Whether you’re looking for a new job or just refining your portfolio to attract new clients, it’s important that you itemize and monetize your accomplishments.  “I helped to increase business” is less impressive than “I was directly responsible for $100k in new contracts.”

At any given time, it might seem like your most prized accomplishments will be easy to remember in the future.  Unfortunately, they won’t be.  Six months from now when someone asks you to describe the results of your contribution to account X, you’ll be scratching your head.

“I know I did something really well, but I can’t quite remember the specifics.  I’ve done a lot of work since then …”

It’s important to write down the details of your accomplishments as you complete them – do this even if you’re still bound by NDA.  You won’t ever release your personal notes, but you’ll need them as reference later when preparing self-promotion materials or revising a resume.

Large businesses keep detailed records of their past actions, finances, and goals as reference material for when they prepare future reports.  Why should you be any different?  Keeping this information on hand will improve the quality of your marketing materials in the future, whether you’re promoting yourself, your services, or prepping for an informational interview with a colleague.

What methods or processes do you use to keep track of your past work?  How effective have these tools proven to be so far?