One of the difficulties I face is remembering what I’ve done. My mind stays focused while it’s a problem to be solved, but as soon as I’ve solved it, it discards it as something worthless. This happens mainly with things related to my career.
The impact of this is significant, especially in the recurring self-evaluations and performance appraisals at the company where I work. In practice, when the time comes for these reviews, I have to go through conversations, tickets and emails to remember what I did that had an impact on the company and my team. It’s boring, time-consuming and takes effort, and I end up procrastinating as much as possible.
On a personal level, the impact is also great. Basically, every week I go through a rollercoaster of feelings. My self-esteem fluctuates according to my latest successes or failures, instead of being anchored in reality. 😅
Why a Brag Document?
One of my goals this year is to try to minimize this. Some time ago, I read about the Brag Document, also known as the “advantage” or “boast” document. The idea is to have a more realistic view of who I am, without overestimating or underestimating. This helps me both in performance appraisals and in having a clearer view of myself.
What is a Brag Document?
The Brag Document is a self-promotion and reflection tool that serves to document achievements, learnings and contributions at work and in personal life. It facilitates performance appraisals, promotion or salary increase negotiations and helps with career planning.
If you want to know more, I recommend this article by Julia Evans and also this post by Elton Minetto, which is where I first read about the Brag Document. He even did an update afterwards telling us about the experience.
The idea is simple: create a document where you periodically record your achievements, learnings, collaborations and contributions.
How do I create a Brag Document?
There is no single format. Choose what works best for you and makes sense in your context and objectives. There are several options:
- Simple Word document;
- Excel spreadsheet;
- Mind Map;
- Table in Notion.
The important thing is that it’s easy to use and access. In my case, I’m going to use Obsidian.
What to record?
Include everything that deserves to be highlighted or has had a positive impact:
- Projects delivered;
- Articles written;
- Participation in communities;
- Leadership at events;
- Contributions to the team, process improvements or the work environment.
I’ll also include my short (quarter) and medium-term (year) objectives.
1. objectives for the quarter
| Objective | How | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Finish Postgraduate Degree in Software Architecture, Data Science and Cybersecurity | Study 2 nights/week | 30/06/2025 |
| Learn Go | 1h/monday-friday | 13/05/2025 |
| Make a habit of studying Spanish | 1 lesson a day on Duolingo | 30/05/2025 |
2. objectives for the year
| Objective | Description | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Learn Spanish | Understand enough to hold a conversation | 31/12/2025 |
| Learn Golang | Be able to create and maintain a large system in Go | 31/12/2025 |
3. Deliverables, Collaborations and Learnings
| Name | Date | Objective | Description | Categories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Write Article on Brag Document | 02/14/2025 | Facilitate performance evaluations and improve self-esteem | Study and write an article on Brag Document | #personal #blog |
| Project X Delivery | 12/02/2025 | Delivery accepted by the client and already in production | I learned how to use Kubernetes to deploy micro-services and debug, despite the difficulties, it was delivered on time. | #company/project-x |
| Project Y Delivery | 07/02/2025 | Improving internal processes | I collaborated on implementing improvements to the workflow, resulting in increased team productivity. | #company/project-y |
This is a document I created for myself, trying to imagine what would be useful in my context. It will certainly evolve as I use it.
Conclusion
The Brag Document is a practical way of keeping a continuous record of your achievements and learning. Not only does it make performance evaluations easier, it also helps you maintain a more balanced self-esteem, based on reality and not just on your most recent successes or failures.
If you also find it difficult to remember your achievements, or experience fluctuations in self-esteem based on the most recent events, it’s worth a try. The important thing is to find the format and frequency of updates that works for you.
I hope this article has helped you understand what a Brag Document is and how it can be useful. If you have any questions or would like to share your experience, leave a comment below!