Keeping a work journal
What is a work journal? Well, it can be a number of things. It can be a “project” journal/notebook, containing the details of a specific project, as well as notes about any problems that arise, things to remember for the next project, ways to improve the work process, and so on. It can be a record of “cover your rear end” information: information about incidents at work, documentation of your role in the situations, documentation of confrontations, and so on. It can also be a record of the details of your work on various projects at the same time: an organized method so that you can keep it all straight. It can also simply be a book of notes related to your job in general – numbers you need to remember, helpful websites, conversations you’ve had and need to remember, information you need to transfer to a calendar or another record, et cetera.Why keep a work journal? There are many possible benefits of keeping a work journal, as well as many reasons that you may wish to keep one. The journal can be helpful in tracking information that management needs, such as hours spent on each specific project, things that went well and things that did not, and materials used or needed. You can also use a work journal to cover yourself (CYA for those who know what that stands for; I won’t spell it out!). This is particularly important if you are in a situation with a coworker that involves confrontations or conflict; it is a good idea to document everything: time, date, people involved, general situation, your response, the other person’s response, and so on. Other reasons to keep a work journal include:
For your own use: to keep track of time spent on various projects
To keep track of information on various projects
To record information on why you made decisions that you did, how you arrived at the decision, and so on
To prepare you for your next job opportunity. For example, you might keep track of accomplishments, projects worked on, and awards/recognition received. You could also track any training you receive on the job.
Also useful in preparing for performance reviews
To evaluate your own work, to look for ways to improve
It can relieve stress. This can be true if you keep a work journal for your own sake, perhaps not on company equipment (i.e., computers). It could allow you to vent your frustrations.
It can help organize you.
It gives you a place for reflection. You can think about what went right with your day, along with what went wrong, and how to get the results you want.
What do you put in a work journal? Well, some ideas have already been mentioned. For a journal that you are keeping for your own use, you could include ways to improve, notes on assignments that pertain to you only (like things YOU need to remember), important dates to add to your calendar, and assorted notes on things you need to do your job. In a more generic work journal that management might look at, you could include business-related ideas like how to improve processes or procedures, and ways to make a project more successful. You could also list your accomplishments; the boards, committees, groups that you work on, time spent on projects; products you created or were involved in creating – basically, all the information you THINK that you’ll remember when looking for a new position or for a promotion but that you won’t when it comes time.
What format do you use? Well, that is entirely up to your preference and probably depends a little on the purpose. If this is an “official” work log, you may want to keep it in a word processing program on your computer. That is easy to update, print out, and make copies of as well. If it is more for you than anything, you may wish to keep it on paper; then it can’t be confiscated if you are told to pack your things and leave. That actually is an argument for keeping one for your own purposes as well as the “official” work log – so that you have a record of achievements, awards, accomplishments, promotions, and so on. One thing to remember if you keep the work log on company equipment: you need to consider your company’s rules on document retention and destruction.
One side note on blogs. I would recommend being careful about keeping a work-related blog. There have been instances where that has become a problem for the employee; I am not sure what the legal ramifications are, but I would recommend being careful about putting too much about your job online. Companies do apparently “google” employees these days; be careful about what you put out there. I found a number of sites that I found interesting on this subject:
Blogs / Bewareif your blog is related to work
How to Blog Safely About Work
How To Blog Safely About Work (Or Anything Else)
Some suggestions about keeping a work log/work journal include:
Date/time stamp entries that may be used in preparing for performance reviews
Indicate the start dates/end dates where applicable.
At the end of each hour, jot down a few notes about how the hour was spent. At the end of the day, write an overview. Note how the time was actually spent versus how you wanted to spend it; is there room for improvement? What slowed you down? After doing this for a time, you should be able to see if there are patterns that need changing.