A Work Note You Can Find Again Needs Five Boxes

Even if you write work notes diligently, if you cannot find what you need later, the power of the record weakens. Instead of writing out the day's feelings at length, it is better to leave what you observed, in what situation, and what you decided — that is easier to use again.

The format I use often has five boxes.

Situation: where, with whom, for what purpose
Observation: what did I confirm directly
Decision: what have I decided now
Next action: who does what, by when
Unresolved: what question is still unanswered

Keep the order of the record

Write the situation and the observation first, then the decision and the interpretation. If the order is reversed, you end up picking only the scenes that fit the conclusion from the start. Marking in the observation what you "heard said", what you "confirmed in a document" and what you "saw yourself" also reduces memory blending.

Start the next action with a verb. "Send a comparison table of the two quotes" is easier to judge as done than "review", and "Confirm arrival time with the person in charge" is clearer than "contact". If setting a deadline is hard, write down at least the next time you will look at it.

Leaving a path for your later self

Put the date and topic in the note title, along with the location of related documents or photos. Writing on the assumption that you in a week will not know today's context changes the record. On days you cannot fill in all five boxes, leaving just the situation and the next action is enough.

A recording habit gets more help from format than from willpower. When the same box is always opened, the effort of starting goes down, and the notes that pile up work like a map preparing the next task.