How to Use Time & Productivity Journaling for Better Performance

Productivity journal. Time diary. Personal log. Habit tracker... These are just a few of the terms used to describe the practice of chronicling your day. As for why you’d want to log the minutiae of your daily routine? There’s a plethora of reasons – such as the catharsis that is distilling your day onto a page. It gives you the gift of:

• Reflection
• Expression
• Notable patterns depicting progression
• And, over time, increased productivity

In this blog, we'll outline the different forms of time journaling, some best practices, outline the benefits, plus provide examples of what's written in these journals.

What is time journaling all about?

Committing your thoughts to a page is a very powerful thing. Not only does it help drain the brain of thoughts and events so they’re not banging around your head at 3am, but it also gives you clarity on several things that impact your day. 

For instance, once you’ve been journaling daily for a week, you can see patterns emerging on an array of both personal and professional topics, such as:

• Accomplished tasks
• Your sleep
• Your dietary habits
• Most and least productive work hours
• When and how you get downtime
• Your stress levels

When I first started journaling, it was purely a personal thing. It was mostly a means to vent that didn’t involve roaring at my poor innocent family. Correlating it with my sleep and (bad) dietary habits, it soon emerged that both of those pivotal components were contributing to stress. Had you asked me what I found most stressful prior to journaling, I would have said it was “work.”

Having the data to see that poor sleep, diet, and a lack of downtime were in fact the root cause of my stress, work soon became way more manageable. As for which format I went with? I’ll address that further down. In the interim, we should establish the difference between time journaling and productivity journaling.

Productivity journaling and its benefits

While some people use the terms “time journaling” and “productivity journaling” interchangeably, there are some key differences.

In essence, time journaling is about observing and analyzing your time usage, while productivity journaling is more about organizing and strategizing to maximize your efficiency and, by extension, promote better well-being. 

While the benefits of time journaling could be deemed self-evident, the merits of productivity journaling can be more subjective. To put it another way; time journaling brings clarity to where your time goes, and productivity journaling breathes life into that data by facilitating the following:

Now that we’ve outlined the differences between time journaling and productivity journaling, here are some simple methodologies to help inspire you.

Types of journaling with examples

Time journaling doesn’t have to be convoluted. The most important thing is to do it daily. Therefore, it should be something that comes easily to you rather than another protracted chore added to your day; that’s obviously counterintuitive.

When I first started, it was simply a couple of lines I scrawled at bedtime. Sometimes, it would be just that – a couple of lines. Other times, I’d fill a page or more. While cathartic, I soon realized that, in order to glean the most consistent insights, I needed to keep to a format. 

I know that stream of consciousness – or The Artist’s Way – has its own merits in terms of delving into your psyche, but I needed more structure. Otherwise, I wouldn’t do it daily. With that in mind, I opted for the below Today & Tomorrow format.

1. ‘Today & Tomorrow’ journaling

You start by noting today’s date. Below that, jot down your working hours and a brief summary of your day (three lines should do it). Include details that could affect your productivity – like your mood, external circumstances, or any missteps. Then answer the following three questions (honestly).

• What did I start today?
• What did I finish today?
• What will I do tomorrow?

2. ‘Goal’ journaling

We all have goals, but how many of us are brave enough to put them in writing and actually establish a plan to achieve them? Goal journaling makes what appear to be lofty goals more attainable by bringing clarity, motivation, and accountability to proceedings.

Whether you’re aiming to advance in your career, improve your health, or develop that new skill that you’ve been putting off, goal journaling provides you with a structured path.

When devising your Goal journal, it’s also important to be realistic about any potential obstacles you might encounter along the way. Once established, you can then come up with some ways to mitigate these issues if/when they arise. 

3. ‘Reflective’ journaling

As the name suggests, this journaling is more introspective in nature. Reflective journaling is particularly useful when you're uncertain about the steps you need to boost productivity. It’s effective whether you have a specific focus or just want to explore your thoughts and experiences in a broader sense.

Reflective journaling allows you to explore a variety of topics – like challenges, successes, fears, values, and beliefs. You can also examine your interactions, relationships, and personal and professional growth. This practice offers a powerful means for self-improvement and gaining deeper self-awareness, while also serving as a therapeutic outlet for difficult emotions and experiences.

4. ‘Bullet’ journaling

This is one for those who have little interest in exorcizing emotions and want to focus on simply getting s&!% done. Think of it as an organizational system that combines a to-do list, diary, and planner all in one. It uses bullet points, symbols, and rapid logging to help you track tasks, events, and notes. 

The beauty of bulleting lies in its flexibility and personalization: you can customize it to fit your personal needs, whether for managing your daily schedule, monitoring habits, brainstorming ideas, or generally staying grateful.

Best practices for time journaling

Now that we’ve tackled some of the different forms of journaling – be they free-wheeling and expressive or focused lists – here are some best practices that can be applied across the board to ensure you make the most from whatever method you go for.

Clarity

Define what you want to achieve in your journal from the outset, whether it’s daily tasks, long-term projects, personal growth, or more downtime! If you start feeling overwhelmed, break down larger goals into smaller, manageable "sub-goals" to make them feel more achievable. 

Consistency

This one is obvious, but in order for any of this to be effective long-term you need to record your activities daily (even just for a few minutes) to get an accurate picture of how you spend your time.

Be detailed and honest

It's important to include specific details about tasks, durations, and – moreover – any interruptions or time squandered elsewhere. 

Be flexible

Allow room for unexpected changes (life happens!) so be adaptable in your planning.

Categorize

Classify activities into categories – like work, errands, and leisure time – to easily spot patterns. The bullet journal would particularly work here. 

Reflect

As with most processes, you need to regularly set aside time to review your entries to see what worked and what didn't. This way, you can identify areas for improvement and make those all-important adjustments. 

Make it yours

It doesn't have to be in writing. It could be online or analog and consist of lists, mind maps, color-coded stickies, and more!

Use those tools

Leverage digital tools or apps that make tracking easier and more efficient. Speaking of which...

Using Memtime as your digital memory aid

Memtime is a hugely useful tool in this instance. Firstly, as outlined above, it helps you to be both detailed and honest. By detailed, I mean it visually tracks your time in whatever increments suit you best – be it minutely or hourly. 

In terms of honesty; Memtime quietly records your offline time too – be it a lunchbreak, an interruption by a regular time vampire, or any other activity that dragged you away from your desktop.

Trying to keep track of every moment of your day in order to make sense of it all and heighten your productivity and enhance your life overall is a pretty big ask. So that’s where Memtime could be your perfect fit.

It’s basically a digital time journal that automatically populates itself, showing you everything you’ve worked on.

It helps you to:

1. Identify your very own productivity patterns – or time drains and distractions. 
2. It’s a work journal, tracking all your computer activity, down to the minute.
3. As such, it acts as a digital memory aid, so you can recall everything without actively noting down each thing you did.

Let’s be frank, noting every aspect of your day can be time consuming in itself. This is why people have a tendency not to stick with productivity journaling in the first place. 

So, let us do the time tracking so you can do the productivity tracking. If you fancy having us as an accountability partner for enhanced productivity, do feel free to start your free trial.