Why you should keep track of your work achievements

Sales jobs can reportedly be very satisfying. Specifically, because people working in this sector are set clear goals and can measure their success each month by identifying whether they have met their sales targets.

The rest of us are often working with blurry intangibles. Our work doesn't have clear beginnings and endings. Our projects change endlessly, and we spend a lot of time in meetings and communicating.

Our to-do lists are bulging; consequently, we are often very aware of what we have to do and haven't yet done. But do we take the time to consider what we have achieved?

Taking the one-sided perspective of only looking at what's next can lead to a sense of fatigue and dissatisfaction. Acknowledging achievements throughout the year can also be fundamental in appreciating your work, understanding your workload and patterns of working, and effectively reviewing and planning.

A simple way to record your achievements

Here is a quick and simple method you may wish to adapt according to your needs to record your achievements:

Choose a format that suits you or your team to record your achievements. This could be a physical notebook, Word document or another electronic organiser or tool you like to use. Add each month as a title with a bulleted list of achievements underneath.

At the end of each month, take a few minutes to review how it's been. You may have an awareness of projects or activities you've completed, but do also have a flick through your calendar or sent emails.

Make a brief note of your achievements for that month. Include:

• Projects you've worked on or completed.
• Challenges you've overcome.
• Projects that you've worked on that have not come to fruition (awareness of time spent on this type of work is also important).
• Other factors significant to your role, such as workshops run, people recruited, contacts made, conferences attended and reports completed.
• Holidays, sickness or other periods of time out that will affect how much you could achieve that month.

Looking back helps you move forward

Sometimes updating our CV and applying for new jobs can be the only times we fully take stock of our successes and strengths.

Implementing a process for regularly capturing your achievements will make updating your CV much easier. It will also give you the information you need to frame conversations with your manager and beyond, or give the full picture when it comes to appraisal time.

Encourage your team members to do the same and discuss their achievements throughout the year when you catch up with them.