How to Make a Daily Log Book

Log books are used in all walks of life to keep track of numerous types of information. There are log books for inventory use, log books to keep track of residents at inpatient treatment centers, and log books for security guards to log the rounds they make. Log books can be helpful for year-end finance tracking for large firms and even as a tool for evaluating employee effectiveness on the job. Regardless of your log book needs, you can easily put together a custom log book that will satisfy your requirements.

Step 1

Determine the type of log book you want to make. The type of information you want to keep and who the log book is for will give you guidance about constructing the actual log book. In some cases, a notebook will do, with the log book title and log book dates written on the front with a dark marker. You may also be able to buy a log book from an office supply store that fits your needs with little or no modification. In many cases, you will want to put together a customized log book. For this, a three-ring binder and Microsoft Word come in handy.

Step 2

Open Word and select "New" from the "Start" button. Scroll all the way down the template list on the left side of the dialog box and choose "More Categories." A list of additional template categories will appear. Scroll down until you come to "Logs" and click on this category. Several log book templates will be available to you. Choose the template that comes closest to meeting your needs and double-click to open the template for editing. You can also select from the "Ledger" or "Journal" categories for additional templates that may meet your log book requirements.

Step 3

Edit the template you open to suit your needs. These log book pages are constructed using the "Table" features in Word, so you can easily add or delete rows and columns by right-clicking and selecting the option you want to use. To change the heading of a row or column to fit your needs, left-click and select the heading, and then press "Delete" or simply type in your own heading. Customizing a log book template is the easiest way to create log book pages that contain exactly the information you need to keep track of on a regular basis.

Step 4

Print your custom log book pages and place them in your three-ring binder. Use labeled divider sheets to organize your log book by days of the week, months, or the method that fits the needs of your business.