Keep a Changelog

March 13, 2021

If you’re a developer, I’m assuming you’re familiar with a concept of a changelog

A changelog is a file which contains a curated, chronologically ordered list of notable changes for each version of a project.

You may or may not keep a changelog in the projects you contribute to at work, but regardless of that you should be keeping a changelog for something much more important:

You.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day to day and lose sight of how you’re changing and what you’re learning. Life happens fast and if we’re not checking in on ourselves regularly some important things get lost in the mix. This is where I think keeping your own personal changelog can help.

There are a few good posts on this topic already like Julia Evan’s post on Brag Documents.
She already covers some great points on why you should consider doing this so please, check out her article!

You might already be keeping one today and just calling it something else. If so, cool! Keep it up 👍. If you aren’t, give it a shot.

Keep a changelog - for you.


Written by Dave Shah A Husband, Father, Software Engineer, Product Developer, Distance Runner, and most importantly, loving Christian. You can connect with Dave here.

© 2021 Dave Shah