Keeping a lab / project notebook
Whether you're in a wet lab, writing code, making art, or running a study — a good notebook is the difference between remembering what you did and having to redo it. A simple system that scales.
01Why bother
Future-you has forgotten what present-you knows. In six weeks you will not remember why you changed a parameter, which sample was which, or what that folder on your desktop was for. A notebook is a letter to that future person.
It's also the single thing mentors most notice about students who are ready for more responsibility. A student who takes clear notes is trusted with harder work, faster.
02The five-line daily entry
Date and a one-line goal for the day. What you actually did. What worked. What didn't. What you'll do next.
That's it. Every day, even the days it feels like you didn't do anything. Especially those days — often you learn something and don't realize.
03What to name things
Files: date_project_shortdescription_version. Like 2026-03-12_water-samples_nitrate-analysis_v2.csv. Boring, sortable, unambiguous six months later.
Never 'final,' 'final_v2,' 'FINAL_actually_final.' It always ends badly. Use version numbers or dates.
04Paper, digital, or both
Wet labs: paper for what happens at the bench, digital for analysis. Code and data projects: a plain markdown file in the repo, plus real README files. Art / writing: a simple notebook or Notion page with dated entries.
Whatever you choose, pick one thing and stick to it for a full project. Switching tools mid-project is where notes go to die.