When you take stock of your accomplishments, it’s easy and understandable to get caught up in what you didn’t do or what you want to do better. However, you need to remember to recognize big and small victories to keep yourself motivated. The balance between positive and negative when it comes to productivity is a delicate one, but you should always take breaks, do things you enjoy, and remember to get things done, even in stressful times. That’s why you should try to create a “jar of awesome.”

The idea of the “jar of awesome” comes from Tim Ferriss’ Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers and has been popular for a while. Ferriss basically recommends writing down your victories as they happen and putting the notes in a jar. Whenever you need a motivational boost, you can read through them. Visually, the jar will even show you how much you’ve accomplished lately.

The idea is to help you focus not only on what needs to be done, but also on what you’ve already accomplished. It’s similar to keeping a performance journal or updating your resume annually, even when you’re not looking for a job, in that it motivates you and creates a record of your work. If you’re ever invited to a surprise work meeting or have a performance review coming up, you’ll already have a list of your accomplishments ready to go.

Filling a jar with little scraps of paper is a bit saccharine and may not be easy to keep track of as our lifestyles become increasingly digital. There are plenty of ways to create a “jar” of awesome that don’t involve making your desk look like a Pinterest-inspired wedding from 2013. Try dedicating a page or two to tracking wins in the back of your planner or creating a special note on your phone. Create a single source of truth (SSOT) or file on your computer or drive specifically for compiling your list of wins and supporting documentation.