The Productivity Journal
Along with the creativity journal, keep a productivity journal.
This journal was inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that I wrote about in this article.
At the top of Franklin’s schedule, he printed: “Morning Question, What good shall I do this day?”
Before he went to sleep at night, he would look over his list, examine his day, and ask, “What good have I done today?”
This simple practice of evaluating his day every morning and evening helped Franklin put everything into perspective.
Even if he hadn’t accomplished everything that he wanted to, he was able to spend time celebrating his victories. He could also reevaluate his schedule and see what things he needed to keep working on.
Essentially, it was a way for him to measure his progress. If his method for achieving a goal wasn’t working, he could tweak it and attempt a different approach.
I love Franklin’s process so I drew up a schedule for myself that I keep in Evernote.
Each evening, I look at my to-do lists (also drawn up in Evernote), and I tweak the schedule for the upcoming day based on what I need to accomplish.
Then, I write a brief review of my day in my “productivity journal.”
Suggestion: For this journal, I actually use a computer app called Day One. It has a simple and elegant interface.
You could use a physical journal like a Moleskine or even a journal designed for tracking goals like Michael Hyatt’s full focus planner. Many people rave about the bullet journal method, but I haven’t tried it.
Personally, I’ve found it more convenient for me to use an app on my computer. Typing up my review of the day is often the very last thing I do before I turn off my computer for the evening.
What does the review look like?
Often, I just make a numbered list of what I worked on that day. I might also note down any challenges I faced or other observations. These entries motivate me to work towards my goals each day because I want to be able to write about what I accomplished when I type up my review in the evening.
On Sundays, I read through all of my entries for the week and type up a short reflection of what went well and what didn’t. Then I set goals for the coming week.
At the end of each month, I read through all of the month’s entries and I write up another review following a super-simple two-step format:
First, I jot down “highlights of the month” (I like to think back on the month positively, similar to if you were keeping a gratitude journal).
Second, I write a few paragraphs on the “Biggest Revelation of the Month” (this is the biggest lesson I learned that month). It could be something positive that happened or it could be something negative that I learned a positive lesson from. Then I’ll set a few goals for the upcoming month.
Here’s why I love the productivity journal:
Memories can be very faulty. If I asked you what you had for dinner two Wednesdays ago, you probably wouldn’t remember unless it was a memorable occasion or you’d written it down in your planner.
Similarly, by the end of the month, you can forget a lot that happened. You might think that the month went terribly as you worked towards your goals. However, when you go back and look in your productivity journal, you may end up realizing that you actually had a number of successes at the beginning of the month.
Additionally, the productivity journal can help you identify patterns and see when you are at your best creatively.
For example, I might notice that there was a day when I worked very productively, turning out a huge number of words on the page in a short time. Was there anything different about that day? Was it because I was working earlier in the morning? Or maybe because I had given myself a day to plan out my project beforehand? Is there a way that I can recreate that in the future?
Or perhaps I see that I tend to average a certain number of words or hours each day when working on a writing project. This information shows me how in the future I can break an overwhelmingly big project into bite-sized daily tasks that will be easy for me to complete.
Essentially, this journal gives you a way to evaluate the way you work, learn more about yourself and when you are most productive, understand the shape of your days, and keep yourself accountable to reaching your goals.
The Takeaway
Every person is different when it comes to what system will best help them stay on track with their goals and resolutions. Feel free to tweak and adapt these methods to your personality and routines.
The bottom line, though, is to have a way to monitor your progress and keep your perspective positive.
This will help you keep the momentum alive as you work on your projects. Your brain will be thinking about your goals constantly and become excited and eager to achieve them.
In Joan Didion’s essay on why she keeps a notebook, she writes,
How it felt to me: that is getting closer to the truth about a notebook…Remember what it was to be me: that is always the point.
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