A large number of urological patients come to the clinic with urinary problems, some with frequent urination, urgency, incomplete urination, and others with difficulty urinating or urinary incontinence. However, during the consultation, the patient is often unable to describe the exact situation: for example, how many times a day they urinate, how much they urinate each time, whether they have urinary urgency, and whether they have urinary incontinence. These are the things that urologists want to know, because it is very important to classify and analyze the cause of the disease. What to do? It is not difficult. It helps if you can keep a more accurate record of your daily urination and provide the doctor with objective data at the time of your visit. We affectionately call this a “urinary diary”. This diary, although not costly or troublesome to keep, is the most basic and important test a urologist can use to evaluate a patient’s lower urinary tract function, and patients can record their urination in a completely relaxed, normal state of life without having to undergo this “test” in the hospital. By analyzing these seemingly simple data, doctors can derive a series of parameters, such as frequency of urination, average volume of urine per session, 24-hour urine volume, nocturia index, etc., to develop a proper and effective treatment plan. So, how do you keep a urinary diary? There are three types of urinary diaries, from the simplest to the most complex. Depending on the complexity of your condition and the requirements of your doctor, you can choose one type of record. Type 1: Urination schedule This is the simplest, and only requires recording the number of times you urinate 24 hours a day. Record the specific time of urination, the time you wake up and the time you go to sleep. (Please refer to Figure 1) The second type: frequency urine schedule This type of recording is the most used in clinical practice. It involves recording the number of times you urinate during the day and night as well as the volume of each urination and, of course, the time you go to sleep and get up. Many patients often ask: So how do I know how much I urinate each time? If it is only a rough record, I often recommend that you refer to the volume of a mineral water bottle for measurement; it is best if the hospital is equipped to provide it or if you can find your own measuring cup. (Please refer to Figure 2) Third: Bladder diary This is the most tedious to record, but it is also the most realistic and reflects the true situation in the most objective way. In addition to recording the above items, you should also record how much water (including soup) you drank, what kind of water (whether coffee, drink, tea water or plain water), whether you experienced incontinence (i.e. wetting your pants without voluntary conscious control), whether you had an urge to urinate, to what extent, and whether you used a pee pad. (Please refer to Figure 3) Finally, one more thing don’t forget, in order to be able to accurately reflect the actual state of urination, it is recommended that you record for more than 3 consecutive days, so as to avoid errors and be more accurate.