Journaling methods
Interstitial journaling
Interstitial journaling is writing a short note between tasks, all through the day. Each time you finish one thing, you write a line about what you did and what comes next. By night, the lines add up to the whole day.
Last updated
Reviewed by Mohammed Raqeeb
How it works
How interstitial journaling works.
Interstitial journaling happens in the gaps between tasks. When one thing ends, you write a line: what you did, roughly when, and what you will do next. Then you start the next thing.
The notes are short on purpose. A line takes moments, so it fits between a meeting and lunch. The day gets written while it is still fresh, instead of rebuilt from memory at night.
The name comes from “interstitial”, which means in the spaces between things.
A real day
One day, written a line at a time.
The day below was written in six lines. Each line went to the Think in Numbers parser as it was written, the way the app adds a piece to a day in progress. After the first line, the day had 7h 15m accounted for. After the last, it had 20h 15m.
| Written at | The line | Day so far |
|---|---|---|
| Woke at 6:30, went to sleep around 11 last night. Coffee and a shower until 7:15. | 7h 15m | |
| Commute from 7:30 to 8:15. Inbox and standup until 9:30. | 9h 15m | |
| Deep work on the pricing page from 9:30 to 12, phone off. | 11h 45m | |
| Lunch from 12 to 12:45, then a 15 minute walk. | 12h 45m | |
| Meetings from 1 to 3:30. Then I drifted, about an hour on my phone. | 16h 15m | |
| Gym from 6 to 7. Dinner with my partner from 7:30 to 8:30. Read until 10:30. | 20h 15m |
The whole day, after the last line
- Sleep6h 30m
- Work6h 15m
- Food & Meals2h 15m
- Self-Growth2h
- Fitness1h 15m
- Using Phone1h
- Travel & Commute45m
- Personal Care15m
- Unaccounted3h 45m
20h 15m of 24 hours accounted for. Unaccounted is the time the words never mentioned.
Real output from the Think in Numbers parser (version v21), run on with the app’s starter categories. Stored as written, not edited.
Why it helps
Why write between tasks.
Writing between tasks catches the time a night-time entry forgets. In the day above, the line written at admits to drifting onto the phone for about an hour. That detail is easy to forget by bedtime.
Each line is also a small pause. Writing what comes next turns the gap between two tasks into a decision, not a drift.
Compared
Interstitial journaling and the evening entry.
Interstitial journaling and an evening entry record the same day in different ways. The evening entry is one sitting from memory. Interstitial journaling is many small notes, each written close to the moment.
The two mix well. Write lines through the day, then answer one of the evening journal prompts at night. For whole-day examples, see the journal entry examples. On paper, a time log works as an interstitial journal.
The app
Interstitial journaling in Think in Numbers.
Interstitial journaling is how Think in Numbers is built to be used. You add a line whenever something ends, typed or said, and each line lands on the same day. Think in Numbers reads the words and adds them to the day’s hours by category.
Writing the whole day once at night works too. Either way, the time no line mentions stays on the day as unaccounted.
Keep reading.
- Time journalingThe method: write or say your day in your own words, then see it as hours.
- Journal entry examplesFour real entries, each shown with the hours it became.
- Time log templateStart, end, what you did, minutes. Then add it up.
- Time auditA week of writing down what you did, then adding it up.
- Where did my week go? calculatorEnter a typical day and see your week accounted and unaccounted.
Questions
Questions people ask.
What is interstitial journaling?
Interstitial journaling is writing a short note between tasks, all through the day. Each note says what you just did and what comes next. By night, the notes add up to the whole day.
How is interstitial journaling different from a daily journal?
A daily journal is written once, usually at night, from memory. Interstitial journaling is written in small pieces as the day happens, so less is forgotten and the times are closer to the truth.
How long does each interstitial note take?
Each note is a line or two, so it takes moments. The habit works because each note is small enough to write between two tasks.
What should an interstitial note say?
An interstitial note should say what you just finished, roughly when it started and ended, and what you are starting next. A word on how it went is a bonus.
Can I do interstitial journaling by voice?
Yes. Think in Numbers, a smart journaling app for iPhone and Android, takes each note typed or said. Every note lands on the same day and adds to its hours.
Try it on my day.
Think in Numbers is a smart journaling app with time tracking built in. Write or say today in your own words, and see where the hours went. No timers.
For iPhone and Android. Try it on your own day before you pay.