I keep one note for each day. It is one of the most useful habits I’ve developed, and it only takes a few minutes.
The notes help me prepare for meetings, keep track of unfinished work, and remember what I was doing months or years ago. They also make annual reviews and resume updates much easier.
I have a broad definition of work, so I keep personal and professional items in the same note. Maintaining two systems has never seemed worth the overhead.
The process
At the start of each day, I write down what I finished yesterday and what I intend to do today. I carry over anything unfinished that still matters.
### Yesterday
- fixed image generation
- ran a data migration
- investigated an API error
### Today
- [x] fix marketplace build error
- [ ] continue planning referral program
- [ ] touch base with Emil
- [ ] prep brisket
### Notes
...Rewriting yesterday’s work matters. It reminds me where I left off and gives me a chance to think about how the day went.
If something unexpected comes up, I add it to today’s list. I do this even when I know I cannot start it immediately. A rolling daily list has worked better for me than a separate global inbox.
The notes section is a scratchpad for meeting notes, code snippets, and random thoughts. I move something into a permanent note only when I expect to use it again.
Weekly summaries
On Fridays, I add one section:
### Week Summary
...I write this as if I were reporting the week to a stakeholder. I include meaningful work, difficult problems, and anything I am proud of.
These summaries are the main payoff. When I need to write a self-review or update my resume, I can scan the weekly summaries instead of reconstructing a year from memory.
The tool matters less than the habit. I currently use Obsidian, but any fast, searchable, portable system will work.