When people start journaling, they usually ask “What did I do today?” That question is fine, but it produces a list of tasks. Lists of tasks are not that useful later. What is useful is understanding why the task mattered and what obstacle it overcame.
A better structure for any journal entry is three parts:
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What was the need?
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What was the problem?
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What was the solution?
This framework turns a task into a story with context. Stories with context are easier to recall, reuse, and share.
1. What Was the Need?
Start by describing what someone was trying to accomplish. This is not the technical task. This is the outcome.
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What was the person or team trying to do?
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What outcome were they seeking?
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Who was impacted?
If you do not know the need, you are describing activity. Activity is not the same as value.
Example: A small business owner needs to manage the entire sales workflow without switching between half a dozen screens.
2. What Was the Problem?
Next, describe what prevented the need from being met. Be specific.
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What was in the way?
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Why was it actually a problem?
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Was it worth solving, or was it a symptom of something bigger?
Sometimes the problem is not what it first appears to be. Writing it down makes you examine that.
Example: The owner has to jump through too many menu items. Each click is small, but the cumulative friction kills momentum and increases errors.
3. What Was the Solution?
Finally, describe what you did and how it addressed the problem.
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What did you build, implement, or decide?
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How did it address the problem?
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Did it actually meet the need?
Be honest. A solution that partially meets the need is still worth capturing. It tells you what worked and what to revisit.
Example: A dashboard that aggregates the main workflow steps with quick actions. It reduced the number of clicks and gave the owner a single place to see the state of the pipeline.
Why This Framework Matters
Most journal entries describe the solution. “I built a dashboard.” That sentence is almost useless two months later. The useful part is the surrounding context.
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Why did the dashboard matter?
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Whose pain did it reduce?
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What would have happened if we did nothing?
The Need → Problem → Solution format forces you to capture that context. It also trains you to see your work through a business lens, which makes it easier to explain value to stakeholders, write resumes, and identify patterns across projects.
A Real Entry
Here is how a single entry might look:
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Need: Small business owners need to manage their entire sales workflow efficiently.
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Problem: They wear multiple hats and have to jump through too many menu items.
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Solution: A dashboard that aggregates main workflow steps with quick actions.
That entry took one minute to write. Six months later, it can become part of a case study, a performance review, a blog post, or a proposal for a similar feature.
How to Practice It
For your next journal entry, pick one thing you worked on. Do not list all your tasks. Pick one significant item and write it in the three-part format.
If you are stuck, ask:
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Who needed this?
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What made it hard?
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What did I actually do about it?
That is the framework. It turns experience into a reusable record.
In the next post, the three-part structure expands into six questions that cover activity, problem, approach, value, resistance, and what to create from the experience.
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