Journal Your Way to the Top — Three Ways to Use Performance Journaling
Remember that little diary you kept as a pre-teen? The one filled with your childish thoughts and experiences, all safely tucked away behind an imposing-looking plastic lock. As you got older, the little diary was replaced with a more sophisticated journal to capture all the pleasures and pains of daily life. Some stories were of experiences meant to be savored and relived; others were of life’s greatest lessons learned when things didn’t go your way.
The benefit of journaling at work is much the same as keeping a personal diary: memorializing day-to-day experiences from the past to help us learn and grow. Keeping your own performance comments, notes and documentation will ensure that your accomplishments are captured thoroughly and accurately, which is especially helpful during a performance review cycle.
Use these three journaling techniques to support your performance improvement and career development:
1. Capture Comments — Customer or colleague compliments will only stay fresh on your mind for so long. Record those favorable comments or kudos in your performance journal, and include additional context regarding relevant dates and related projects or goals.
2. Take Notes — Before checking that project off your list, summarize the highlights or obstacles that you experienced along the way. How did you keep things on track? Who was especially knowledgeable and willing to support your efforts? Refer to these lessons learned to help you to be more efficient or productive in your next assignment.
3. Keep Documentation — Maintaining work samples along with your daily journal will create a full picture of your performance during a specific time frame. For example, use your journal to summarize your prior month’s sales performance, then attach or link your notes to the monthly summary spreadsheet. Retain emails or any other documentation that demonstrates your teamwork, initiative, resourcefulness or other behaviors that are highly valued in the organization.
Why keep a work-related journal? Because leaving an assessment of your performance entirely in the hands of your manager means taking a passive role in advancing your career. If you’re asked to complete a self assessment of your performance, don’t present a response that’s filled with generalities or references to vague results. Gather all the comments, notes and any documentation you’ve retained as part of your journaling process to help you shine the brightest light on your past performance and future potential within the company.