Day 19: Chart your progress - Part 2

This is an advancement to the tip we gave on Day 8.  It is:

Tip 19:  Keep a log of your learning

The tip we gave on Day 8 was to chart your progress.  This is simply recording the metrics, the measures you have chosen to show how you are moving towards your goal.  Today's tip takes this one step further and is especially useful for goals where you are trying to make behavioural changes (eg increased assertiveness, better presentation skills, improved confidence, more balanced emotional control etc).

Keeping a learning log provides you with the opportunity to reflect on what you have done, the results you got, what is/is not working and to plan changes for the future.  It is not just a way of keeping on track towards your goal.  It is a way of getting full value from the experiences you have a long the way.  This can sometimes cause a fundamental change in your thinking.  Instead of thinking of your 'performances' in terms of success or failure, keeping a log allows you to think about what you are learning at each step along the way.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself.  As with many of the other tips we have talked about, this hint works best when you do it 'little and often'.  Don't make is such an arduous task that you won't keep it up.  Think of 3-5 questions you can ask yourself frequently that will take you a maximum of 15 minutes to complete.  It is a very good idea to write down your response, though, as the act of writing will get you to really clarify your thoughts while also giving you a record from which you can identify themes and recurring trends.  Carry your learning log with you as opportunities to try out your new behaviours can present themselves at any time.  Try to record your learning as soon as after the event as possible, while also giving yourself time to reflect fully on what just happened.

Here are some questions that you can use, but pick ones that work for you:

• What was the situation?  (A brief description)
• What did I do?  (Your behaviour)
• What was the outcome?  (The result you got)
• What worked?
• What didn't work?
• What have I learned?
• What do I commit to doing next time?