How I Take Smart Daily Notes as a Developer

When I started remote work from home about four and a half years ago, I built a habit of taking daily notes of my work-related activities. This habit has stuck with me, even more so after the pandemic hit. Initially a mechanism for accountability, over time, it transformed into a curiosity-driven documentation system. It’s an ever-evolving system that has taken several forms thus far, but for the last year or so I’ve stuck with basically the same routine. The value I find in this practice is immense, and I get a weird, nerdy sense of joy looking back on several years’ worth of daily entries.

The Whys of Daily Notes

What value? Why take daily notes at all? I first gravitated toward note-taking as a tool to quantify productivity. It’s no mystery that remote working can blur the clean distinctions between work and home. To counteract this, I found that taking daily work notes was a great way to keep track of my tasks and account for my time. Additionally, it offered vital validations; I could fully account for my daily progress, and I could reassure myself of the value added each day.

It’s become a logbook of decisions and tasks I’ve made throughout each day, giving me clarity about my work and decision-making process. It’s also useful for drafting emails or Slack messages without the risk of hitting send too early and with a chance to catch any grammar or spelling mistakes. Another perk is it helps me to be ready for meetings by offering a space to prepare my talking points and thoughts.

My Toolbox

The tools I used for my daily notes evolved as my needs changed. I started my journey with Evernote. Soon, however, I graduated to a more code-oriented space, using Markdown with the Vim Wiki plugin. Emacs and its robust built-in org-mode feature came next in my note-taking voyage. As of today, I’ve found balance with Obsidian, a markdown-based note editor. Equipped with plugins and linkable notes—it focuses more on user experience, allowing for as much or as little complexity as required. Guiding my Obsidian experience is the “Periodic Notes” community plugin, which proves invaluable in keeping my notes organized.

Anatomy of a Daily Note

At present, an example Daily Note might look like this:

# 2024-08-01

## 🤹 Tasks
- [ ] Meeting w/ Manager @ 1300
- [ ] Blog Post due @ Midnight

## 🌲 Log
- 0700 - Starting work on TIX-1234
- 0800 - Started Code Review of TIX-2345, TIX-4567
- 1100 - Daily Stand-up 
- 1125 - Continue work on TIX-1234

## 🏁 Stand-Ups

YESTERDAY - 
- Completed work on TIX-7777, TIX-3434
- Reviewed PR for TIX-2323

TODAY -
- Will Continue work on TIX-1234

## 📓 Journal

#### Slack Message to John S.

Hi John - Wanted to ask you about XYZ-1234? Should we prioritize this work? ...

#### Email to Jane D.

Hi Jane, 

Hope you had a good holiday. Would next Wedneday be good for our meeting? ...

#### TIX-1234

Possible causes:
    - could be related to the bug ticket TIX-2222

Testing Steps:
1. Log in to the app.
2. Cause the app to crash.
3. ...


## 🍲 Takeaways

- Remember to scedule Eye appointment
- Block of time daily for Code Review.

In the Tasks section, I’ll list any meetings, appointments or hard deadlines I might have on my agenda for the day. In the Log section, as you might expect, I keep a log of my time. The Stand-Ups section concerns my daily Stand-Ups meeting updates, which I can update as new tasks are accomplished under the “Today” section. The Journal section is typically where I pre-compose communications, such as Slack Messages or emails. When deemed necessary, I will add an entry for an in-progress ticket where I can collect my thoughts and prepare ticket-specific communications. Finally, in the Takeaways section, I add reminders or thought I hope to walk away from the day with in my mind.

The next day, I start a new template and will typically go back and review the day-before entry. Anything I need to carry over, I copy manually into the next note. Is this completely efficient? No. Could this step be automated somehow? Yes, most likely. However, I find looking back and manually copying and pasting relevant information into the new day’s note to be key to remembering important tasks and appointments.

Tools of Reflection

Looking back at my note-taking practice, it’s genuinely astonishing how an accountability tool morphed into a habit integral to my work philosophy. It’s been an intriguing journey, from its humble start to its current form, comprising the detailed logs of my professional life. Beyond just archiving work, it has made me more methodical in my thought process, even aiding in maintaining clear communication, and planning ahead. With a tool like Obsidian acting as an ally, each daily entry feels less like a work necessity and more like an experience.