplishments and shortcomings
Keep a record of everything you think is significant throughout the week. This includes accomplishments, unfinished business, errors, creative ideas, and meeting notes. You’ll learn which activities you want to record and which ones you shouldn’t as you become more accustomed to using your work journal. But as you begin, record as much as you can.
5. Regularly review your goals, progress and habits
At the end of each week, take some time to review your work journal, reflecting on the objectives you set and the degree to which you achieved them. Use this knowledge when setting your new objectives for the coming week.
It’s also a good idea to occasionally read through your entire journal. Look for habits you might not have noticed by reading through your journal from the beginning. You might discover, for instance, that you are least productive on Fridays or that you schedule too many meetings on Tuesdays. These reviews also give you a clearer picture of your longer-term objectives and how you’re doing in achieving them.
Tips for keeping a work journal
If you want to get the most out of your work journal, try these suggestions:
Share it with others
Think about letting others read some or all of your work journal. Someone else reading through your work journal might spot some habits you missed. You could also discuss it with your supervisor so they are aware of your personal objectives. Sharing your work journal with a supervisor can be a good way to demonstrate that you need something from them to help you achieve your goal, whether it’s for your career or your job.
Create a backup
Having a copy or backup of your work journal is a good idea. One advantage of keeping a work journal on your computer or online is that it is simple to make copies of it. If you still prefer to write things down, think about typing up your notes or periodically making copies of the pages.
Use colors
Colors are a great way to organize your work journal. For example, write or highlight all your accomplishments in green. Then, it will be simple to locate them in your journal when it comes time to review your accomplishments for that year. Create your own color scheme to help you categorize and identify important items quickly.
Write at the same time each day
Try keeping a work journal at the same time every day or week; this will help you establish a regular habit. You could try keeping a work journal or turning off your computer each day before you leave the office. The most benefit from a work journal comes from using it frequently, and developing a writing habit increases the likelihood that you’ll use it more frequently.
FAQ
What is a work journal?
A structured, regular method of recording, considering, and improving your professional decision-making is keeping a work journal. Unlike other journaling techniques, the questions and prompts are focused on your work experience rather than general topics. personal life.
How do you set up a work journal?
A list-form work diary is essentially a breakdown of your week’s or day’s accomplishments. It’s as easy as listing the main things you do each day in bullet points. List your goals for the week or by the end of the week, and compare them to what you actually accomplished.
