Latest / The Marketing Career Podcast with Fexingo: Marketing Jobs, Skills, and Career Growth / How Marketers Can Use a Career Journal to Spot Trends
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this product marketer I know — let's call her Priya — who kept a spreadsheet of every project she worked on for two years. Not just deliverables, but how she felt at each stage, what drained her, what gave her energy. She didn't know what she was looking for at first. She just had a hunch that her career wasn't a straight line, and she wanted to see the shape of it. Luna: A career journal, but with data. I love that. What did the spreadsheet actually tell her? Lucas: That's the thing — it took about six months of entries before patterns started to surface. She noticed that every time she was involved in a product launch from scratch, she'd write things like 'energized' or 'excited' in her notes. But when she was handed an existing campaign to optimize, her entries said 'fine' or 'boring' or 'same old.' She hadn't consciously realized that, but her own notes were telling her she was a launch person, not a maintenance person. Luna: And did she act on that? Did she pivot? Lucas: She did, actually. She started volunteering for the messier, earlier-stage projects — the ones with no playbook yet. Within a year, her manager noticed, and she became the go-to person for new product introductions. She didn't even need to job-hop. She just changed the kind of work she raised her hand for, based on what her journal told her. Luna: That's such a clean example. But I have to ask — doesn't journaling feel a bit, I don't know, self-indulgent? I've tried it and I always quit after three weeks. Lucas: That's the stereotype, right? A diary for your feelings. But a career journal is more like a field log. You're not writing 'dear diary, today I felt undervalued.' You're jotting down a fact and a reaction: 'Presented to the CMO, felt nervous, got good feedback.' That's it. One or two lines. The point isn't to emote — it's to collect data. Luna: Okay, so it's more like a scientist's notebook. That changes the mental model for me. But still, three weeks — how do you keep the habit going? Lucas: You make it embarrassingly small. I've heard of people who set a reminder on their phone every Friday at 4 p.m. and just write three bullets: one thing that went well, one thing that was frustrating, and one thing you'd do differently. That's it. If it takes more than five minutes, you're overcomplicating it. Luna: Three bullets. I can do that. But what's the actual benefit? I mean, we're not in school, we're not going to get a grade on our journal. Lucas: The benefit is that you stop making career decisions in the dark. You know how people say 'I just don't feel like this role is a good fit'? That's a feeling. A journal turns that feeling into evidence. You can look back and see, 'Ah, every time I have to do heavy data analysis, I write that I'm drained.' That's not a vibe — that's a pattern. And patterns are actionable. Luna: So it's about separating the signal from the noise in your own professional life. I like that. Do you have a specific framework you'd recommend? Like, how often to review? Lucas: I'd say two layers. The first is the weekly entry, which we just talked about. The second is a monthly review where you spend fifteen minutes reading back your last four weeks and looking for any repeated themes. Maybe you notice you've mentioned a specific collaborator three times as a frustration. That's worth paying attention to. Luna: And then a quarterly deep dive? Like, actually step back and see the big picture? Lucas: Exactly. Once a quarter, you take an hour and read through everything. You're looking for bigger arcs: 'I've been saying I want to move into strategy for a year, but all my weekly wins are about execution.' That's a useful gap to notice. Or 'I've had three projects that involved public speaking, and each one gave me energy.' That might point you toward a speaking-heavy role. Luna: That sounds like the kind of thing that could save you from a wrong career move. But how do you keep it from becoming a chore? I'm guessing that's the main reason people stop. Lucas: It helps to have a trigger. Instead of a reminder that feels like homework, you tie it to something you already do — like writing your timesheet on Friday. So it's just another line on that same document. Or you could keep a running note in your phone and add to it when you're on the bus. The less friction, the better. Luna: So it's about building a habit, not a chore. I've also heard people say that journaling can make you more mindful in the moment — like, you start noticing things as they happen because you know you'll write them down later. Does that ring true? Lucas: Absolutely. Once you're in the habit, you start mentally tagging