Daily Journal

Daily Work Journal

Manages daily work notes with configurable format (org-mode or markdown) and paths for cross-platform support.

First-Time Setup

On first use, check if config.json exists in this skill directory (~/.cursor/skills/daily-journal/config.json on Unix, %APPDATA%\Cursor\skills\daily-journal\config.json on Windows).

If config.json is missing, prompt the user:

1. "What note format do you prefer?"

   • a) org-mode (.org) - for Emacs users
   • b) markdown (.md) - for VS Code, Obsidian, Typora, etc.

2. "Where should your journal be stored? (provide full path)"

3. "Which directories contain your git repositories? (comma-separated full paths)"

4. "What's your name for the journal author field?"

5. "What's your git username or email for filtering commits?"

Create config.json with the answers:

{
  "note_format": "org",
  "journal_path": "<user provided path>",
  "repo_search_paths": ["<path1>", "<path2>"],
  "author_name": "<user provided name>",
  "git_author_filter": "<git username/email>"
}

After creating config, proceed with the journal operation.

Configuration Reference

Directory Structure

File extension is .org or .md based on config.note_format.

<journal_path>/
├── index.<ext>                  # Hierarchical index
└── YYYY/                        # Year directory
    └── wwXX/                    # Work week directory (ISO week number)
        ├── YYYY-MM-DD.<ext>     # Daily notes
        └── weekly-summary.<ext> # Weekly summary (created Sunday)

Data Sources

Before creating a daily note, gather context from:

1. Shell history (today's commands)

Auto-detect based on OS:

• Unix/macOS: Check ~/.zsh_history and ~/.bash_history
• Windows: Run (Get-PSReadLineOption).HistorySavePath in PowerShell

Filter for today's commands.

2. Emacs history (if exists)

Check for these files (skip if not found):

Standard Emacs:

• ~/.emacs.d/history - minibuffer command history
• ~/.emacs.d/recentf - recently opened files

Doom Emacs:

• ~/.config/emacs/.local/cache/recentf - recently opened files
• ~/.config/emacs/.local/etc/transient/history - magit/transient command history

Extract: files worked on, git operations (commits, rebases, pushes), search patterns.

3. Cursor agent transcripts

Auto-detect location:

• Unix/macOS: Scan ~/.cursor/projects/*/agent-transcripts/*.jsonl
• Windows: Scan %APPDATA%\Cursor\projects\*\agent-transcripts\*.jsonl

Read recent transcripts to extract: code changes, features discussed, bugs fixed.

4. Git logs (today's commits)

For each path in config.repo_search_paths:

• Unix/macOS: find <path> -name ".git" -type d
• Windows: Get-ChildItem -Path <path> -Recurse -Directory -Filter ".git"

In each repo, run:

git log --oneline --since="today" --author="<config.git_author_filter>"

5. Current conversation context

Creating a Daily Note

Step 1: Load configuration

Read config.json from skill directory. If missing, run First-Time Setup.

Step 2: Determine file path

Calculate the ISO week number and create the path:

• Path: <journal_path>/YYYY/wwXX/YYYY-MM-DD.<ext>
• Extension: .org if note_format is "org", .md if "markdown"

Create the year and week directories if they don't exist.

Step 3: Gather context

Read the data sources listed above. Focus on:

• Commands that indicate debugging (repeated grep, find, git commands)
• Code changes from agent transcripts
• Git commits made today (features, fixes, refactors)
• Features implemented
• Errors encountered

Step 4: Create the daily note

Use the appropriate template based on config.note_format:

Org-mode template (.org)

#+TITLE: YYYY-MM-DD (Weekday)
#+AUTHOR: <config.author_name>

* Summary
One paragraph overview of the day's work.

* Work Done
** [Feature/Task Name]
- What was implemented (2-3 lines)
- Key decisions or approach taken
- Links: [[url][description]]

* Learnings
** [Topic]
- Key insight or new knowledge (3-6 lines max)
- Why it matters

* Blockers/Bugs
** [Issue description]
- Root cause identified
- Time/effort spent debugging
- Impact on productivity
- Resolution or workaround

Markdown template (.md)

# YYYY-MM-DD (Weekday)
**Author:** <config.author_name>

## Summary
One paragraph overview of the day's work.

## Work Done
### [Feature/Task Name]
- What was implemented (2-3 lines)
- Key decisions or approach taken
- Links: [description](url)

## Learnings
### [Topic]
- Key insight or new knowledge (3-6 lines max)
- Why it matters

## Blockers/Bugs
### [Issue description]
- Root cause identified
- Time/effort spent debugging
- Impact on productivity
- Resolution or workaround

Step 5: Update index

Add entry to <journal_path>/index.<ext> under the correct year and week.

Org-mode index

* 2026
** ww09 (Feb 24 - Mar 02)
- [[file:2026/ww09/2026-02-24.org][Mon 2026-02-24]]

If index.org doesn't exist, create with:

#+TITLE: Work Journal Index
#+AUTHOR: <config.author_name>

Markdown index

# Work Journal Index
**Author:** <config.author_name>

## 2026
### ww09 (Feb 24 - Mar 02)
- [Mon 2026-02-24](2026/ww09/2026-02-24.md)

Creating Weekly Summary

Run every Sunday. Create at <journal_path>/YYYY/wwXX/weekly-summary.<ext>.

Step 1: Read all daily notes for the week

Read all notes in the current week directory (excluding weekly-summary).

Step 2: Create summary

Org-mode weekly summary

#+TITLE: Week XX Summary (Mon Date - Sun Date)
#+AUTHOR: <config.author_name>

* Highlights
- Top 3-5 accomplishments this week

* Features Implemented
- List of features with brief descriptions

* Key Learnings
- Consolidated learnings from daily notes

* Blockers Encountered
- Summary of bugs/blockers and resolutions

* Productivity Notes
- Patterns observed (what slowed you down, what helped)

* Next Week
- Carry-over items or planned focus areas

Markdown weekly summary

# Week XX Summary (Mon Date - Sun Date)
**Author:** <config.author_name>

## Highlights
- Top 3-5 accomplishments this week

## Features Implemented
- List of features with brief descriptions

## Key Learnings
- Consolidated learnings from daily notes

## Blockers Encountered
- Summary of bugs/blockers and resolutions

## Productivity Notes
- Patterns observed (what slowed you down, what helped)

## Next Week
- Carry-over items or planned focus areas

Step 3: Update index

Add weekly summary link under the appropriate week.

Formatting Guidelines

Org-mode

• Headings: * Level1, ** Level2, *** Level3
• Links: [[url][description]] or [[file:path.org][name]]
• Emphasis: *bold*, /italic/, _underline_, ~code~

Markdown

• Headings: # Level1, ## Level2, ### Level3
• Links: [description](url) or [name](path.md)
• Emphasis: **bold**, *italic*, `code`

Both formats

• Each bullet point: 3-6 lines maximum
• Keep notes human-readable and scannable
• Focus on work and learnings, not personal items

Detecting Bugs/Inefficiencies

Signs of debugging or inefficiency in shell history:

• Repeated similar commands (grep, find, git diff)
• Multiple failed command attempts
• Long sequences of cd/ls navigation
• Repeated test runs

When detected, note:

• What was being searched for
• How long the pattern persisted
• What finally resolved it