Page 1 of 1

Do you use a diary?

Posted: 15 Jan 2024, 14:11
by oakley.mcmillan
Hello all,

We want to know if you find diaries useful in the lab or if you have other tools you prefer?

Would a lab specific diary be useful, and if so what should be in it?

Look forward to hearing you responses :D

Re: Do you use a diary?

Posted: 29 Jan 2024, 10:37
by Labbie
We use to use one, for the teachers to order for there classes. But I do believe they do it now through risk access?

Re: Do you use a diary?

Posted: 30 Jan 2024, 09:39
by Kathryn
I use one but I guess I'm a bit old fashioned and I like to be able to easily see the day/week/month. (I still use a paper calendar for personal use). I use an everyday diary which works fine.

Re: Do you use a diary?

Posted: 31 Jan 2024, 06:57
by Merilyn1
I love my diary. We use Riskassess for ordering pracs, but for my personal organisation, I would be lost without my own diary. I have two roles (Science and WHS) so it is really easy to forget things.
I've found some organiser diaries that have a week on one page and on the opposite a page for making lists, reminders etc. These work best for me but are hard to come by. My fall back is a week to view.
Overall, the diary is great for noting meetings I have, things I remember I need to do, lists of things I need. I take it into the labs when restocking to write down reminders of things that need to be done etc etc. An electronic version just wouldn't work for me.

Re: Do you use a diary?

Posted: 31 Jan 2024, 12:02
by Prima
Nothing like a Page a Day Diary - a summary of all the pracs (from RiskAssess) in one place, we can scribble room/qty changes, it's easier to see when there are duplicate pracs at the same time, write notes like "take from E5 to B3", etc etc.

It's a bit tedious but we rule lines across each page so we have 5 distinct periods for each day. I would be lost without it, so much easier than referring back to RiskAssess the whole time. It gives an overview, at a glance, of your day.

I also use the Saturday/Sunday pages to write detailed notes for complicated/lots-of-equipment pracs. I thought of using a teacher's daily planner but there isn't enough space.

I even go the extra mile - every year I order a different coloured diary (outside cover) - so much easier to find than a boring black diary! :cheesy:

Re: Do you use a diary?

Posted: 02 Feb 2024, 14:24
by oakley.mcmillan
Prima wrote: 31 Jan 2024, 12:02 Nothing like a Page a Day Diary - a summary of all the pracs (from RiskAssess) in one place, we can scribble room/qty changes, it's easier to see when there are duplicate pracs at the same time, write notes like "take from E5 to B3", etc etc.

It's a bit tedious but we rule lines across each page so we have 5 distinct periods for each day. I would be lost without it, so much easier than referring back to RiskAssess the whole time. It gives an overview, at a glance, of your day.

I also use the Saturday/Sunday pages to write detailed notes for complicated/lots-of-equipment pracs. I thought of using a teacher's daily planner but there isn't enough space.

I even go the extra mile - every year I order a different coloured diary (outside cover) - so much easier to find than a boring black diary! :cheesy:
Thanks for your comment Prima,

We will have to get you to design the cover then, any ideas :D

Re: Do you use a diary?

Posted: 02 Feb 2024, 14:25
by oakley.mcmillan
Merilyn1 wrote: 31 Jan 2024, 06:57 I love my diary. We use Riskassess for ordering pracs, but for my personal organisation, I would be lost without my own diary. I have two roles (Science and WHS) so it is really easy to forget things.
I've found some organiser diaries that have a week on one page and on the opposite a page for making lists, reminders etc. These work best for me but are hard to come by. My fall back is a week to view.
Overall, the diary is great for noting meetings I have, things I remember I need to do, lists of things I need. I take it into the labs when restocking to write down reminders of things that need to be done etc etc. An electronic version just wouldn't work for me.
Hey @Merilyn1,

Thanks for your ideas!, we will keep these in mind when designing the diary layout.