[2022-04-14] Accomplishments log
A few weeks ago, I started keeping a daily log to record my accomplishments. Each day, I note things I did that further a goal that's important to me, such as exercising, spending time with loved ones, or serving others. If I want to do more of something, such as reading books, I'll note on my log each time I succeed in including the activity in my day. I have found that keeping an accomplishments log, as I've done in the past, inspires me to do things that I might not otherwise do or to the degree I might want to. It proves the old adage that "What gets measured gets done."
You might think that keeping such a log would propel me to do a whole bunch of things just so that I could write them down. But it's having the opposite effect. Capturing my achievements reminds me of what I did accomplish in a day when I might otherwise feel like I haven't gotten a lot done.
Today, my sister sent me a picture of a smiling, older woman with this caption: "Do less. Live more." This resonated with me. As someone with a tendency toward workaholism, doing less and living more is an appropriate goal at this point in my life. So visiting the National Gallery of Canada to take in the special exhibition of Canada and Impressionism—as I did with Chris today—is an accomplishment. It ticks a number of boxes: spend time with my husband, learn something new, increase my exposure to the arts, do less, live more.
I recently added to my log items that I hope to accomplish the following day. I find it handy to have consolidated in one document both anticipatory accomplishments (aka my to-do's) and actual accomplishments, creating one spot for everything I've completed and want to complete. Tomorrow's list, for example, includes "prepare notes for May 5 speaking engagement." If I complete the task tomorrow, I'll change "prepare" to "prepared." If I don't, I'll simply move the commitment to the following day.
Again, rather than put pressure on myself to get everything done in a day, maintaining my accomplishments list reinforces the idea that if I don't get something done today, there's always tomorrow. This is freeing.
My accomplishments log is not about achieving some impossible level of performance or feeling bad if I don't get something discretionary done on any given day. On the contrary, it's about celebrating those little victories that bring me closer to the kind of life I want to lead—one that's focused on living a healthy, meaningful and altruistic life and spending time with people I love.
