Why You Should Track Your Accomplishments at Work - The Muse

Why You Should Track Your Accomplishments at Work - The MuseWhy You Should Track Your Accomplishments at Work On the worst kinds of weeks- when were in a bad mood, when a co-workers being especially loud and distracting, when were dealing with one million different fires- it can feel like weve accomplished nothing. We go home on Friday feeling defeated, like we wasted our time on unimportant issues while our to-do list kept growing.The thing is- and you probably know this- you probably did more than you think. Those eight hours didnt just fly by while you sat twiddling your thumbs. Even if you dont have a new shiny project to show off, the skills youre picking up, the challenges youre facing, and the little efforts youre making every day are ultimately moving you closer and closer to success.This is exactly why we frequently recommend you track your accomplishments on a regular basis, whether its in a journal, on a spreadsheet, or (shameless plug) with this handy worksheet we made fo r youWhy is this quick activity so life-changing? For one, it makes you feel good. If you can landsee on paper everything you did in a given week, you wont get that Im useless feeling in the pit of your stomach. And, even on the weeks that truly are slow, you can look back at this and see that youve actually achieved a lot recently (and if you havent, its a good time to question if the positions still the right fit for you).Needless to say, its motivating- the more accomplishments you rack up, the more youll want to add to the list.Not to mention, having written (or, rather, typed) proof of all the things youve completed in your role only makes it easier for you to state your case for a raise or promotion in your yearly wertzuwachs review. So let me explain how this works. First, download your own copy of the worksheet by clicking File Download as whatever file type youd like. ThenCopy and paste the weekly template onto a new page (by clicking Insert Page break)Fill in the date(s )Jot down projects you finished (as well as how long they took and why theyre important), challenges or problems you solved, great feedback you received from your clients, your boss, and your co-workers, and one thing youre really proud of.Set one small goal for next week to make sure youre sticking to your schedule Repeat weeklyRealistically, this should only take you 10-15 minutes to fill out every week. And, you can do it as a starting-off-the-week-on-a-good-note Monday routine, or as a I-dont-want-to-do-my-work-so-Ill-do-this-instead Friday activity. Either way you cant go wrongThis habit wont just get you ahead- itll keep you from falling behind. If you see youre accomplishing less and less every week, or taking too long on projects, youll know you need to pick up the pace before your boss notices your lack of productivity. Or, if youre struggling to think of accomplishments, especially ones that make you truly proud, its a good sign that its time to evaluate your current role and whether its fulfilling enough for you. This quick exercise only has upsides- so get started today