Discussion Forum > Doing Journal
Hi Brent,
Thanks for sharing: If tried many times to get a notebook / journal working that also contains tasks. I've usually become unstuck with an anxiety about forgetting important items embedded earlier in the journal. It looks like you address this in two ways - One: Starting with a 'brain dump' and Two: Carrying out a weekly (or other frequency) Review.
On reviewing pages, I guess it would be OK to mark the top corners of pages or 'tab out' pages that have been reviewed? I don't want to add features however I think it would help me reduce the anxiety of missing items! Have you experimented with this aspect at all, or has it not been necessary?
Thanks for sharing: If tried many times to get a notebook / journal working that also contains tasks. I've usually become unstuck with an anxiety about forgetting important items embedded earlier in the journal. It looks like you address this in two ways - One: Starting with a 'brain dump' and Two: Carrying out a weekly (or other frequency) Review.
On reviewing pages, I guess it would be OK to mark the top corners of pages or 'tab out' pages that have been reviewed? I don't want to add features however I think it would help me reduce the anxiety of missing items! Have you experimented with this aspect at all, or has it not been necessary?
August 2, 2016 at 11:10 |
Leon
Leon
Leon,
Marking the top corners of pages or 'tab out' pages is a good idea.
I tend to get rid of the page by tearing it out. I use a spiral bound notebook so its easy to do. That might be harder with other notebooks. I guess I borrow the get rid of papers you don't need idea from Marie Kondo's Magic of Tidying up book.
I will also note that when reviewing older pages I strike through completed items or notes I no longer want or need with a blue highlighter. Ironically, highlighting with a dark color makes the non-highligted lines stand out. When there are only a few items or notes remaining on an otherwise mostly blue page, I'll move them forward to a clean or cleaner page. Once a page is fully dismissed I'll put a vertical line through the page so I know I don't need to look at it any more. Once both sides of the page are dismissed fully, I'll tear it out.
Brent
Marking the top corners of pages or 'tab out' pages is a good idea.
I tend to get rid of the page by tearing it out. I use a spiral bound notebook so its easy to do. That might be harder with other notebooks. I guess I borrow the get rid of papers you don't need idea from Marie Kondo's Magic of Tidying up book.
I will also note that when reviewing older pages I strike through completed items or notes I no longer want or need with a blue highlighter. Ironically, highlighting with a dark color makes the non-highligted lines stand out. When there are only a few items or notes remaining on an otherwise mostly blue page, I'll move them forward to a clean or cleaner page. Once a page is fully dismissed I'll put a vertical line through the page so I know I don't need to look at it any more. Once both sides of the page are dismissed fully, I'll tear it out.
Brent
August 2, 2016 at 16:31 |
Brent
Brent
"Doing Journal"
I hear ya! I've been mucking around with something similar. I'm going to give it a few more weeks of experimentation... if the workflow sticks, I'll record a video and share in this thread.
Note: For my purposes, I'm using Taskpaper 3 (Mac)
I hear ya! I've been mucking around with something similar. I'm going to give it a few more weeks of experimentation... if the workflow sticks, I'll record a video and share in this thread.
Note: For my purposes, I'm using Taskpaper 3 (Mac)
August 2, 2016 at 17:11 |
avrum
avrum
I'll look forward to it Avrum. It will be interesting to see if you can pull it off digitally. I have tried many times and I came the closest while using Workflowy.com but I found that the written notebook is hard to beat for the "doing". Digital works better for "storing" for me
Another thing I've been experimenting with is to add an additional symbol to the workflow. It is an underscore __ in front of the item. (I always but the symbols in the margin) This is a precursor to the box and denotes that this task sticks out for me during a review but isn't quite ready for the commitment of the box. It converts easily to a box when I'm ready. I guess I treat these as on deck items.
Another thing I've been experimenting with is to add an additional symbol to the workflow. It is an underscore __ in front of the item. (I always but the symbols in the margin) This is a precursor to the box and denotes that this task sticks out for me during a review but isn't quite ready for the commitment of the box. It converts easily to a box when I'm ready. I guess I treat these as on deck items.
