A summary template of my work note-taking process
This system started as a "daily status report" I used to do for work. I eventually repurposed it, and have been using it to keep track of what I've been working on ever since. It's grown gradually over the years, adjusted to suit my current needs. It may not suit your needs, so please don't assume any process or pattern in this repository is anything more than a suggestion.
- Most of the notes I take as I work end up in the 'Journal' folder. I use a "stream of consciousness" or "write nearly everything down" approach, so that I can more easily resume something if I'm interrupted by another task, conversation, or responsibility.
- Every day, Journal notes are condensed into Daily Summaries.
- Every week, that week's Daily Summaries are condensed into a Weekly Summary.
- Every month, the last several Weekly Summaries are added to the current Yearly Summary.
A more thorough overview is available in this blog post: How I keep a work journal.
The majority of this system was developed accretively over the last decade, as the minimal tool I needed at any given time. It has also been improved by incorporating concepts from both lftm and jvns.