Latest / Career Coaching with Fexingo: Professional Coaches, Career Counselors, and Guidance for Workers / How to Use a Career Journal to Track Progress and Decisions
Transcript
- Lucas: So I want to talk about something that sounds almost too simple to matter, but the data says it's one of the highest-leverage habits a professional can adopt. Luna: Okay, you have my attention. What is it? Lucas: Career journaling. Not the 'dear diary' kind — I mean a structured, minimal practice of writing down key decisions, outcomes, and observations about your work life on a regular basis. Luna: I have to say, I've tried journaling a few times and it always feels like one more thing on my to-do list. What makes this different? Lucas: The difference is specificity. Most people either journal vaguely — 'today was busy' — or they don't journal at all. But there's a 2023 study from the Journal of Applied Psychology that tracked professionals over 12 months. Those who kept a weekly career journal — even just five minutes — were 42 percent more likely to achieve their stated career goals. Luna: 42 percent? That's a huge effect size for something that takes five minutes a week. Lucas: Exactly. And I think the reason is that it forces you to be explicit about what you're learning and what you're deciding. Without that, we tend to let weeks blur together, especially in remote or hybrid environments where there are fewer natural milestones. Luna: So what does a good entry look like? Walk me through it. Lucas: I use a really simple template. Three sections. First, 'key decision I made this week and why.' Second, 'something I learned or observed.' Third, 'one thing I want to do differently next week.' That's it. Luna: And you do this every week? Lucas: Every Friday afternoon, last fifteen minutes of the workday. It's become a kind of closing ritual. And I've been doing it for about four years now. Luna: Four years. So you must have a pretty interesting archive to look back on. Lucas: That's actually the most valuable part. Once a quarter, I skim the last thirteen entries. And patterns emerge that I would never have noticed in the moment. For example, I realized that I was consistently writing about feeling frustrated after meetings with a particular stakeholder — and it took me three quarters to see the pattern and actually address it. Luna: So the journal acts as a kind of early warning system for your own blind spots. Lucas: Exactly. And it's also a record of your growth. When you're in a career rut, it's easy to feel like you're not moving. But reading entries from two years ago, you can see, 'oh, I used to struggle with that kind of presentation, and now I do it without thinking.' That's motivating. Luna: I can see that. But I'm still worried about consistency. What if I miss a week? Then I feel guilty and stop altogether. Lucas: That's the biggest barrier, and the fix is simple: don't treat it as an all-or-nothing habit. Even if you journal once a month, you'll still get value. The key is to set a very low bar — like, 'I will write at least one sentence per entry.' You can always write more if you want, but one sentence keeps the habit alive. Luna: Okay, that feels doable. And what about format? Paper notebook, digital document, app? Lucas: Whatever you'll actually use. I personally use a plain text file because it's searchable and I can access it from any device. But a friend of mine swears by a Moleskine and a fountain pen. There's no right answer. Luna: One thing I'm curious about: you mentioned decisions. How do you capture the reasoning behind a decision without it becoming a massive entry? Lucas: I keep it short. 'Decided to push back the launch date by two weeks because the QA team flagged three critical bugs. Decision felt right given the risk of shipping a bad product.' That's enough. The point is to capture the context, not to write an essay. Luna: And then later, when you look back, you can see whether that reasoning held up or whether you were missing information. Lucas: Right. And that's where the real learning happens. You start to see your own decision-making biases. For example, I noticed I often made optimistic timeline estimates because I wanted to please stakeholders, and that pattern showed up in my journal entries before I consciously recognized it. Luna: That's powerful. So the journal becomes a tool for self-awareness, not just memory. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's why the 42 percent goal-achievement bump makes sense. You're not just writing — you're refining your internal model of how your career works. Luna: I'm going to try this. But I have one more practical question: when you do your quarterly review, what are you looking for specifically? Lucas: Three things. First, recurring themes — are there topics or frustrations that show up again and again? Second, growth evidence — what did I struggle with three months ago that I handle easily now? Third, decision outcomes — did the decisions I made turn out well, and if not, what would I do differently? Luna: That's a solid framework. And I imagine it also helps with performance reviews, since you have concrete examples of your progress and decision-making. Lucas: Absolutely. I've used entries from my journal to write self-assessments and even to prepare for promotion conversations. It's much more convincing to say 'in Q1 I made the call to redirect resources from project A to project B, and here's why it paid off' than to try to remember that on the spot. Luna: Right. So it's not just reflection — it's also ammunition for career advancement. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the angle that I think makes this habit stick. It's not navel-gazing. It's a practical tool for getting better at your job and communicating your value. Luna: Speaking of practical tools, if you're finding these career strategies useful, the show stays ad-free because of listeners who support it. If it's helped you think about your own career more clearly, you can buy us a coffee at buymeacoffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, that's right. No pressure at all, but every bit helps us keep doing what we're doing. And we really appreciate it. Luna: So back to journaling — you mentioned that you do this every Friday. What if someone works a non-traditional schedule, or their week doesn't have a clear end? Lucas: Great question. I'd say pick a consistent trigger. Maybe it's after your last meeting of the week, or after you finish a major deliverable. The trigger is more important than the day of the week. The point is to create a ritual that signals 'time to reflect.' Luna: And if the week was completely uneventful? Do you still force yourself to write something? Lucas: Yes, but it's okay to write 'quiet week, nothing notable.' That itself is useful data — it might indicate you're in a lull and could use a new challenge. Or it might mean you're in a healthy flow. Either way, you're tracking it. Luna: That's a good point. Sometimes the absence of news is news. Lucas: Exactly. And over time, those quiet entries become a baseline. When something changes, you'll notice it immediately because it breaks the pattern. Luna: I'm going to start this week. I think I'll set a recurring calendar invite for Friday at 4:45 PM. Lucas: Perfect. And if you miss a week, don't beat yourself up. Just pick it up the next week. The habit is more important than the streak. Luna: That's a good note to end on. I think a lot of people underestimate how much clarity a few minutes of structured reflection can bring. Lucas: Yeah. And honestly, in a world where we're constantly consuming information, taking five minutes to produce a little bit of your own is a surprisingly powerful counterbalance.