Working Journal

If you’re looking for a way to track your progress as a student, using a working journal (WJ) could be super helpful! Essentially, it’s a tool for breaking down assignments and setting goals in a way that makes sense to you. It can be especially useful if you’re quizzing yourself on material or trying to organize study sessions. While some students might prefer a Kanban approach to graphically show the status of their assignments, a WJ is ideal for students. You can use something like Google Docs to share your WJ with accountability partners, like parents, professors, or mentors. 

To get started, make sure you include a description of every work effort and the date by which you plan to complete it. Don’t just copy down assignment descriptions though – take time to decompose complex tasks into simpler steps. From there, you can list out your tasks in chronological order, using different colors to represent different designations. 

Above all, the key is to create a description of your work as you complete it, as well as a summary of your current status. With some diligence and a bit of planning, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals!

Example

3/21

38          English Essay                   

Read requirements in handout, lookup anything I don’t understand and create breakdown. Chose topic: Justice. Did some research on my topic using AI tool; made mindmap put into Emglish Notebook. Created Outline.

78          Algebra Workbook Pg 276, 21 to 49, Odd

Completed and had difficulty with problems 47 and 49, order of operations.

84          Reading Brothers Karamazov Chapter 3

Alyosha leaves for Madame Khokhlakov’s house. On the way, he sees a group of young bullies throwing rocks at a frail boy, who, despite his disadvantages, throws the rocks back as hard as he can. When the boy runs away, Alyosha runs after him, hoping to talk with him, but when Alyosha catches him, the boy hits him with a rock and bites his finger. The boy runs away again, leaving Alyosha confused and troubled, wondering what could cause such savage behavior in such a young boy.

3/22

38          Justice Essay – Rough draft. Ask AJ to look over.

78          Review Order of Operations problems in Math Notebook.

93          Algebra Workbook Pg 280, 17 – 35, Odd

84          Reading Brother Karamzov Chapter 5

Chores: Set table and take recyclables out

 

3/23

38          Justice Essay – Make changes and submit.

107        Algebra Workbook Pg 281, 20 – 23, Odd

84          Reading Brother Karamzov Chapter 6