August 2, 2016 at 20:51 |
Brent
Brent
Curious. How do you deal with new tasks that come up during the day?
August 3, 2016 at 5:23 |
Sarah Jane
Sarah Jane
Sarah Jane,
<Curious. How do you deal with new tasks that come up during the day?>
I write everything down in the notebook on the next available line as it comes in. It could be a new task or an idea or notes from a meeting I'm attending. If it is a task and I have committed to do it today, I'll put a box by the item signifying that, otherwise I leave notations off and trust that I'll see it again when I review. I tend to review the most recent couple of pages every day and do a from the beginning review once a week. I also tend to move the in-process-I'm-going-to-do-this-today stuff to the most current page and strike it out from the previous pages so that the current stuff is more readily available.
As for what "boxed" item I will do next I tend to treat it with the FVP rules and ask what stands out?. In this sense I usually only circle through the "boxed" items on the current page.
I hope this answers your question.
<Curious. How do you deal with new tasks that come up during the day?>
I write everything down in the notebook on the next available line as it comes in. It could be a new task or an idea or notes from a meeting I'm attending. If it is a task and I have committed to do it today, I'll put a box by the item signifying that, otherwise I leave notations off and trust that I'll see it again when I review. I tend to review the most recent couple of pages every day and do a from the beginning review once a week. I also tend to move the in-process-I'm-going-to-do-this-today stuff to the most current page and strike it out from the previous pages so that the current stuff is more readily available.
As for what "boxed" item I will do next I tend to treat it with the FVP rules and ask what stands out?. In this sense I usually only circle through the "boxed" items on the current page.
I hope this answers your question.
August 3, 2016 at 15:59 |
Brent
Brent
Great. Thanks. Very clear. Some of my meeting notes can go on for five pages - do yours?
August 3, 2016 at 22:12 |
Sarah Jane
Sarah Jane
Sarah Jane,
My meeting notes are smaller than that. I use an 8 1/2 X 11 Notebook and usually have a quarter to half page of notes. Often it is just follow up items.
Brent
My meeting notes are smaller than that. I use an 8 1/2 X 11 Notebook and usually have a quarter to half page of notes. Often it is just follow up items.
Brent
August 4, 2016 at 16:01 |
Brent
Brent
Thanks. I have a separate meetings notebook, and transfer as needed action items to another notebook.
August 4, 2016 at 22:16 |
Sarah Jane
Sarah Jane
I've used an Everything Book (EB) for years. So has Dad. He says, "I always have the right notebook with me."
I use two, actually. A large one for my desk, in which I do most of my planning, and a smaller one for my purse that includes meeting notes.
(For some projects or groups, it makes sense to give them their own book or file. Even then, though, if I think of something and the "correct" book isn't handy, the EB is right there.)
Yes, frequent review is critical!
I also check that the notes actually make sense, and will continue to do so. Some abbreviations don't stand the test of time.
To move reference material from the EB to a more appropriate place (longer term storage or a project file), I either tear out the sheet or make a photocopy or scan or rewrite the note, whichever is faster and works. If I leave the sheet in the book, I cross out the reference info, so it's clear that it's been done. Usually, though, I leave it until the book is done.
Dad doesn't do that. He has an index in each book, and numbers each page. To see if he worked on a project in March 2013, he checks the index for the relevant book. I don't know how he handles action items. I find indexes aren't worth the work, and I don't keep the book once all action is done. (Dad is a classically trained engineer. Lab books are legal documents. My engineering training didn't include that.)
This Bullet Journal page describes several types of indexes.
http://www.bohoberry.com/bullet-journal-hacks/
(Advanced tip: If using spiral bound, pages are easy to tear out. Start long notes on the right-hand page, so you can file the sheet. If using glued and cannot tear out pages, start long notes on the left, so you can photocopy the entire spread.)
