Write about work, not for work

I hate writing resumes in part for the same reasons I hate self-reviews. It can be really difficult to remember what I’ve done in the past. It’s easy to remember most of the big things like promotions, projects I loved, or hitting rough patches. But over time everything else tends to get rolled up into general feelings about how busy or productive or happy I was over some period. Especially if I’ve been busy.

The challenge is not forgetfulness. It is more like dilution. Sometimes I find it difficult to list the people I’ve worked with, the technologies I’ve used, and things I’ve learned. I don’t forget those things, I just stop thinking about them because I’m thinking about something else. I use all kinds of tricks to remember them when I need them. But, the more time passes the less confident I become in the lists I come up with. Did I miss anything?

I find so many reasons that I need to be able to remember and list all those things. Maybe I’m looking for a new job, or to help someone else figure out a good path to learn something I have. Maybe I want to look at a problematic work relationship from hindsight. Maybe I’m trying to justify a promotion or figure out what skill gaps I have. Maybe I just want to be able to tell my coworkers or management what has been going on without worrying that I’ve left something out.

I’ve tried keeping notes or journals. I tend to reach for simple solutions that seem within reach of my working environment. I’ve used plaintext files, blog software, wikis, SMS myself, and Slack myself. I’ve retweeted things just because I wanted to remember to circle back around to them. I’ve stuck sticky notes in my bag, or onto the back of my laptop. I’ve got nice notebooks, and a totally inconsistent mess in Apple Notes. All of this has left me with several incoherent places to check when I need something. None of them provide a complete picture or hint at related context.

I keep running into four main problems with my attempts at keeping a work journal:

1. Most tools are too flexible which makes it impossible to maintain the discipline to stay organized over time.
2. Most tools don’t help me record the context of my entry. Often the date and time of the entry is enough. Sometimes the pressure is too high to create a polished entry and it takes days to complete (if it ever makes it beyond a draft).
3. I almost always end up blending how I use tools. For example I might use a notes app for a few work notes, then take a personal note, or a note about something only sort of related to work.
4. Then one day I feel like the notes aren’t organized in the most effective way because I can’t find something that I’m sure I took down. This is the point when I lose trust in the tool and data set.

The impact is that my journal is actually dangerous. I can’t trust that it is complete. I can’t trust that I’ll be able to find it when I need it. I have no faith that the effort of writing will create any value in the future.

Dreading the blank page.

For the last year my team and I have been studying and building how to use reading and writing to communicate at scale. Early on we spent significant effort learning about blockers to effective writing. More often than not people have a difficult time figuring out what to write. It reminded me of sitting in elementary school during a 30-minute writing exercise where the teacher would repeat, “If you can’t think of anything to write, write that for 30-minutes.” Guilty of that excuse myself I would start that way, but my mind would wander and as a result I’d end up with a semi-cohesive stream of consciousness. That isn’t so much help today, but it highlights the importance of writing prompts.

We learned that writing prompts — questions or short descriptions — encourage quick responses and limit scope. We’ve been putting this into practice all year and at this point I’d never write without them.

…My journal is actually dangerous.

Our studies also looked at how people look for things and their struggles in understanding their past work. We found that most systems, notes, and other documents lack any recorded context. Comprehension is improved when you can include additional context with notes or documents. People usually can’t remember exactly where they were at some date or time, but they might if you prompt them with related events.

We want to help people record and remember the things that are important for their career. We’re building a product called Topple Timeline that rolls up the best of what we’ve learned into a simple personal work journal. Timeline can help you:

• Keep track of what you’re working on
• Build resumes
• Prepare for reviews
• Justify promotions

We believe writing is for everyone and that there should be a tool for people who want to write about work, not for work. Personal work journals are not a large complex writing projects. We are not concerned with crafting beautiful prose. We want to help people get thoughts out of their heads and into a simple timeline of related entries. You deserve a work journal that doesn’t burden you with keeping it organized.

A work journal helps you learn from problems, spot trends, and show growth. You’ll be able to make reviews an effective, but quick formality. Don’t change the way you work, change how you keep track of it. Timeline is your journal about work.

Timeline by Topple

We’re working on our first release now and it should be available for browsers shortly. We’re targeting mobile and tablet platforms next because it is important to be able to update your work journal from wherever you work. We’d love to keep you updated about our releases. Please consider signing up for our release notifications email list.

Even if you don’t checkout Timeline, I hope these reflections help you think about how you can journal more effectively in your professional life.