Why you need weekly status reports

Doing weekly status reports for your boss is a good idea for four reasons:

1. Forces you to think about what you accomplished. You may have spent 40 hours at work this week, but what did you actually accomplish? Writing a status report is a way to capture those accomplishments and remind ourselves of what we should aspire to each week.

2. Allows you to toot your horn regularly. By bringing your accomplishments to the fore, you shape the perception others have of you, rather than leaving it to chance.

3. Helps during your performance appraisal. Tally up your big accomplishments and be ready to itemize them.

4. Provides fodder for your résumé. Someday, when you need a résumé that gets you noticed, you’ll be happy you took a weekly look at your work and worth.

—Adapted from “4 reasons to do a status report for your boss—even when you don’t have to,” Scot Herrick, CubeRules.