I date each side of every page, so even if I tear out the pages on either side, I know when the note was made. If a single note (such as meeting or research) is more than one side, I put the title (or part of title) and page number on each side, so if I tear out or photocopy the pages I can reassemble them.
During meetings or research, I use an open circle to mean action item at home, and an open square to mean action before the meeting ends. The first time I review meeting notes, I look for action items I didn't catch, usually something implied but not specified. It's a safety net.
If it's obviously a todo list, I omit the circles.
Open circle = action not done.
Arrow across circle = action moved, and written elsewhere.
X across circle = done, often draw line or scribble over the entire line. Yes, small celebration of finishing it.
"msg" and date above / beside the circle = left a message on that date. Often squeeze in extra details, like phone or email or next follow-up date.
If it's obviously a page of notes that should be kept for reference, no extra markings. If it's a refererence item burried in other notes, either box or draw a line down the margin.
When all action items on a page are done, I draw a big X. If I can tear out and trash the entire sheet, I do so. Often, though, I can't, because there's a reference note on it. In that case, I mark the corner Done. If both sides of a spread are done, I tear the corner.
"Done" does not include filing reference notes. I usually leave those until the book is finished. If I copy the reference notes to another home before finishing the action items, I show that I've done that by crossing out the notes.
I often plan my hour / day / week / month in the Everything Book, including mini-calendar for the week and brain dump. Yes, some tasks get written multiple times. When done, I get to cross off multiple lines. Usually, it's something I've been avoiding, so the celebration is earned!
Doing the planning in the book can use up pages quickly, but that's not a problem for me. It just means I get to retire the book sooner, so there's more pressure to deal with the open items so I can throw it out. The lack of clutter on my desk is also important.
I use two, actually. A large one for my desk, in which I do most of my planning, and a smaller one for my purse that includes meeting notes.
(For some projects or groups, it makes sense to give them their own book or file. Even then, though, if I think of something and the "correct" book isn't handy, the EB is right there.)
Yes, frequent review is critical!
I also check that the notes actually make sense, and will continue to do so. Some abbreviations don't stand the test of time.
To move reference material from the EB to a more appropriate place (longer term storage or a project file), I either tear out the sheet or make a photocopy or scan or rewrite the note, whichever is faster and works. If I leave the sheet in the book, I cross out the reference info, so it's clear that it's been done. Usually, though, I leave it until the book is done.
Dad doesn't do that. He has an index in each book, and numbers each page. To see if he worked on a project in March 2013, he checks the index for the relevant book. I don't know how he handles action items. I find indexes aren't worth the work, and I don't keep the book once all action is done. (Dad is a classically trained engineer. Lab books are legal documents. My engineering training didn't include that.)
This Bullet Journal page describes several types of indexes.
http://www.bohoberry.com/bullet-journal-hacks/
(Advanced tip: If using spiral bound, pages are easy to tear out. Start long notes on the right-hand page, so you can file the sheet. If using glued and cannot tear out pages, start long notes on the left, so you can photocopy the entire spread.)
I date each side of every page, so even if I tear out the pages on either side, I know when the note was made. If a single note (such as meeting or research) is more than one side, I put the title (or part of title) and page number on each side, so if I tear out or photocopy the pages I can reassemble them.
During meetings or research, I use an open circle to mean action item at home, and an open square to mean action before the meeting ends. The first time I review meeting notes, I look for action items I didn't catch, usually something implied but not specified. It's a safety net.
If it's obviously a todo list, I omit the circles.
Open circle = action not done.
Arrow across circle = action moved, and written elsewhere.
X across circle = done, often draw line or scribble over the entire line. Yes, small celebration of finishing it.
"msg" and date above / beside the circle = left a message on that date. Often squeeze in extra details, like phone or email or next follow-up date.
If it's obviously a page of notes that should be kept for reference, no extra markings. If it's a refererence item burried in other notes, either box or draw a line down the margin.
