There will always be days at work that we are so unsatisfied or distracted about what we do. Perhaps this roots from the feeling that we do not accomplish anything or tasks do not get finished, and it appears that our to-do list just keeps growing.
However, our outputs can tell otherwise. We only think that we are underworked because we start or end the workweek with no direction, and everything that happens in between just fades into memory. When in fact, there was so much that was done in the five or six days at work and it’s just that nobody was tracking.
So how should we solve this bad feeling? Easy: engineers, we should start tracking what we do.
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For a job which often requires accomplishment reports, engineers are bound to record everything that has been materialized. But some just fail to do so voluntarily in cases when it is not asked by the big boss. They fail to realize that monitoring activities has a personal level of importance.
It doesn’t matter if the progress cannot be seen right away. Because most likely, the task accomplished is part of something bigger, which, hones our skills and more importantly, leads to the target success.
Engineers can track accomplishments in two ways: a journal or a spreadsheet. Whatever is convenient between the two, writing or typing, just do it.
List down anything that has significance at work. This can be done on a Monday to start the week on a good note, or on a Friday so that we end the week feeling accomplished. It should only take 10 to 15 minutes so it is not really a waste of time.
But how does this give impact to our work exactly?
For one, it makes us feel good that we see that we have accomplishments. This, in turn, motivates us to do more as engineers and get projects done. It gets us ahead and keeps us from falling behind.
Moreover, having a list of finished activities can be a supporting file for a promotion or raise. It is a solid proof that we have been performing in cases that projects do not have tangible evidence.
Source: The Muse
