We love setting goals and making plans for the future, but recognizing your past accomplishments is just as important.
Tracking and reflecting on your past achievements will help show you the progress you’re making; plus, tracking your wins will show your where your greatest strengths are.
How to Use the Achievements Tracker
Write down your victories
It’s important to give yourself credit where credit is due. Otherwise, especially if you’re a perfectionist or overachiever, it is easy to assume you’re getting nothing done and must keep pushing harder and harder. (Even if you’re actually accomplishing a lot!)
Write down daily, monthly, or yearly accomplishments as they occur. These can be anything from “ran my first 5k” to “completed and presented final budget.” You’re not only building confidence by creating a concrete track record of successes, but you’re also quantifying and assessing your strengths.
Make it a habit
It’s easy to forget to document your accomplishments (or under-appreciate their value). Until it becomes second nature, set reminders for yourself to do this.
There are lots of spaces in the Ink+Volt Planner where you can practice the habit of recording your successes. We like to use the “Reflect + Celebrate” box on the Weekly Goals page, which reminds you to reflect on what went right and why. The accomplishments that we’re especially excited about then get transferred to the Achievements page in the back of the planner.
Reflect on your work
As you track your accomplishments, look for patterns. The accomplishments you write down are the ones that you are most proud of. This tells you something about yourself and your perceived strengths.
What type of projects make you happy? Do you find yourself in the same kind of roles when you are accomplishing things you’re proud of?
This kind of self-awareness can help give you a clear picture of the kind of work you’re doing and where it’s leading your career. If you are repeating an inefficient process, go back to your yearly theme and consider what steps you can take to get back on track.
Showcase your progress
The Achievements page can be really useful when you want to articulate your successes. Whether it’s in a team meeting, a progress report, or an annual review, you now have a detailed record of what you’ve been working on and how you’ve succeeded. The more detailed, the better.
Being able to articulate your accomplishments at any moment will give you the competitive edge that could lead to landing that dream job, securing new clients, or receiving a well-deserved bonus.
