WHAT
Working all day with lots of distractions can feel futile, as if you’re not making any progress and not getting things done. However, with a few tips and techniques, you can deliberately track your progress and feel better about accomplishing your goals.
WHY
We all have an intrinsic need to make progress - accomplishing our goals is often considered an important pillar of well-being. Researcher Teresa Amabile has noted that tracking and celebrating small wins can lead us to feel more joy and creativity at work. But in the context of high stress and uncertainty, feeling like we’re making progress and seeing productive action can be a critical enabler to resilience.
HOW I CAN USE THIS
There are several ways to track your progress, so experiment and see what works for you. Different techniques are effective in different situations.
Use your calendar. Divide your calendar into different blocks of time, such as email, writing, or working on a specific project. When the time comes, focus only on the task at hand and turn off distractions like your phone and computer notifications. When you’ve completed the task that you set out to do, go back to your calendar and change the color of that task. You can specify a certain color to mean “done” and then watch as that color fills up your days.
Write it down and check it off. You’re probably familiar with the common “to do” list. It may not be effective for everyone, but those who like it, swear by it. Each morning, start with a new page and write down all the things that you want to get done today. Check or cross them off as you go. Take time at the end of the day to appreciate all of the progress you made.
Create a “got done” list. One problem with “to do” lists is that you may get things done that were not on your original list. So at the end of the day, create your “got done” list, which includes everything you accomplished, whether it was on your list or not. Include the little things, like “ate a healthy lunch” or “took a 15 minute walk” or “helped my kid with her school work”. These are healthy accomplishments worth noting.
Break large projects down into smaller tasks. It can be motivating to see the progress along the way, rather than waiting until the end of a big project. Theresa Amabile notes that seeing small wins is highly encouraging and keeps us energized through to the end of our larger deliverable. For example, if you need to write a summary report, one smaller task might be collecting the information you need to read in one place. Your next steps might be to read the first three pieces of information, and then the next three, and then write an outline for your report. Acknowledge yourself for completing these important steps along the way, rather than waiting until the final product is complete.
Share with others. Celebrate your small wins with others in “prosocial” ways. Perhaps you want to post your progress on social media or with colleagues, or simply share your update with a friend or accountability partner. When we hear positive encouragement from others, it can give us the boost we need to keep going and keep pushing through discouraging times.
HOW I CAN HELP OTHERS
Help others break their work down into smaller chunks.
Start team meetings by asking people what has gone well, and what their accomplishments have been since you last connected.
Encourage others to use their calendar to block off dedicated time for focused work without distractions.
Send encouraging notes to others and support them when you hear of a milestone that’s been achieved.
Resources
The Progress Principle, by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer
Teresa Amabile’s TEDx talk
Authors
Eudaimonic by Design is a global network of consultants, facilitators and systems thinkers who share a passion for the science of well-being and believe that organizations must be designed to enable it. We harness the best of scholarly thought and years of practical experience to help people be truly engaged, act ethically and pursue excellence.
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