Purpose of Keeping a Diary#
To create a life of our own, we first need to set a script for ourselves, which is what we call "planning".
Whether it's academic planning, career planning, or business planning, in simple terms, a plan should include at least three parts: goals, implementation plans, and achieved results.
Now assuming that all the plans are already in place, the next step is action. However, before taking action, there is one more thing to do - create a real-time monitoring system to ensure that we are on the right track.
Today's protagonist - writing a diary - is a kind of monitoring system.
- Clear progress towards goals: By simply recording a diary of "costs incurred + actions taken + results achieved", we can derive the progress of our actions from a set of data.
- Identifying errors and loopholes: Abnormal data tells us the "key reasons" that hinder progress.
Recording is for reviewing, so how can we record most efficiently?
I believe that effective review records should have the following characteristics👇
- Searchable (by date, text search content)
- Practical (content can be applied in reality)
- Easy to record (synchronized on multiple devices such as PC and mobile)
- Easy to review (for each event, you can visually see which days you did and how the results were within a year or a month)
- Clear events
Diary Methods I Have Used#
Method 1: Modular Diary for Review (similar to a Sudoku-like diary)
2023-08-21
- Work: ...
- Study: ...
- Emotions: ...
- Interests: ...
...
Advantages of this method:
- Clear categorization, clear structure when reading.
Disadvantages of this method:
- Can only view the daily records on a day-by-day basis. If you want to see the "learning progress of investment knowledge", you have to look at it day by day, then summarize it into one file, and then review and summarize it.
- The goals of each day are not clear. If I want to know which days I went for a run and which days I read, I need to check day by day.
- In short, it is troublesome to review an event.
Method 2: Reflective Diary
2023-08-21
Today was the first time I took a night train. I couldn't see anything outside the window because it was pitch black. When I arrived in Zhengzhou, the song "Blowing Dreams to the Western Shore" was playing. I really like this song, not only because it happened to be playing today, but also because of the upcoming trip to Mount Tai tomorrow. Looking forward to it and cheering myself on!
Advantages of this method:
- Record freely, like chatting, the most readable diary.
Disadvantages of this method:
- Not suitable for events that require review.
Method 3: Reflective + Modular Diary
2023-08-21
- Reflection for Today: Today was the first time I took a night train...
- Work: ...
- Study: ...
- Emotions: ...
- Interests: ...
Advantages of this method:
- Combines the first two methods, writing a diary in one file.
Disadvantages of this method:
- Although it can comprehensively record daily reflections and events for review, it is still cumbersome or requires secondary organization when reviewing an event.
Approach to Problem Solving#
I was thinking, the core of a diary and notes should be the same. A diary is used to record things that happen to us, while notes are used to record knowledge we learn.
What would happen if we look at notes and diaries together?
Let's talk about the characteristics of notes first. Before the new college entrance examination, high school students had six subjects: Chinese, math, English, physics, chemistry, and biology, so students would prepare at least six notebooks.
Now let's talk about the characteristics of diaries. Generally, we only use one diary book/diary app. (Unless we run out of paper)
Why do we need at least six notebooks for six subjects, but not for diaries?
Thinking the other way around, what would happen if we used one notebook for all six subjects? All subject notes would have to be recorded in the same notebook "by date", just like writing a diary. If we want to review a specific subject, we would need to reorganize the notes (put Chinese together, put math together...). Isn't this making things more complicated?
We can prepare multiple notebooks, one notebook for each subject. This is more friendly in terms of review effectiveness and reading experience.
This gave me an inspiration, why can't I use multiple diaries?
If we associate review with revision, the answer becomes clear: a diary suitable for review should be recorded in a separate diary book.
In other words, if I want to record running, I will use a dedicated "Running Diary", and if I want to record reading, I will use a dedicated "Reading Notebook"...
Final Solution#
Create multiple diaries based on their purpose.
Separate diaries used for review and diaries used for recording life perceptions, each type of diary has its own diary book/diary file.
I use WPS Excel to record data for review (review-style notes), and the template is as follows. Create 12 sheets in one Excel file, corresponding to 12 months, and each sheet has the next 10 years.
If you find it inconvenient to open Excel, I recommend using a habit-tracking app to do this. I recommend the "Today's Habits" app for Android.
For reflective diaries, use a diary app (a diary app), and record them according to the "Method 2" mentioned earlier.
Why ten years?
- It's romantic to specialize in a field for 10 years.