Gradual Gains Tip: List Your Accomplishments

Does your employer conduct year-end reviews? Are you required to turn in a list of your accomplishments at the end of the year, only to feel stumped trying to recall everything?

I remember this feeling all too well, sitting at my desk wracking my brain trying to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Or even worse, handing in my list of achievements only to later wake up in a panic as I suddenly recalled several missed items. We’re talkin’ my annual review here, which played a major role in determining my year-end rank, raise, and bonus, not something to take lightly at all. But on the flip-side, when I remained organized and kept strict track of all my efforts, handing in my year-end accomplishments was a breeze. And glancing over that list made it easy to see how much I’d accomplished with my 40-60 hour workweek. The old memory loves to fail us when we need it most.

This year, in my attempt to make gradual gains instead of grand promises I’m bound to break, I’ve decided to include this tactic as a measuring tool. At the end of each month, I have a list ready to update, kind of like the one I created below:

My Jan 2013 Accomplishments List

As you can see, it’s nothing fancy, doesn’t have to be, a simple document works just fine. I’ve started with my blog accomplishments and health goals. Now, I can just update this list at the end of each month & by the time December rolls around, I’ll have a clear view of everything I’ve accomplished. If I didn’t track these things, I’d surely forget by next December and end up feeling like very little happened, but I know from experience that’s rarely the case. We just tend to forget the little things in lieu of searching for the highlights, but it’s the little things that lead to Gradual Grains…… 🙂

Do you have a similar process for tracking tasks?