Crossing tasks off a to-do list is satisfying. Imagine that sensation, but with a lot more vitality, shining brightly on the screen of your laptop or phone. Unlike planners with scrawls or notebooks with coffee stains, the electronic work diary is a whole new thing. You’re switching tabs and color-coding your life rather than looking for that elusive pen. With a little shine, it’s effective. nhvr work diary app

For a year, I made an effort to write in my diary every day. “Tried” means that I got to the middle of February. However, the digital form has an odd habit of lingering. I could never escape the reminders from my notes. It’s no longer as chic to secretly alter tomorrow’s itinerary while holding your phone beneath the meeting table. Changing the time of a meeting merely requires a few quick taps. Crazy deleting, good-bye.

Supervisors don’t have to worry about these digital journals anymore. Imagine having a dashboard where you can see who is doing what, when, and for how long. My supervisor once compared keeping track of time to “herding cats.” Now, everyone is tracked and recorded, even those who start early and those who finish late. There’s less misunderstanding and more clarity.

Errors are committed. Enter audit trails. Was “client call” mistakenly marked as “annual leave”? Absolutely no issue. Every modification can be found by someone, somewhere. When HR visits to speak with you, that will be helpful. Give up pointing the finger at the wrong employee in the kitchen.

An odd advantage is that patterns emerge, and they can occasionally be unexpected. Have you ever seen that the majority of your staff works extremely hard before lunch but then stops after 3 p.m.? Using an electronic tracker brings up these small bits of information. Modify your plans; perhaps “death by spreadsheet” ought to occur after a strong cup of coffee every day.

Are you concerned about privacy? The settings of the majority of systems are unchangeable. Who sees what, and when, is up to you. There won’t be any more issues at work because someone noticed your dentist appointment.

Meeting numerous deadlines and working on a variety of projects doesn’t have to seem like juggling a lot of different things. With their search features, tags, and reminders, work diaries are like having your own slightly insane secretary. Giving them a cup of tea is not even required.

Although switching from paper could cause some people to stare, it’s actually quite simple. While elderly people may grumble, younger folks are often the ones who move things along—until those gentle reminders come to the rescue. Tech is similar to democracy where everyone must agree.

There are flaws in electronic work diaries. To keep you humble, they might eat or freeze a note. But one ping at a time, they’ll catch anything that slips through the holes. Besides, who can even recall where they placed their last paper diary?