How to complete your work log
Your work log is a record of the time you spend working on your project. It helps show what you worked on, how much time you spent, and what you personally contributed.
If work logs are enabled for your experience, keep your work log accurate and up to date throughout your project. See the Work log for learners article on how to log our Riipen project hours.
Why work logs matter
Your work log helps:
Create a record of the work you personally completed.
Show how your time contributed to project activities and deliverables.
Track your progress throughout the project.
Help program administrators understand your participation and provide support when needed.
If you are working as part of a team, your work log should reflect your individual work and contributions, rather than describing only what the team completed together.
Check whether your program includes payment and review its requirements
Programs and experiences may have their own unique requirements for work logs, hours, participation, completion, and payment eligibility.
Before you begin logging time, and throughout your experience:
Check your experience guidelines for any specific work-log requirements.
Review your cohort guidelines for deadlines, required activities, or participation expectations.
Check whether there are specific rules that may affect your eligibility for payment.
Follow any instructions provided by your program, experience, or cohort, even if they differ from the general guidance in this article.
Always check your experience or cohort guidelines to make sure you understand the requirements that apply to you.
What to include in your work log
Log time that you actually spend completing project-related work.
Depending on your project, this might include:
Preparing for or attending project meetings.
Researching information related to the project.
Developing ideas, recommendations, designs, or solutions.
Completing analysis or reviewing information.
Drafting, creating, or revising project deliverables.
Incorporating feedback into your work.
Coordinating project activities with teammates or project stakeholders.
Completing other activities directly related to your project.
For each entry, briefly explain what you worked on and what you accomplished or contributed.
Break your time into realistic work periods
Your work log should reflect how you actually worked. Avoid combining a full day or several different activities into one large entry.
For example, instead of entering:
10 hours — Worked on project
Break the time into the activities you actually completed:
2 hours — Researched similar organizations and summarized relevant findings.
1 hour — Met with the team to review research and agree on next steps.
4 hours — Drafted my section of the project deliverable based on the research findings.
3 hours — Revised the deliverable after reviewing feedback and completed final edits.
Breaking up your time creates a clearer and more accurate record of your work.
Logging meetings
Avoid entries that only say “meeting,” “team meeting,” or “group work.” Instead, briefly describe the purpose of the meeting and your contribution.
For example:
1 hour — Met with the project team to review early research findings, discuss priorities, and agree on the next steps for the deliverable. I shared my research findings and documented the actions assigned to me.
When working as part of a team
Your work log should describe your own contribution, even when several people worked on the same activity.
For example, instead of:
3 hours — Team worked on presentation.
Use:
3 hours — Drafted and revised my assigned sections of the presentation and reviewed the completed presentation with the team.
This helps distinguish your contribution from the work completed by other team members.
What strong work log entries look like
Strong work log entries:
Accurately reflect the time you worked.
Clearly describe what you did.
Include enough detail to understand the activity.
Identify your individual contribution when working with a team.
Break work into realistic periods based on the activities completed.
Avoid entries that:
Use vague descriptions such as “worked on project.”
Record large blocks of time without explaining the work completed.
Combine unrelated activities into one entry.
Describe only what the team did without identifying your contribution.
Repeat the same description without showing what work was completed.
Example of a strong work log entry
2 hours — Researched similar organizations in the same industry and reviewed publicly available examples. Summarized the most relevant findings and shared them with the team to support our recommendations.
Remember: your work log should be an accurate record of when you worked, how long you worked, and what you contributed. Your specific program, experience, or cohort requirements may determine the number of hours you need to complete and whether your work makes you eligible for payment. Always check your experience or cohort guidelines for the requirements that apply to you.