When all action items on a page are done, I draw a big X. If I can tear out and trash the entire sheet, I do so. Often, though, I can't, because there's a reference note on it. In that case, I mark the corner Done. If both sides of a spread are done, I tear the corner.
"Done" does not include filing reference notes. I usually leave those until the book is finished. If I copy the reference notes to another home before finishing the action items, I show that I've done that by crossing out the notes.
I often plan my hour / day / week / month in the Everything Book, including mini-calendar for the week and brain dump. Yes, some tasks get written multiple times. When done, I get to cross off multiple lines. Usually, it's something I've been avoiding, so the celebration is earned!
Doing the planning in the book can use up pages quickly, but that's not a problem for me. It just means I get to retire the book sooner, so there's more pressure to deal with the open items so I can throw it out. The lack of clutter on my desk is also important.
August 5, 2016 at 23:42 |
Cricket
Cricket
Brent: love it! It's deceptively simple but brings in elements from other systems in a one-list catch-all, working system.
Thanks. I'll be experimenting with it & post my results.
Thanks. I'll be experimenting with it & post my results.
August 12, 2016 at 16:03 |
Tommy
Tommy
I paid the site one of my occasional visits and found this thread very interesting, Brent, and the comments have added to the value of the thread.
I have been following a Bullet Journal method since April this year, and the idea seems be growing, The editor in my latest PC PRO magazine has mentioned how's he's tried most the task managers and has switched to the Bullet Journal, partly because he still prefers the handwritten method.
Thanks to this thread, I have adapted a few of Brent's ideas
My current modus operandi:
Appointments in Outlook.
Future tasks (one-offs and repeating) in Todoist, with context labels, every day I see what is due in the next 7 days.
The above for the day written into my Moleskine squared notebook (approximately A5 size).
along with notes, thoughts etc under the Daily Log 'current date' heading, eg Daily LOG: 12/AUGUST/206.
Meeting notes are written from the back of the notebook `upside down' so that it functions as a normal left-to-right.
Daily review in morning and evening, write further notes and tasks as required.
Must`dos use square bullets and marked per Brent's method.
Weekly/rolling four week reviews, feed reminders into Todoist.
In addition I use a project management application to feed task reminders into Todoist (I may not feed Todoist soon as I get to grips with the PM application).
Another practice taken from Brent is the use of colour highlighters to mark off the completed and obsolete tasks in the notebook; he's right, the UNDONE tasks stand out.
To keep a record, I will follow Cricket's to photocopy/scan the Moleskine pages (especially the pages for Meetings) and file them (I may try using OneNote to keep these records),
All in all, a useful visit back to this forum. My Moleskine notebook is my EveryThing Notebook and the channel for task management.
I have been following a Bullet Journal method since April this year, and the idea seems be growing, The editor in my latest PC PRO magazine has mentioned how's he's tried most the task managers and has switched to the Bullet Journal, partly because he still prefers the handwritten method.
Thanks to this thread, I have adapted a few of Brent's ideas
My current modus operandi:
Appointments in Outlook.
Future tasks (one-offs and repeating) in Todoist, with context labels, every day I see what is due in the next 7 days.
The above for the day written into my Moleskine squared notebook (approximately A5 size).
along with notes, thoughts etc under the Daily Log 'current date' heading, eg Daily LOG: 12/AUGUST/206.
Meeting notes are written from the back of the notebook `upside down' so that it functions as a normal left-to-right.
Daily review in morning and evening, write further notes and tasks as required.
Must`dos use square bullets and marked per Brent's method.
Weekly/rolling four week reviews, feed reminders into Todoist.
In addition I use a project management application to feed task reminders into Todoist (I may not feed Todoist soon as I get to grips with the PM application).
Another practice taken from Brent is the use of colour highlighters to mark off the completed and obsolete tasks in the notebook; he's right, the UNDONE tasks stand out.
