Most of us track our progress in the same way: Getting the next promotion, raise or job are things we typically look at to track our progress. However, it’s important to know that those are not the only ways.

Another way to do this is to measure effort instead of accomplishment.

Accomplishments are easy to track because they are visible mile markers. Think of it like a road trip. Your goal is the destination and every stop along the way is an accomplishment (a raise, promotion, or new job). The miles you’re driving are your effort. Sometimes, there are fewer stops along the way and driving through 10’s and 100’s of miles of the same scenery feels like you aren’t making any progress towards your destination. But we know that’s not true. All those miles you are driving are still progress you’re making, getting you closer to your next stop/destination, right?

This is exactly why effort is still progress. So how do you practically apply this to our work (and even personal life)?

For example, let’s say you’re looking for a job. Instead of asking “Did I get a job?” where a “yes” means you’re advancing and a “no” means you’re not.

You would ask yourself,

“Have I done my best to find a job?”

And then grade yourself on a scale of 1-10.

“On a scale of 1-10, I would give myself a 5.”

Then ask yourself how you can restructure the project (in this example, your job search) in order to do better. Set a date and reminder to revisit these questions in the same way.

This is one great way you can track your progress while working from home.

While most of us are telecommuting it’s harder to see each other’s progress. So keeping track of this would be your record of the progress you’ve made in yourself and at the company while working from home.

I share more practical steps you can take in a free 5 page, working-from-home in your corporate career survival guide. (You can snag it right here.)

Remember, one of the biggest ways to move forward in the workplace is by increasing your value. And the best way to increase your value is by improving yourself.

I hope this guide meets you where you’re at to help you take action, knowing that you are doing everything in your power to continue your career growth.

Sending you waves and waves of positive vibes!