Keeping a Job Diary That Actually Works

A job diary sounds old-fashioned, but it solves a real problem: remembering who you promised what.

What to record

For every enquiry, note the name, number, address, what they need and when you said you would get back to them. For booked jobs, add the date, the time and anything you need to bring.

Paper or digital?

Either works. A shared digital calendar is handy if someone else books work for you. A paper diary in the van is fine if you work alone. What matters is that everything goes in one place.

Avoid the common mistakes

• Booking jobs from memory and forgetting to write them down.
• Keeping some jobs in the diary and others in text messages.
• Not leaving travel time between jobs.

Link it to your calls

Most new work starts with a phone call, so make writing it in the diary part of every call. If you use an answering service or text-back tool, check whether it can add bookings to your calendar directly. That removes one more step where things can slip.