GTD with Journals

Over the past two months I have been experimenting with the use of journals to both help me capture my ideas and also record completed tasks/milestones so I can look back for both inspiration and analysis. Although it is probably overdoing it, I have created multiple journals for each main topic that I feel requires some form of capture. Two of the main topics I use journals for are GTD and SEO. I find that recording the various GTD methods and techniques that I use allows me to then check back, evaluate and decide whether it actually helped. I feel this analysis is crucial in developing solid working habits.

Although some people prefer paper or hard-journals (I too have a moleskin that I use to capture some of my ideas), most of the time I enter my thoughts in .LOG files. Check out the .LOG notepad hack on how to turn windows notepad into a journal. These logs allow for quick time-stamped entries that I can easily return to during my weekly reviews.

It might seem like wasted time to enter your thoughts and things you have already done into a journal but you will be amazed at how much it helps in evaluating your ideas and habits.