You Need a Productivity Journal

You know how writing things down generally sticks them in your brain better? That's true when you're taking notes to remember something or when you're planning your day. When it comes to productivity, several of the most recommended methods ask you to write stuff down. From a to-do list or daily action plan to a nighttime review of everything you did (or didn't do), if you're serious about harnessing the power of specific productivity techniques, you'll end up writing at some point. You should designate a specific spot to get that done.

Why productivity journal?

Productivity journaling is important because it helps you focus. You can jot down everything you need to get done or take notes on what didn't work throughout the day. It's key, though, that you do this in a designated notebook or document rather than just using a sticky note, keeping it all in your mind, or adding it in with your regular journaling. Setting aside a specific time to do this, too, will get you into the zone and keep your focus on action.

Productivity journaling option 1: A real journal

Writing by hand is always better for memory and focus than jotting things down digitally, so if you can, try to pick up a journal or notebook specifically meant for productivity. You can try a productivity planner with space for to-do lists and notes, but a regular notebook works just as well.

The most important aspect of this is making sure nothing else goes in the notebook. Don't write down how your day went or anything other than your to-do lists, priority matrixes, and notes on wins and losses. Loftier thoughts should be stored somewhere else so you get in the habit of associating your productivity journaling time with, well, productivity.

Set time aside every morning and night to do this, but keep the time limited, following the "7-Minute Life" rule. It's not productive to devote a ton of time to this, so practice streamlining your journaling. Seven minutes in the morning go toward planning. Seven at night go toward reviewing. Anything beyond that is (unproductive) overkill.

Productivity journaling option 2: Digital

It might be hard to carve out time to sit down and write, plus you may not always want to have a little notebook with you. You can still productivity journal using your phone or computer, but if you do, make sure to keep it all in one place, kind of like a single source of truth (SSOT).

Ideally, use one document for this, whether it's a Google Doc or a phone note. You want to be able to look back at your old to-dos and reflections when you're planning, so having everything in one place is a major component of doing this right. Starting a new doc every night will make your productivity journaling more disorganized and less useful, whereas a single document that you can run searches within will keep everything together and easy to reference.