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📌 📌 The Review Is Coming—Will You Be Ready?

Performance reviews can change everything—promotions, raises, bigger roles, new opportunities. But too often, people walk in unprepared, trying to remember what they did six months ago.

The truth? Memory fades. But documentation doesn’t.

One small habit can completely shift how you show up: keeping an accomplishments doc. Nothing fancy. Mine’s just a Word file on my desktop. It’s a running list of wins, milestones, and moments that mattered. When review season hits, I’m not scrambling—I’m ready.

This habit takes five minutes. But over time, it builds something much bigger: clarity, confidence, and career momentum.

Start Before You “Need” It

Create a doc titled: Yearly Accomplishments – [Year] and keep it somewhere visible. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress. Capture wins as they happen so they don’t disappear. 

I’ll give you an example story. 

Jasmine, a first-time manager, came into her role energized and ready. Projects moved fast. She delivered results. She led her team through real challenges. But when her first review came around, she opened the self-assessment form and froze. 

Blank screen. Blank mind. 

Then she remembered the Google Doc she’d started on a whim months earlier.

She opened it—and everything was there. Key projects. Positive feedback. Metrics that proved her impact. What could’ve been a scramble turned into one of the strongest reviews her manager had ever seen. That doc didn’t just help her reflect—it helped her advocate. She walked out of that conversation with a raise and a promotion path.

What to Capture

Your doc should be a record of things that moved the needle. 

Every time you:

• Complete a major project

• Solve a complex issue

• Get great feedback

• Drive results

Ask yourself:

• What was the task?

• What did I do?

• What changed because of it?
  
  

You’re not writing a resume. You’re building a living story of your impact—week by week.

Build the Habit

Set a recurring calendar reminder: 10 minutes a week, or even once a month. Open the doc. Add what mattered. Keep it light. Keep it real.

Over time, you’ll start to see your own patterns. The kind of work that energizes you. The skills you rely on most. The moments that made a difference.

Real Examples

To get started, here are a few examples of the kinds of entries that belong:

• Client Expansion: Added a new product to Client XYZ’s contract, increasing annual revenue.

• Escalation Resolution: Coordinated with engineering to resolve a client issue, restoring trust.

• Revenue Growth: Renewed a contract with a 5% increase in ARR.

• Automation: Built a reporting tool that saved 10+ hours a month.

• Hiring Strategy: Designed a headcount model that informed hiring decisions across three teams.

• System Integration: Automated the SFDC-Jira workflow to reduce manual effort.
  
  

Quantify When You Can

The more specific you are, the more powerful your story becomes. Numbers show value. Try to include:

• Time saved

• Revenue generated

• Errors reduced

• Customer satisfaction improved

• “Saved 30 hours a month” tells a stronger story than “improved efficiency.

Why This Goes Beyond Performance Reviews

Yes, it helps you ace your next review. But it also gives you:

• A toolkit for raise or promotion conversations

• A highlight reel for new opportunities

• A quiet confidence boost when imposter syndrome shows up

• A clear, evolving record of how you’re growing
  
  

Tips to Make It Better

• Write in clear, specific language

• Start entries with action verbs: led, launched, resolved, created

• Group your wins by theme: Clients, Ops, Strategy, Team

• Include praise—save Slack shoutouts or strong client notes

• Screenshot anything worth remembering
  
  

These small things add up. When it’s time to tell your story, you’ll have receipts.

When the Review Comes

Don’t walk in with vague memories. Walk in with 5–7 specific wins. Show your manager what they may have missed. Make it easy for them to see your consistency, your growth, your value.

They may not have watched every move. But your doc makes sure nothing meaningful gets overlooked.

One Small Habit, Big Career Upside

You’re already doing the work. Don’t let it fade into the background.

Start your accomplishments doc today.