To keep a record, I will follow Cricket's to photocopy/scan the Moleskine pages (especially the pages for Meetings) and file them (I may try using OneNote to keep these records),
All in all, a useful visit back to this forum. My Moleskine notebook is my EveryThing Notebook and the channel for task management.
August 14, 2016 at 14:48 |
Roger Jones
Roger Jones
Cricket: Really great description of you process. I have copied and filed notes out of my notebook too. Sometimes I literally cut them out and rearrange with other notes before copying. (old school cut and paste I suppose)
Tommy: I look forward to reading your observations
Roger: Do you start a new page for each day? When I do, I enjoy the new "white space" and freedom of a blank page it provides but sometimes worry about leaving too much space behind on previous pages. I think I'll just have to let it go and stick with the mental benefits of a clean page.
Brent
Tommy: I look forward to reading your observations
Roger: Do you start a new page for each day? When I do, I enjoy the new "white space" and freedom of a blank page it provides but sometimes worry about leaving too much space behind on previous pages. I think I'll just have to let it go and stick with the mental benefits of a clean page.
Brent
August 14, 2016 at 15:30 |
Brent
Brent
Brent,
I don't know about Roger, but I start a new page fairly often. For many years I looked ahead for a week, and had a standard layout for the page. Meetings start on a new page to make filing easier. If I don't start a new page, the only problem (other than lack of blank page to look at, which shouldn't be undervalued, and knowing there will be more than enough room for the list or braindum) occurs when filing, and even that is minor.
I'm glad you found my description useful. I suspect part of the reason for my current mess is I tried to improve on it by printing forms and using a binder, and forays into computerized lists. Describing it felt like coming home. I'm going to start a mix of that and Pyramid Scheme.
One other tip: Post It flags for pages you refer to often, such as the week plan, or the Pyramid Scheme master list / chart.
Roger,
Working from the back sounds like a good idea. Do you find that if you have many action items from a meeting, it's a pain to copy them into the front part? Or do you handle it in another way? (Most of my meetings, I come away with a long list of todos, sigh.)
I don't know about Roger, but I start a new page fairly often. For many years I looked ahead for a week, and had a standard layout for the page. Meetings start on a new page to make filing easier. If I don't start a new page, the only problem (other than lack of blank page to look at, which shouldn't be undervalued, and knowing there will be more than enough room for the list or braindum) occurs when filing, and even that is minor.
I'm glad you found my description useful. I suspect part of the reason for my current mess is I tried to improve on it by printing forms and using a binder, and forays into computerized lists. Describing it felt like coming home. I'm going to start a mix of that and Pyramid Scheme.
One other tip: Post It flags for pages you refer to often, such as the week plan, or the Pyramid Scheme master list / chart.
Roger,
Working from the back sounds like a good idea. Do you find that if you have many action items from a meeting, it's a pain to copy them into the front part? Or do you handle it in another way? (Most of my meetings, I come away with a long list of todos, sigh.)
August 16, 2016 at 1:02 |
Cricket
Cricket
Reporting on a few days:
-using this as a catch all method. I make no apologies! I use a list for this reason, so I can catch all things.
-running list of everything
-when something comes up (new item, new ideas, additional info, etc) I write it on next line. If this is an addition to something already on the list I cross off old list item and combine info with new info.
-at the end of EVERY DAY I scan the list and put an underscore (_) before the item. This means it is "on deck and will be actioned within the near future (a few days)
-EVERY DAY I scan the list (underscored items) and put an open square next to items that I WILL work on that day.
-During the day I only look at items with boxes next to them. When I start working on one of those I put a slash in the box. This means I am "doing" the item.
-when done I black out the box and draw a line through the item. If more work it needed I enter it at the end of the list. If work is planned soon I underscore it, if work is today I box it.
Super simple but it is helping me stay on top of all my crazy projects & responsibilities!
So far so good. I think the key is absolute consistency in scanning/reviewing.
-using this as a catch all method. I make no apologies! I use a list for this reason, so I can catch all things.
