The One Thing I Wish I Had Done When I First Started Working

I feel a little dirty writing such a click-baity title.

But, like flossing, I really do wish that someone had suggested that I start doing this sooner.

No, not that kind of flossing…

I’m talking about the kind of flossing that accompanies this guy:

I digress…

So what is the one thing I wish I started doing when I entered the world of work?

Here, let me tell you:

If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a memory like a fish, and a propensity to remember the negative things much more clearly than the positive.

It’s a shame, but sadly as human beings we have a tendency to focus on the negative. We call this a negativity bias.

The bad memory?

I call that forgetfulness.

When I first started working in the corporate world, I would be subject to yearly reviews. This usually entailed receiving detailed feedback from my peers, colleagues, boss and seniors, on my work ethic and personality in the workplace. If you don’t like negative (or should I say, constructive) feedback, these things are hell.

All the feedback I received would be summarized in a somewhat painful hour-long meeting with my boss.

During this, I would inevitably be asked a question along the lines of:

“So Tessa, what have you achieved this year?”

(i.e. tell us why you don’t totally suck)

Errr…

Aside from the fact I’m British so I struggle with talking about myself in a positive light, I also honestly struggle to remember what I did yesterday, let alone 11 months ago. Which is awkward because it comes across like you haven’t achieved much at all.

Not good.

After my first couple of reviews, a nice colleague suggested that I keep an ongoing word doc or similar with all the tasks that I complete over the year.

Things like:

• positive feedback from senior execs
• succesful projects that I managed or led
• savings in time or money that I initiated

Things like that.

Even just a quick “hey, great job on this” quote from an email is a great addition to this list.

The great thing is, you don’t have to do it just for a year. You can keep this list going and going and keep adding to it, creating a nice long list of all the great things you’ve done over your career.

I started doing this about 5 years ago, and I still do it today.

What I track as a freelancer

Now that I’m not going to get any form of yearly appraisal, why do I track my tasks?

Well, there’s still a ton of value in tracking your accomplishments.

Here’s what I currently track:

• positive feedback from clients (e.g. emails, reviews)
• successful projects that I’ve completed
• who I’ve worked with and for how long (time tracking)
• how long a project takes me and how much I earned
• links to articles etc. that have been published

You don’t have to track all the details, these are just some of the things that I track.

You’ll find once you have a little written nudge you’ll be able to recall the project details much more easily.

Why I track my achievements

So if I don’t have my yearly review anymore, why bother tracking these things?

Well, here’s a few reasons:

• helps me to identify my strengths — useful for job applications, interviews and new project proposals
• helps me to identify my weakneses — so I can identify areas I need to work on and improve
• gives me data on how long work should take, and how much I should be paid for them — it’s vitally important as a freelancer to charge your time correctly

This log also helped me identify skills and themes that’d be transferrable if and when I decided to make a move. It was easier to update my resume and speak to these skills during interviews because everything was already written down. Instead of racking my brain for examples, I was picking from a list I’d already created.

Perhaps the biggest reason why I track my accomplishments

Aside from being useful on the work side, there’s also a really big reason why I track my tasks on a personal side too.

To make me feel better!

You know those days that sometimes just suck?

Perhaps you get some bad feedback or a client drops you.

Well, keeping a list of your a achievements is the best way I’ve found to give you the little morale boost when you need it most.

Whip that list out, read a couple of positive reviews and you’ll be feeling better in no time.

If you’re feeling a little stuck in a rut or a bit down, then take a quick glance at all the people’s lives who you have made easier or better. It’s amazing what you have achieved so far, so don’t be so harsh on yourself! Give yourself a pat on the back for all that amazing work!

People tend to understimate what they achieve in a year.

Now you don’t have to — it’s written right there in front of you.

Give it a go

If you don’t already, try tracking your completed tasks and accomplishments.

It seems such a simple thing to do but really, it makes a big difference!