The Best Way to Track All Your Achievements in 2024
I’m not ashamed to say this: New Year is my favorite holiday. I love a certain time to look back, look forward and get drunk with friends . New Year’s is also the time when I’m most grateful for my habit of writing down every little thing. And I don’t just mean writing down your thoughts and feelings in a journal. I’m talking about tracking every book you read, every mile you run, and every beer you drink (approximately). If you’re interested in documenting your life (and you should be), may I recommend the humble spreadsheet .
Before you start rolling your eyes: no, I’m not talking about journaling (that might be cool , but I think it’s too difficult artistically). I simply create a Google spreadsheet full of differently color-coded tabs so that I can keep track of any number of ways to measure the year . From the most meticulous travel plans to creating to-do lists , if you have a goal, you need a spreadsheet. It’s a fun, slightly nerdy technique that helps me visualize my life in a way that traditional journaling can’t. That’s why I think you should start your own spreadsheet this year to keep track of all the little things in your life.
How to document your life
I know that writing daily journal entries isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. However, journaling can be much more than just recording a few miserable feelings, and there are many benefits to stepping out of your comfort zone and trying it. Journaling is a useful way to reduce stress, identify and solve problems, and clear your head.
Even if you’re not consciously trying to identify or process your mental state, documenting your life can be a wonderful thing, whether it’s through tools like the 1 Second Every Day video, whether it’s tracking your workout routine , documenting your child’s life , or simply recording of an excerpt. time (that sneaky bastard). For me, the real value of these videos is not always in the final product. The fact is that every day for the past four years I have managed to find at least one worthy moment to capture. This is the mindset I bring to my spreadsheet journal: adding a little meaning to the mundane.
Anything can be an achievement
The e-zine is perfect for us freaks who like to combine sentimentality with statistics. Whatever metrics you choose to record, you can frame them around a sense of accomplishment. Your smartwatch can track how many steps you have taken. However, the e-journal is a place where you can evaluate how many steps you have already taken . After that, you can have fun with the numbers, converting those steps into miles or finding patterns over time or whatever suits your nerdy brain.
Go on a rampage. Create different tabs dedicated to different areas of your life so you can appreciate how much you have going on. I’ll share some ideas in the next section, but at the end of the day, a spreadsheet is an easy, highly effective alternative to using words all the time, so don’t get too carried away. in detail. This technique is really about realizing the value of every little number that defines your life.
Running a table
First things first: choose a spreadsheet software. I prefer the convenience of Google Sheets, but understand that you may have some privacy concerns. Or maybe you’re just an Excel wizard . For some formatting ideas, check out this article on creating the perfect travel table. The main takeaway is to create one master file with as many tabs as you see fit. Include tabs tracking your health/fitness goals, books/movies/TV shows you’ve consumed, your finances/budget, and anything else that’s important to you:
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Hours of sleep
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Miles walked
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Concerts attended
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Movies watched
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The books have begun
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Books are finished
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Dates have passed
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Personal letters sent/received
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Time spent in traffic
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Playlists created
Unleash the power of your spreadsheet
You can highlight a column on each tab to record different notes, but for the sake of neatness, try not to overcrowd the fields with text. This also helps keep formatting consistent, such as making the title of each metric bold. I color the code as I wish. For example, as a stand-up comedian, I track all my shows with a certain color to indicate how I feel about them: shades of green mean the show went well, and shades of red mean the show went… less so. Fine. In times when everything seems red, it’s nice to be able to shift your gaze to everything green.
At the end of the year, you can use all this data to visualize both the big and small events in your life over the past 12 months. At first glance, you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back for how well you’ve cut down on caffeine, increased your time spent outdoors, or improved your book-to-book completion ratio. Ultimately, my own spreadsheet is about appreciating all the little things in my life, even if I do it in one of the most boring ways imaginable.