The Memory Jar I wish I’d Started

This is more of a reflection than a training note, but it’s something I’ve thought about a lot lately.

Looking back over the last several years and realizing just how much things have changed since I first stepped into the clerk’s office, there is one thing I wish I had done from the very beginning.

I wish I had kept track of the small wins.

Not the big milestones that everyone notices. Those are easy to remember.

I mean the small ones.

The days when you solve a problem that has been frustrating your office for months.
The moment when a process finally works the way you designed it.
The time a judge, attorney, officer, or citizen compliments how your court operates.
The days where every deputy clerk has a great time in court.

Those moments matter more than we realize.

Because the truth is, some days in the clerk’s office are overwhelming.

There are stacks of files on your desk.
People waiting at the counter.
Phone calls on hold.
Emails coming in faster than you can answer them.

There are Zoom meetings scheduled, staff meetings to run, court calendars to prepare, software upgrades to plan, memos to write for board meetings, and training sessions to attend.

And even when you leave the office, you’re often still thinking about the job.

On the hard days—the long days—the days where it feels like nothing is getting done—it would be nice to look back at something tangible and see how far you’ve come.

Sometimes I think I should have kept a jar on my desk.

Every time something good happened, every time we improved a process, every time someone complimented the court, I would have written it on a sticky note and dropped it in that jar.

Not to show anyone else.

Just for me.

Because when those difficult days inevitably show up, it would be nice to pull out a handful of those notes and remember:

You are making progress.

You are building something better.

And you are doing work that matters.

There will always be hard days in this profession.

But in my experience, the good days far outnumber the bad ones.

And sometimes a reminder of that is all we need to keep going.

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