Use the Jar of Awesome Things to Stay Motivated
When you take stock of what you’ve accomplished , it’s easy—and understandable—to dwell on what you didn’t do or want to do better. However, you must remember to recognize victories big and small to stay motivated. The balance between positivity and negativity when it comes to productivity is a delicate one, but you should always take breaks, do things you enjoy, and remember that you are getting things done, even in stressful times. That’s why you should try creating a “jar of awesome.”
What is a “jar of awesome”?
The “can of awesome” idea comes from Tim Ferriss’ book Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers, and it’s been popular for a while now. Essentially, Ferris recommends writing down your winnings as they happen and putting the pieces of paper in a jar. If you need a motivational boost, you can read them. Visually, the jar even shows how much you have achieved recently.
The idea is to help you focus not only on everything that needs to be done, but also on what you have already done. This is similar to keeping an achievement journal or updating your resume annually even if you’re not looking for a job, as it both motivates you and creates a record of your work. If you’ve ever been invited to a surprise meeting about your work or have a presentation coming up, you already have a ready list of your accomplishments.
Ways to Create Your Own “Jar of Awesome”
In fact, filling a jar with small scraps of paper is an easy change, and perhaps not so easy to keep up with as our lifestyles become increasingly digital. There are plenty of ways to create a jar of awesomeness that don’t involve giving your table a Pinterest-inspired 2013 wedding look. Try keeping a page or two dedicated to tracking your winnings in the back of your planner or creating a dedicated note on your phone. Create a single source of truth (SSOT) or file on your computer or disk dedicated to compiling a list of wins and supporting documentation.
However you decide to do it, make sure that all the successes are listed together somewhere so that the list visually grows. Just looking at it can be a motivational boost, not to mention reading the whole thing. Finally, don’t second-guess yourself when you want to add something. If you picked up the dry cleaning on a busy day, got all the kids out of the house on time in the morning, or answered all the emails by the end of the day and you loved it, give it up. Simply because it is so. may seem small compared to the looming project deadline, it doesn’t mean getting it done wasn’t a win, so everything goes in the can. The goal is to track what you’re actually achieving, so don’t leave anything out.