Brag docs: Tracking career progress with brag docs
Just back from Gophercon EU, I’m sharing how brag docs can boost your performance reviews!
I just returned from an incredible week at Gophercon EU in Berlin! While I'm still battling some serious jet lag, the conference was absolutely worth every sleepless night. I had such a great time preparing for and delivering my talk (I'll share the recording once it's available), and I met so many amazing people in the Go community who have me already planning my return trip.
After what feels like a non-stop stretch since Boise Code Camp, I finally have a few open weeks ahead of me. I'm looking forward to slowing down, catching up on some much-needed rest, and doing some reflection on everything I've learned recently. It's time to get more balance in my life.
Highlights
Things I've been doing on the internet
- Podcast: Overcommitted Ep. 12 | Maximizing time at tech conferences and events
- This was the perfect episode before heading out to a tech conference! We chatted about all the things we try to do when going to a conference or other tech event
- Video: Leet Heat S1 E10 - Spicy programmer trivia and spicier bites
- The episode of Leet Heat I was on is out now! This was incredibly fun (and very spicy). I highly recommend you check it out if you're interested in testing your own programmer knowledge. How many questions would you have gotten right?
Things I've enjoyed on the internet this week
If you've got something you want me to read and feature in this newsletter, send it to me at brittany@balancedengineer.com!
- Nada :) I've been a bit busy!
Onto the content!
I'll be honest. I ran out of stuff to talk about related to code reviews.
I'm sure I could have pulled another topic out and managed to fit a newsletter in about it, but instead there's something else that I want to write about.
I'm also preparing some changes to my overall newsletter, so may be ditching the monthly theme notion at some point anyway. It has been 6 months of the newsletter now and I think I'm ready to assess where I'm enjoying myself and what can be improved.
Today's topic: Brag docs
What is a brag doc
Have you ever sat down to write your annual performance review and completely blanked on what you accomplished over the past year? Or maybe you remembered the big projects but forgot all the smaller wins that actually made the biggest impact? If this sounds familiar, you need a brag doc.
The term "brag doc" was coined by Julia Evans, and it's exactly what it sounds like: a document that tracks what you've been working on and doing well. Think of it as your professional highlight reel, but one you update regularly rather than scrambling to create once a year.
Having a brag doc around is incredibly helpful for performance reviews and promotion discussions. Building it through continuous reflection means you won't miss critical projects when writing up your recent accomplishments.
Why brag docs matter
The simple truth is that you don't remember everything you've done. Even the most organized among us forget the context and details around important work we completed months ago.
Writing things down as they happen allows you to better retain the context and detail around what you're working on and why it's important. When review season arrives, you'll have a comprehensive record rather than trying to reconstruct your achievements from memory.
This documentation becomes invaluable not just for reviews, but also for updating your resume, preparing for interviews, or even just reflecting on your professional growth.
My automated brag doc process
I shamelessly stole a lot of this from my friend and colleague Bethany Janos, who originally shared her process with me. I started using it last year and looking back at the last year with it, I'm amazed at how incredibly helpful it is!
I'm using a system of GitHub Actions and GitHub Issues to track my work:
- Weekly Setup: At the beginning of each week, an automated action creates a new issue for that week.
- Daily Updates: Each day, another action runs that updates the weekly issue with links to any issues I've closed or pull requests I've shipped. This provides helpful context to remind me what I worked on.
- Friday Reflection Reminder: Every Friday around 10 AM, an action tags me in a comment on the weekly issue, reminding me to reflect on the week.
- Guided Reflection: The repository includes a slash command that highlights different areas for reflection—what I accomplished, how I extended my impact, how I collaborated, what I learned, and more.
- Automated Archiving: When the new week begins, the previous week's issue closes automatically. The system pulls my reflection items from the weekly comment and stores them in a text file, creating one compilation for each review period.
It sounds complex, but once set up, it's incredibly seamless. I only need to spend a few minutes each Friday doing my weekly reflection and occasional repository maintenance.
There's an example repo here that you can use if you'd like to try it out yourself! If you need help setting it up, please let me know!
The results of my brag doc process
Integrating these weekly reflections into my regular workflow has transformed how I approach performance reviews. Instead of spending hours trying to remember what I did, I have a comprehensive, categorized list of accomplishments ready to go.
I now timebox my review write-up to just one hour, and it works beautifully. No more scrambling to remember projects, gather feedback, or dig through old emails for context. Everything is documented and organized when I need it.
Beyond reviews, this process has given me better visibility into my own growth patterns and helped me identify areas where I want to focus more attention.
Getting started
You don't need a complex automated system to start benefiting from a brag doc. Begin with something simple:
- Set a weekly calendar reminder to jot down your accomplishments
- Keep a running document of projects you've completed
- Note positive feedback you receive as it happens
- Track the impact of your work, not just the tasks you completed
The key is consistency. Whether you use my automated approach or a simple document, the habit of regular reflection will serve you well throughout your career.
Remember, documenting your achievements isn't about boasting—it's about ensuring your hard work gets the recognition it deserves.
Have comments or questions about this newsletter? Or just want to be internet friends? Send me an email at brittany@balancedengineer.com or reach out on Bluesky or LinkedIn.