-running list of everything
-when something comes up (new item, new ideas, additional info, etc) I write it on next line. If this is an addition to something already on the list I cross off old list item and combine info with new info.
-at the end of EVERY DAY I scan the list and put an underscore (_) before the item. This means it is "on deck and will be actioned within the near future (a few days)
-EVERY DAY I scan the list (underscored items) and put an open square next to items that I WILL work on that day.
-During the day I only look at items with boxes next to them. When I start working on one of those I put a slash in the box. This means I am "doing" the item.
-when done I black out the box and draw a line through the item. If more work it needed I enter it at the end of the list. If work is planned soon I underscore it, if work is today I box it.
Super simple but it is helping me stay on top of all my crazy projects & responsibilities!
So far so good. I think the key is absolute consistency in scanning/reviewing.
August 19, 2016 at 0:20 |
Tommy
Tommy
Brent, Cricket,
New clean page or not? It depends, I think anything less than 2/3 page can have the next page started below the previous date entry. If I do want to start the new day on the same page as the previous day, I draw a line underneath the latter.
In fact it is best to draw a line on every page after the completion, one can always use the blank space later to scribble more notes, sketches, rough flow charts etc. I use the Bullet Journal principle of numbering every page and tracking via a contents page/pages at the front of the notebook, so can always find a note or reference via the contents list. The items listed follow:
Topic: page number - the advantage of this is that one can continue a topic on any other page, such as: Checklist for selling property: 145-147, 168, 171, 97 (the last could be used from previous 'white' space earlier in the notebook)
This means the contents pages need to reviewed/updated sometimes. I have still to do this, I will probably strike a line through the reference in contents for a completed item and apply a blue highlighter to that item. This could also signify that any topic still open does not have the blue highlighter applied. Other highlight colours could be used to divide topics into work, personal, home etc.
As mentioned in my earlier post in this thread, I use the notebook (Moleskine around A5 page size) for daily tasks, notes etc starting on about the 10th page (to allow for contents to be referenced) going forward in normal fashion. From about physical page 10, I enter 1 in the top corner (right corner for right-hand page, left corner for left-hand page) and number going forwards as required.
For meetings, I go to the back, turn the notebook upside down, and use the book in 'normal fashion' going from left to right. Pages are numbered from A - Z, then AA, AB.
This enables a degree of cross-referencing between meeting notes and the tasks.
BUT, the important thing is still to process the notebook pages to get stuff done! For me an important advantage is to record everything in one notebook as much as is practical - note to self: scan double pages and keep scanned digital pages in its own folder (sub-folders for each notebook).
Tommy is right: consistency in scanning/reviewing is important, I am not always consistent
New clean page or not? It depends, I think anything less than 2/3 page can have the next page started below the previous date entry. If I do want to start the new day on the same page as the previous day, I draw a line underneath the latter.
In fact it is best to draw a line on every page after the completion, one can always use the blank space later to scribble more notes, sketches, rough flow charts etc. I use the Bullet Journal principle of numbering every page and tracking via a contents page/pages at the front of the notebook, so can always find a note or reference via the contents list. The items listed follow:
Topic: page number - the advantage of this is that one can continue a topic on any other page, such as: Checklist for selling property: 145-147, 168, 171, 97 (the last could be used from previous 'white' space earlier in the notebook)
This means the contents pages need to reviewed/updated sometimes. I have still to do this, I will probably strike a line through the reference in contents for a completed item and apply a blue highlighter to that item. This could also signify that any topic still open does not have the blue highlighter applied. Other highlight colours could be used to divide topics into work, personal, home etc.
As mentioned in my earlier post in this thread, I use the notebook (Moleskine around A5 page size) for daily tasks, notes etc starting on about the 10th page (to allow for contents to be referenced) going forward in normal fashion. From about physical page 10, I enter 1 in the top corner (right corner for right-hand page, left corner for left-hand page) and number going forwards as required.
