Make a list of your accomplishments. Write them down. All of them. Regularly. The cloud (srsly) makes this possible very easily. With how much time you spend on devices, there is no reason to not do this. Your accomplishments need permanence. We need to be our own historians. Einstein had numerous colleagues essential to his success, but historians only list the accomplishments as they were Einstein’s alone. You don’t know any of Einstein’s colleagues names so writing down your place in the world matters.

What the people in your life are thinking

Nobody will remember what you’ve done. People will attribute your accomplishments to other people or not remember them at all. It only makes sense we know our accomplishments best. Don’t expect others to know what you’ve done. Write down what you’ve done so you can remember them.

Successful people who do this

Donald Trump loves telling you all the things he’s accomplished, and you know what…it’s highly effective. Don’t roll your eyes. He makes lists and you know who he is. His kids have even more opportunity then he had at the same age but they do not have the same success because they don’t communicate like he does. Being quick in conversations matters. Writing down your accomplishments will make recalling them in crucial situations easier.

Areas of life where this is useful

All of them. It is useful in your personal life. Increasingly women and men are sharing responsibilities in raising families. Making a list of your accomplishments clarifies your contribution as mother or father. Families are chaos. Do your family a favor and create some order.

It is useful in companies. It is useful in school. In any scenario, making a list of accomplishments earns you respect. It gets you raises. It gives you leverage in negotiations. It matters.

Don’t brag

Finally, obviously creating a list of your accomplishments is not so you can brag about it to other people. If you share it with others in some form, it seems most useful in conflict resolution. It is a way to stick to the facts.

More importantly, your list is for your use. It is so you can properly value yourself. It is for goal setting. It is for sanity checks. It might not be necessary to share your list with anyone. What matters is that you own it. They are your accomplishments.