{"id":11749,"date":"2024-04-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/?p=11749"},"modified":"2024-04-15T17:54:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T21:54:13","slug":"productivity-diary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/productivity-diary\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Keep a Productivity Journal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-you-should-keep-a-productivity-journalc.jpeg\" alt=\"Notebook and pen on top of a laptop on a desk\" class=\"wp-image-22005\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-you-should-keep-a-productivity-journalc.jpeg 680w, https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/why-you-should-keep-a-productivity-journalc-480x480.jpeg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 680px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you wondering if you should keep a productivity journal at home or work? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you want to get more work done during the day and feel good about the work you&#8217;ve completed?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can&#8217;t remember what you accomplished last week (or perhaps even yesterday!) then you may want to consider keeping a productivity journal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A productivity journal is a convenient way for you to document and track your progress on a project or assignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this post, you&#8217;ll find several reasons why you should track your work efforts with a productivity journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you track your progress in a physical paper journal or a digital note taking app, you&#8217;ll be one step ahead in your work! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a Productivity Journal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A productivity journal is just as it sounds: it is a journal that contains key information about your ability to accomplish projects, assignments, and tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A productivity journal can come in handy when you&#8217;re working on a specific work or personal project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can analyze exactly how you spend your time and energy.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What&#8217;s more, a productivity journal can be kept for a relatively short period of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a great way to take a snapshot of your work efforts over the course of a day, week, month, or season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully, a productivity journal doesn\u2019t have to be anything fancy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can use a blank <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/organizing-tip-how-to-organize-a-notebook-or-journal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">notebook or journal<\/a> or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/how-to-organize-a-looseleaf-binder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">loose leaf binder<\/a> for your productivity journal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could even use a text editor or word processing document to record your thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What type of information can you record in a productivity journal? It depends on what productivity-specific information you want to record and measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you could keep track of any combination of the following pieces of information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Month, day, and year<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Current project or assignment<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Completed tasks for the day<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Minutes\/hours spent completing tasks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Energy levels before completing tasks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Energy levels after completing tasks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Methods used<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Convenient or helpful tools<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply gather the corresponding data, and record each piece of information on a daily, or otherwise regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve discussed what a productivity journal is, let\u2019s move on to why it\u2019s worth keeping a productivity journal in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You have a dedicated space to track and record your progress.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s a difference between wanting to be more productive and being more productive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The two do not necessarily exist in the same space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re serious about filing more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/how-to-organize-a-filing-cabinet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">papers<\/a> today than you did yesterday, or responding to more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/email-inbox-cleanup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"What You Need to Do Before An Email Inbox Cleanup\">emails<\/a> than you did last week, you\u2019ll need to monitor your progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping a quantitative record of your accomplishments will allow you to clearly see what and how much you accomplished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A productivity journal allows you to keep this information in a single contained space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No more being distracted by your daily to-dos, appointments on your calendar, or work assignments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can easily review and focus on data in one convenient place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You can find commonalities you may not have found otherwise.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/schedule-calendar-2017\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"2022 Calendar: 40 Things to Schedule into Your Calendar\">reviewed your calendar<\/a> at the end of the year? The power of hindsight can be quite valuable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;re sure to find patterns&#8230;that is, if you look carefully. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those weekly volunteering sessions, bimonthly business trips, and daily gym visits can become crystal clear in the blink of an eye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, when you keep a productivity journal you have chunks of factual information available to you for your keen evaluation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Review your productivity journal at the end the week and you might uncover some surprising, and perhaps even startling information about how you work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might find you don&#8217;t work well in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/how-to-be-productive-in-the-morning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"How to Be Productive in the Morning\">mornings<\/a>, but thrive in the afternoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or, you may believe you don\u2019t make progress on cataloging videos on Thursdays afternoon, when in fact you catalog more on Thursdays than Mondays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You can record and rank tools, resources, and materials.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of the joy in working efficiently is finding those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/time-management-tools-find-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"7 Time Management Tools You Can Find in Your Home\">tools<\/a> and resources that make it easy to complete your work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What if you could take things one step further and actually take note of, classify, and grade your tools? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doing so may make your productivity levels soar! You\u2019ll know exactly what items ultimately help or hinder your efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By using this technique, you can evaluate productivity tools, resources, and materials side by side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, you could identify which project planning programs worked well under certain circumstances, and which ones horribly failed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could rank all the productivity to-do apps you\u2019ve used over the past few years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why not decide which apps are best for personal or work use? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How about grading apps on their ease of use, practicality, and overall effectiveness?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, when it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/how-to-be-more-productive-during-the-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">being more productive<\/a>, it can help to have a written record of your experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When your productivity efforts and results are accurately captured, you can take targeted steps to make improvements to your daily routine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learn how to be productive at work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Productivity skills are important if you want to consistently get things done at work and home.