One year ago, I started keeping a work diary. It’s seriously improved my life in the form of a clearer mind, more manageable emotions, and actual cash money (aka a RAISE!). It’s a small time investment for a huge payoff. You don’t need to journal daily – do what works for your schedule. I journal once every few days, or if I’m really busy, at least once a week.
Thinking critically and having awareness around your professional life is important. The work diary has encouraged me to be in touch with my emotions, my accomplishments, and my ambitions.
Here are the 2 main pieces of a work diary and why it’s life-changing.
- Tracking Your Contributions
Write about all of the projects that you were involved with. The impactful details of every project are insanely hard to remember later, when it comes time to interview for a new job or have your annual review. You need to illustrate your stories with facts.
When I started on an urgent sales project (in addition to my marketing job), I wrote all of the details down (the planning process, my sales rate, how much I earned for the company, feedback from our clients). By pointing out to my boss that I made a great return for the company, I earned myself a 7% raise. (Of course, you have to ask for a raise with tact and timing – see more here).
When I’m recording my contribution to a project, I usually write about:
- The process from planning to execution
- Who else I worked with and what they did
- The bottom line impact
- What went poorly
- What went well
This practice forces self-awareness. Even if things don’t go perfectly at work (which is normal), it shows that you can zoom out, analyze, and take that learning to the next project.
- Self-Reflecting
I love this part. I think of it as a post-run cool-down stretch that is so crucial to recovery and improvement. I’ve learned a lot about myself by doing this, and like to sit down with a calming, warm drink to get myself in the zone to think and breathe.
I usually write about:
- Tasks that I’ve loved and want to keep doing
- Tasks that I really hated and would like to delegate away or automate
- Something that a teammate did/said that I can learn from
- A vibe check (lol) of where I am in my career and what else I’d like to figure out
- A skill I wish that I had and how I can acquire it
- Have I been spending my time wisely?
- What am I frustrated by?
- What am I really happy about?
There is no right way to journal – just do what helps you get organized, track your work, and learn about your own work style. I hope you will try this out and find it worthwhile! If you’re needing inspiration, check out my (free) printables below at this link here. I’ve created a few versions!
