Do you feel busy all the time, yet at the end of the day (or week, or month) wonder what you actually did? I do! Today’s post describes the antidote ... and when you do it with other people, it will strengthen your relationship.

Data point of the week
According to Theresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, authors of The Progress Principle, “Making progress in meaningful work is the most powerful stimulant to great inner work life.”

Inner work life is defined as the “perceptions, emotions, and motivations that individuals experience as they react to and make sense of the events of their workday.” Not surprisingly, it’s a huge driver of employee satisfaction, engagement, and productivity.

The authors go on to say that “Facilitating progress is the single most effective way for managers to influence inner work life and therefore productivity.”

Meeting these 3 conditions will dramatically improve work satisfaction (but this isn’t just relevant to work—we want to feel like we’re making progress/growing in all aspects of life):

1. Have clear, meaningful goals … but not too many. 1-3 is good at any given time. More than 5 diffuses progress, and contributes to stress, overwhelm, and frustration.

2. Make steady, forward progress on those goals. This may require support from others, including help removing obstacles.     

3. Feel recognized and valued for your contribution.
    

Reflection
Progress often goes unrecognized … by ourselves and the people around us. A recent survey of American employees shows that almost two thirds (63%) feel unappreciated by their employer on a daily basis. This is a missed opportunity! Recognizing progress is a way to strengthen employee connection and improve workplace culture.

Progress feels SO good it's worth deliberately pausing to take note of it! Who doesn’t crave that feeling of been seen? Of our effort, initiative or hard work being recognized and valued? Almost no one feels like they get enough recognition. Meeting that deep need is sure to be appreciated!

When we notice, remark on, and celebrate other people’s progress, we build stronger connection. This might mean marking a milestone, such as wrapping up a big project, getting a promotion, or buying a home. However, it’s important to notice smaller day-to-day progress too. Like taking a step toward a personal goal, developing a new skill set, or showing up to the (often tedious) work that leads to incremental gains.

We can also pause to notice and truly take in our own progress. This helps counter that feeling of never getting anything done. You know, the feeling of constantly working hard but wondering what you really have to show for it?! When I’ve practiced actively looking for and naming the progress I’ve made, it’s made a big difference to my feeling of accomplishment and overall attitude toward work.

So, I’ll do it now. I’ve set a big goal for the next year. I’m writing a book. And guess what I did this week? I wrote the first 2 pages!!  🎉👏🏼⚡️ It’s not a lot, but it’s a start. Now momentum is on my side. 😁

Connection Skill & Action Step: Recognize progress
Participating in publicly recognized milestones (birthdays, weddings, retirement parties, etc.) strengthens bonds and builds community.

If you want to make a more personal impact, try these steps. It’s sure to be appreciated and bring strengthen your relationship.  

• Pay attention to—or a specifically ask about—what the other person is focusing their time and energy on period. What are the specific skills they hope to develop? What are the goals and projects they’re working on? What are their aspirations, dreams, intentions?

• Express encouragement, support, and confidence in their abilities to make progress in these areas. Be a cheerleader.

  • Be careful not to minimize their doubts, stresses, and struggles in your effort to be encouraging. It’s possible to validate the very real challenges involved in pursuing a meaningful goal, while maintaining your belief in their abilities. 

• Periodically check in and ask how it’s going.

  • Note that your role is to encourage, not to be an accountability partner, unless they’ve asked for that. You’re checking in with, not checking up on.

• Notice and reflect their progress back to them. Celebrate milestones. Make a fuss about wins.

• If you’re in a leadership position, set clear goals, remove obstacles, and acknowledge progress regularly.

If you’d like recognize your own progress, try creating a daily or weekly “Done List” (to counteract the never-ending TO Do list) or make it a habit to regularly look backward to assess how far you've come.

Questions to reflect on or to spark conversation. Please share your responses in the comments—we love hearing from you!

What is something important to you that you’ve made progress on lately, no matter how incremental?