I’ve always been inspired by the beautiful notebooks maintained by folks like Doc Edgerton and Leonardo da Vinci. Though I’m a staunch believer in “showing one’s work,” for me documentation goes even deeper…
As a Type A human with perfectionist tendencies, I’ve never coped well with failure. As a kid I’d rather not do something than do it poorly and for the first 18 years of my life, that worked pretty well. In undergrad I hit a wall where suddenly my best wasn’t good enough and I became well acquainted with failure, but still didn’t know how to embrace it or learn from it. Through undergrad and my early career my anxiety about failing hounded me, making it incredibly difficult to learn new things and leaving me with a major case of impostor syndrome.
A few years ago things got really challenging and I realized I needed to start reprogramming my brain around failure. Like any good experiment, I started small in a low-risk environment: I took a drawing class—something I knew I’d find difficult and wouldn’t be good at initially—and began to mentally debrief about what I’d learned even though my output was imperfect. This process allowed me to consciously connect failure to learning, and appreciate the essential role of failure in the learning process. Over time this simple debrief evolved into the “mindful documentation” template I use today:
Pattern / Technique — what did I create and what techniques or resources did I use?
New skills — was there a skill I tried for the first time with this project?
Lessons / what I learned — what did I learn by doing this project?
What I’d do differently — if I were to do a similar project again, what would I change?
This template has a few things going for it: It’s generic enough to apply to a variety of projects. It’s lightweight enough that filling it out doesn’t take significant time or cognitive load. Over time it has revealed interesting patterns in my learning process. And the mental “muscle memory” I’ve built with this exercise has paved the way to apply a similar process to other higher-risk environments, such as work.
If you’re a recovering perfectionist, a lifelong learner, or a person looking to add a little dose of mindfulness to your own projects, give this template a try or modify it to fit your needs. And drop me a line to let me know what you changed (and learned)!
One final note: While mindful documentation has been an incredibly helpful tool in building a healthier relationship with failure, it’s not the only tool I’ve used. Cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy have provided essential frameworks for identifying and changing thought patterns. Books like Mindset (Carol Dweck) and The Gifts of Imperfection (Brene Brown) have given me language to articulate my experiences. Trusted family and friends have provided a rock-solid support system. Exploring and changing one’s brain is a long, challenging, and non-linear process. What’s worked for me certainly won’t work for everyone, but if you’re on the same path I hope you find the tools you need.