notebooks

Work log

Two Field Notes notebooks with distinct cover designs, one yellow with a deer and the other green with an arrow, are placed on a light surface.

For the past few months, I’ve been keeping a work log in a Field Notes pocket notebook.

One page per day. At the top of the page, I list meetings I have that day. The rest of the page is a list of project tasks that I completed. It’s a Done list. Not a To Do list.

I don’t log every little task. If I spend a lot of time on miscellaneous emails or following up with people, I just write “email admin” or “follow-ups” as one line item.

I don’t log time, unless I’m working on something that’s not usually my responsibility.

Every page is a simple list, so logging doesn’t take a lot of time. It doesn’t feel like a chore.

Every few weeks, I review pages and look for patterns. What kinds of tasks have I been doing a lot? Am I doing the right mix of work? What work has led to positive impacts?

I’ve been logging and reviewing like this since May. I do a lot of different kinds of work in my position, so it’s helpful to have a place where I can review what I’ve been working on.

In the past, I tried more detailed logging and tracking time for all tasks (even though my job doesn’t require it). But that made logging feel like busy work. This simpler method works much better for me.

Color swatches for brush pens I got from a local art supply store. ☺️

A sketchbook page displays swatches and names of various colored brush pen inks, in rainbow order. Brush pens are arranged on the table, above the sketchbook.

Does anyone use e-ink tablets like reMarkable or Supernote but ALSO love pens and paper notebooks?

Because I see the use case for, get an e-ink tablet and you don’t need a bunch of paper notebooks and pens anymore. But I love my notebooks and pens and do not want to give them up. 😂

So if you have opinions on e-ink tablets, I’d love to hear them.

New month, new log in my bullet journal. I make a page like this every month to list events and appointments.

The “CO” column is for “creative output.” I put an X in that column for any day I’m working on a creative project (outside of my day job). Creative practice counts, too.

A notebook page that says 'October log' at the top; dates and days of the month are written down the left-hand side of the page; the rest of the page is space for notes