To-do lists are great in that they help us to stay on track with what we need to do. A disadvantage, though, is that once we are done with the list, we discard it and might forget what we did. This doesn’t matter with the little day-to-day and week-to-week things that we need to do routinely. It can matter, though, with the big accomplishments, both professional and personal.
I think it’s important at the beginning of the new year to think not just about what we want to do in the upcoming year, but also to reflect on what we did in the past year. It can be a big boost to our self-confidence to remember everything that we accomplished. This is important for personal as well as professional accomplishments.
There are different ways to do this. One is to make a list at the beginning of the year of what you want to accomplish. As you accomplish things, check them off. As you accomplish different things, add them on. But don’t take anything off the list. At the end of the year, review it to see everything you did.
Another way is to set aside a document, paper or electronic, and as you accomplish something, add it. Do this throughout the year. And again, at the end of the year review it.
I am sure you can think of other ways that work better for you. Maybe rather than written lists, pictures reflecting what you did mean more to you. Rather than having things in files, having them posted where you can see them frequently might be more meaningful to you.
Another suggestion I’d like to make is that as you review your list of what you accomplished, celebrate! Celebrate all your accomplishments, personal and professional, and all that you learned from them.
Remember, too, that sometimes simply surviving is an accomplishment depending upon what you have gone through.
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