<br><br>My <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/trim-your-daily-to-do-list-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"to do list training\">to do list training<\/a> will teach you how to prioritize to-dos, manage tasks, and get things done.<br><br>If you want me to show you how to manage your to-dos at work and home, then check out my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/productivity-consulting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"productivity consulting services.\">productivity consulting services.<\/a> Book a strategy session with me today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>How about you? How are you thinking of using a productivity journal for your current projects and assignments? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you want to get more done during the day? Having trouble keeping tabs on what you accomplished yesterday and last week?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"<!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"center\",\"id\":11750} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img src=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/productivity_diary-211x300.jpeg\" alt=\"Why You Should Keep a Productivity Diary\" class=\"wp-image-11750\"\/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Do you want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/29-posts-to-help-you-have-a-more-productive-day\/\">get more done during the day<\/a>?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Having trouble keeping tabs<b> <\/b>on what you accomplished yesterday and last week?<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>A productivity diary is a convenient way to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/working-on-a-project-an-easy-way-to-gauge-your-progress\/\">document and track your progress on a project.<\/a><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In this post, I offer a few reasons why you should track your productivity efforts with a diary.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>What is a Productivity journal?<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>A productivity journal is just as it sounds: it is a diary that contains key information about your ability to accomplish projects, assignments, and tasks.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>A productivity diary can come in handy when you are working on a specific work or personal project and want to analyze exactly how you are spending your time and energy.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Unlike a personal diary, in which entries are made on a regular basis for long periods of time, a productivity diary can be kept for a relatively short period of time.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>It\u2019s a great way to take a snapshot of your work efforts for a set period of time.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>A productivity diary doesn\u2019t have to be anything fancy. You can use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/organizing-tip-how-to-organize-a-notebook-or-journal\/\">blank notebook or journal<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/how-to-organize-a-looseleaf-binder\/\">loose leaf binder<\/a>, or even a text editor or word processing document to record your thoughts and evaluate your progress.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Wondering what type of information could you record in a productivity diary?<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>It all depends on what productivity-specific information you want to record and measure.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>For example, you could keep track of any combination of the following pieces of info:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Month, day, and year<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Current project or assignment<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Completed tasks for the day<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Minutes\/hours spent completing tasks<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Energy levels before completing tasks<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Energy levels after completing tasks<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Methods used<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Convenient or helpful tools<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>All you do is gather the corresponding data, and record each piece of information on a daily, or otherwise regular basis.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve discussed what a productivity diary is, let\u2019s move on to why it\u2019s worth keeping such a diary in the first place.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>You have a dedicated space to track and record your progress.<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Wanting to become more productive is one thing; actually being more productive is an entirely other thing! If you\u2019re really serious about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/how-to-organize-a-filing-cabinet\/\">filing more papers today<\/a> than you did yesterday, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/tired-of-wasting-time-in-your-inbox-stop-sending-these-4-types-of-emails\/\">responding to more emails<\/a> than you did last week, you\u2019ll need to monitor your progress.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Keeping a quantitative record of your accomplishments will allow you to clearly see what and how much you accomplished. A productivity diary allows you to keep all this information in a single, contained space. No more being distracted by your daily to-dos, the appointments on your calendar, or any other your work assignments. You can easily review and focus on your data in one convenient place.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>You can find commonalities you may not have found otherwise.<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Have you ever <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/how-to-achieve-your-goals-with-quarterly-reviews\/\">reviewed your calendar<\/a> at the end of the year? If you\u2019ve ever done so, you\u2019ll know it is filled with all sorts of patterns. As you go back in time, your volunteering sessions on the weekend, bimonthly business trips, and daily gym visits become instantly visible. Like many things in life, it\u2019s only in hindsight that you can find these patterns.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>When you keep a productivity diary, you have chunks of valuable, repeating information available to you for evaluation. Leafing through your diary might help you uncover some surprising, and perhaps even startling information about how you work.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/be-more-productive-philosophy\/\">You might find you don\u2019t work well in the mornings<\/a>, but thrive in the afternoon. Or, you may believe you don\u2019t make progress on cataloging videos on Thursdays afternoon, when in fact you catalog more on Thursdays, than you do on Mondays.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:heading -->\n<h2>You can record and rank tools, resources, and materials.<\/h2>\n<!-- \/wp:heading -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Part of the joy in working efficiently is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/get-more-done-today-by-fixing-a-broken-tool\/\">finding those tools and resources<\/a> that make it easy to complete your work. What if you could take things one step further and actually take note of, classify, and grade your tools? Doing so may make your productivity soar! You\u2019ll know exactly what items ultimately help or hinder your efforts.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>By using this technique, you can evaluate productivity tools, resources, and materials side by side. For instance, you could identify which project planning programs worked well under certain circumstances, and which ones horribly failed. You could rank all of the productivity to-do apps you\u2019ve used over the past few years and decide which ones are best for personal or work use. You could also grade apps on their ease of use, practicality, and overall effectiveness.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>As you can see, when it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/how-to-be-more-productive-during-the-day\/\">being more productive<\/a>, it can help to have a written record of your experiences.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>When your productivity efforts and results are accurately captured, you can take targeted steps to make improvements to your daily routine.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><i>How about you? Do you use a diary or journal to track your progress when you\u2019re at work? Are you thinking about keeping a productivity diary for one of your current projects and assignments? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!<\/i><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[1241,142,184,62,741,130],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11749"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11749"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11749\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26784,"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11749\/revisions\/26784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theorderexpert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}