Interstitial Journaling
A productivity technique created by Tony Stubblebine, Interstitial Journaling combines note-taking with time tracking.
To implement Interstitial Journaling, you write down the current time and what you’re doing or thinking at that time. Try to write in this log after completing tasks, meetings, etc.
This technique has become very popular with modern apps like Roam Research, LogSeq, and Tana, where you have a Daily Page where you dump everything into. The advantage of doing this in a digital tool is that you can easily link to other notes in your system (if your app supports it).
The Bullet Journal is a popular analog note-taking, essentially Interstitial Journaling. Bullet Journal doesn’t recommend using the current time before each of your notes. Otherwise, it’s the same system—you write brief tasks and notes throughout the day.
9:15 AM - Code review for XYZ app.
10:27 AM - Starting the estimate for ABC Corp.
11:32 AM - Wrapped up the estimate for ABC Corp. I think parts of this can be reused. These are always easier to do than I anticipated. I should create an archive for estimates somehow.
Noon - Lunch
12:27 PM - Writing about Interstitial journaling.