A short note on journaling

I’ve been keeping a journal of my projects for a few years and have found that it can serve as a powerful knowledge base.

The process.

Here's what I usually do:

I keep a record of what worked and what didn’t work.
I keep notes on any interrupts that required me to postpone tasks.
I keep notes on new applications/methods/approaches that may be relevant for my project.

Even if they are not relevant, but are interesting, I keep notes on them.

I try to keep notes daily, which can be very helpful when planning new tasks. Since I use software for my notes ( Obsidian in my case), I keep a separate page for each project. If I were to use paper, I would probably consider using a separate book for each project.

I keep my notes as brutally honest as I can (they are just for me), and if I gloss over things or embellish the truth, it will be less valuable for future projects.

I use Obsidian for my journal, and the Markdown files reside on my laptop (which I back up). However, my laptop isn’t always with me, so in those cases, I keep temporary notes on my phone or in a little notebook and transfer them to my Obsidian journal when I get the chance. I try to keep a note of where I was when I made the note (sometimes context can be important). I do have an additional step where I review the notes I have taken “in the field” to make sure I understand them before I rewrite them in my journal. I have had instances where I made a note during a conference or meeting, and when I came back to it later, I had no idea what it meant.

The value.

I have found that keeping a journal can:

Help me plan future projects,
act as a knowledge base for problems - I first look in my journal to see if I have encountered the problem before, if not, then I search books and the internet for a solution.
Help me write documentation on my projects.

For me, it has definitely provided value. I hope that this helps you if you are considering whethert to keep a journal.