Martian Notes

Annual reports of personal accomplishments are overrated.

It comes at the time year, when APPs and websites produce annual reports for users, with which they could humblebrag their taste or productivity on social media, including but not limited to favorite songs, books having been read and mostly-watched movies in the past year. It simply reveals the human nature of obsession with accounting and oversharing.

I used to fall into that obsession as well. I reminded myself of writing annual reports, like a responsible accountant doing accounts of what has been done in the fixed time frame. Simply counting those achievements would bring me the sense of fulfilment, beaming with a satisifactory smile. Such obsessive accounting behavior echoes with checklist attitude, when someone makes a checklist for almost anything to do and get extremely satisfied when crossing simple one item.

I agree with the idea of being logical, organized and purposeful. But it is not the process of accounting or checklisting that produces satisfaction, but is the actual process of doing the work. If we go to great lengths to finish some endeavor, we could still feel the joyment of completion without adding it into a report or crossing it from a piece of paper, right?

The overrating of such accounting also hints self doubt. It seems that people would not be certain of their track records if they had not counting every bit of success, a gesture of closure. How satisfied we feel about our accomplishment could not be simplified by any numbers. Afterall, the sense of fulfilment grows within, internally.

Not relying on annual reports brings a rare relief that we are not controlled by numbers any more, and we are simply enjoying every breath we take.