Ask HN: Keeping a research/work log

[SandB0x]

I see a lot of discussion about to-do lists, but less about keeping a record of your work.

Sometimes at the end of the day I will sit and write up a few short paragraphs summarising what I've done and what I've learned. - technical notes and general thoughts about my work and study. I want to start doing this more frequently, but I want a nice searchable format rather than scattered text files. I already carry around a small notepad to scribble down thoughts and work through problems on paper.

What methods do you use? My current best idea is to keep this all on a local installation of Wordpress.

[blahblahblah]

What is the intent of your research/work log? Do you just want to capture your ideas so you are able to review important TODO items, insights, and the rationale for decisions you've made later, if needed? Or is the purpose to document your work so that if you develop an important, patentable invention you have adequate documentation for a legally defensible patent? If legal defense of a patent is the intent, then consulting with an attorney about your documentation methods long before you've invented anything is the wise thing to do. My guess is that old-fashioned signed, dated, & witnessed dead-tree paper records are probably still preferred.

[aeontech]

Check out TiddlyWiki [http://www.tiddlywiki.com/] or some other wiki software?

There was a pretty good discussion about this kind of think on StackOverflow a while back: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/78756/what-do-you-use-to-...

[pinchyfingers]

I use org-mode to keep notes while I'm working. It's really helpful to be able to create todo lists very easily and then clock in to specific tasks. If I get stuck on something, I start a heading to write about what I know/don't know and what I need to do next.

For me, org-mode is the way to go - plain text, integrated into my editor, easy outlining, time tracking, and to do lists. Check it out.

[fuzzythinker]

I use google sheets and doc. Doc for more detailed notes about a topic, tools, etc. Sheets for 1-liner per day journal -- 3 columns: 1 for summary of main work/proj , 1 for eurekas (this column is 80%+ empty, by design so they stand out) 1 for non-work, more of a diary.

[mr_b]

I just use a notebook to keep track of stuff. Evernote is one of the options you can check out.

[joshkaufman]

Backpack + Journal app for Mac: http://transmissionapps.com/

[nolite]

I'm using just a google doc.. toying with the idea of throwing a small app online for this

[xtrycatchx]

i blogged especially those that deals with programming stuffs.. i just want to keep stuffs online at the same time share it to the community.. two birds in one stone..