Five tips for keeping track of your accomplishments at work

As you juggle so many things on the job, make sure you are taking time to detail important examples of your achievements. Often, when asked what you have accomplished at work, your mind goes blank, or maybe it wanders back to your email inbox or to the merry squirrels outside the office window. With everything employees have going on, it’s no wonder those individual examples get lost in the sea of memory. We’ve got a few tips and tricks for taking the stress out of chronicling your achievements. 1) Use a journal: Whether it’s a notebook or a Word document, find a place where you can capture those moments in a quick reminder that is easy to access. Record anything worth celebrating or something that catches your attention. 2) Send yourself a note: Let’s say something literally just happened and you’re nowhere near your journal. In these ever-connected times, it’s pretty rare for us to be without a smartphone. Shoot yourself a text or email with as much detail as you can muster. 3) Get dedicated: Set a reminder for yourself on a regular schedule to make or compile your notes. Give yourself 10 or 15 minutes at least once a month to get those notes captured. It’s a tiny increment of time that will save you vast amounts of headache in the long run. 4) Don’t be too picky: You don’t have to document every little thing or use every example you document. The quality of the example itself and how it fits with your narrative are more important than having tons of examples. Don’t let yourself get tripped up on finding the perfect word or phase, either. You don’t have to get fancy. Keep it simple. 5) Let’s do the time warp: Even if you made a note, sometimes there’s some detail you wish you’d remembered to jot down. Maybe there was some specific customer feedback you need to bring up or a particularly challenging collaboration that was well-navigated. Take a moment to search through your email, direct messaging, calendar entries, or CRM. You might be surprised how many “Oh, yeah!” moments you’ll have. With a little discipline, capturing your value at work will get easier and be the perfect outlet for your professional development.