For meetings, I go to the back, turn the notebook upside down, and use the book in 'normal fashion' going from left to right. Pages are numbered from A - Z, then AA, AB.
This enables a degree of cross-referencing between meeting notes and the tasks.
BUT, the important thing is still to process the notebook pages to get stuff done! For me an important advantage is to record everything in one notebook as much as is practical - note to self: scan double pages and keep scanned digital pages in its own folder (sub-folders for each notebook).
Tommy is right: consistency in scanning/reviewing is important, I am not always consistent
August 21, 2016 at 18:07 |
Roger J
Roger J
First thank you all, especially Mark, for all of the ideas about how to get more done and feel more productive. I have assimilated many of the ideas from this site and Mark's books into my workflow. I have found many tips that have worked for me and some that don't work for me. I realize that personal productivity is personal and what works for one person doesn't work for another.
To that end, I thought I would share what has been working for me in hopes to spark more ideas for others and perhaps get some in return. I've been using this method I'll describe as a "Doing Journal" for several months now and I feel that it is working better than anything else I've tried to date.
Sort of like the "Bullet Journal" I write everything in one notebook as it occurs throughout the day. However, unlike the bullet journal, I use different notations to follow my workflow. I usually begin each day by writing a list of things I that are on my mind wether or not they have been written down before. This feels a bit like the no-list method and serves as a brain-dump of what is important to me right now. If it is on my mind then I need to put it down on paper.
To process the items, I've borrowed an idea from Michael Linenberger's MYN and I identify on that list things that must be done before I leave work for the day (I don't go home until they are done). I try to keep these items as short as possible. This isn't a wish list but a must do list. Those items get a square box [ ] next to them. I've also had some success of just marking items that I'll do in the next hour instead of the day per one of Mark's recent ideas. That keeps the list of items even smaller. Small is good for focus.
The reason I like the BOX [ ] for only truly committed items is it allows me to quickly see the items that I'm focused on doing amongst all of the other items of the list or embeded notes.
Once everything that was on my mind or what comes during the day is written down and tagged as must do or will do, I pick one item with a box *and only one* to begin. I signify this with an in process slash through the box [/]. I borrow this idea from the Agile world of limiting work in process. But it's real value for me is the fact that I get interupted many many times a day. I manage an IT projects and support team for Financial and Accounting software. With these constant interuptions I often lose track of what I was doing before I was interuppted. When a single item in my notebook has an in-process notation of [/], I find it easy go back to what I was doing after the interuption.
This alone is my best trick and is why I call this my "Doing Journal". I have gotten quite good at writing down what I am doing at this moment and noting it as such with "[/]" because I know it will likely get interupted. If I don't get interupted by someone else, I find it still focuses me and keeps me from interrupting myself. :)
Once done, I fill in the box completely [X] (I like to color it in completely as it stands out better) and move on to the next one. I us It is nice to see a page full of filled in boxes at the end of a day!
So far, my only two rules are:
1)An item in my notebook with a box [ ] must be done before leaving for the day. (unless I renogiate it and rewrite it without the box.)
2)Only one item can be in progress at a time and is signified with a [/] so it is easily spotted
I keep this system in line with meeting notes, thoughts and other "jottings". This can lead to a lot of pages of stuff that can get out of hand quickly so I guess I have a third rule. At least weekly or everytime I feel the need, I will re-write the pages and "bring forward" in my notebook all of the undone items that are still relevant. For notes that I'd like to keep for projects or other things long term, I will often put those in to more official project repositories. I aslo take this opportunity to reclarify items and re-write them in the notebook if need or enter more long term items for me and my team into more official digital sytems that can be access by me or my team. I find that while I do this consolidation of pages, I can get rid of a lot of written notes that just aren't relevant anymore. My goal during this review is to dismiss as much as I can.
Again this notebook is primarly for things I'm actually doing and thinking about and I find it very helpful to keep me focused.
Thanks for letting me share. Let me know if it spurs additional ideas. I'd love to hear them.
Brent