moments: 'Oh, this is a low — I'll write this down on Friday.' And that awareness in the moment is valuable in itself. You might catch yourself thinking, 'Hmm, I've been frustrated in meetings with this team all week. Maybe I should say something instead of just logging it.' Luna: That's a great point. It's not just about reflection — it's about real-time awareness. So, let's say someone has been journaling for a month and they notice a pattern they don't like. What do they actually do with it? Lucas: First, you validate it. Is this pattern showing up in more than one project? More than one team? If it's a one-off, maybe it's just a bad week. But if it's consistent, you make a small experiment. Like, 'For the next two weeks, I'm going to volunteer for the parts of projects that I usually dread and see if my notes change.' That's how you test whether the pattern is really about the task or something else. Luna: So it's not about making a huge pivot based on one month of entries. It's about little adjustments. Lucas: Right. And that's the beauty of the journal — it gives you permission to experiment, because you have a feedback loop. You can try something for a month, and your journal will tell you if it's working. That's a lot more reliable than just guessing. Luna: I'm convinced. I'm going to start next week. But I want to ask — is this just for people who are unhappy in their job? Or is it useful even if you're happy? Lucas: Oh, definitely useful if you're happy. It's like a maintenance log for a car that's running well. You still want to know what's under the hood. Plus, if you're happy, you might not be looking for a change, but you should still be building skills and relationships. The journal can help you see which of those are growing. Luna: Totally. And it's also a great tool for performance reviews, right? Like, you can bring your own data to the table. Lucas: That's a great use case. Instead of scrambling to remember what you did last quarter, you have a documented list. And not just what you did, but the impact. You can say, 'In February, I led the launch that brought in X percent of our pipeline,' and you have that right there because you wrote it down. Luna: That's so much better than the 'I remember doing something with email that time' approach. I've been there. Lucas: We all have. And that's the thing — your career is the longest project you'll ever work on. It deserves at least a five-minute-a-week investment to track it. I mean, we track our marketing campaigns, our ad spend, our conversion rates. Why not track ourselves? Luna: You know, that reminds me of something you mentioned earlier — that feeling of 'this role isn't a good fit.' A journal can actually help you pinpoint what doesn't fit, which is just as valuable as knowing what does. Lucas: Exactly. And if you're listening and this has sparked something you might actually use — a simple three-bullet weekly log, or even just a note in your phone — then honestly, we're glad it helped. If today was worth a coffee to you, that's the link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to keep the show ad-free and running. Luna: Yeah, it's a nice way to give back if you've gotten value. And we do appreciate every little bit. Lucas: So, back to the journal. There's one more angle I want to hit: privacy. Some people worry about writing down frustrations with their manager or colleagues. How do you handle that? Luna: Oh, that's a good question. I'd probably code it — like 'Manager M' instead of their name, so if someone ever reads it, it's not obvious. Lucas: That's smart. And you can also just keep it in a private note on your phone, not on a company device. The whole point is that it's for you, not for anyone else. You can even write in a way that's honest but not defamatory — like 'I felt unsupported in that meeting' instead of 'my boss is an idiot.' Luna: Ha, that's a good rule. It keeps it professional and also more productive. You're not just venting — you're actually problem-solving. Lucas: And that's the ultimate goal. You're not just keeping a diary — you're building a career intelligence system. And the best part? It's free, it takes five minutes a week, and it works whether you're a junior marketer or a CMO. Luna: So, what's a good first step for someone who wants to try this? Should they go out and buy a fancy notebook? Lucas: No. Use whatever you have — a Google Doc, a note on your phone, even the Notes app. Just make sure it's something you'll actually see and use. And start with the three-bullet format. Don't overthink it. Luna: I appreciate that. I'm going to start with a note on my phone and see how it goes. Thanks, Lucas, this was really practical. Lucas: Anytime. And remember — your career is the longest project you'll ever work on. It deserves a little documentation. That's the takeaway.