Year-End Evaluation

I should start by saying that I have never had a job in which there were year-end evaluations (or any kind of official evaluations, for that matter). Your work was judged on a daily basis, and in general, you knew where you stood.  For me, the daily stuff was generally positive, and very significant.  If other parts of my life were frustrating, I could always say that I was clearly competent, even excellent, at work, so even if other things weren't working, I must not be a total failure.

Flash forward--no daily job, just a series of little ones where the work is being produced so fast, I'm not sure anyone is stopping to evaluate, and the gigs are so short, I'm not sure even my name will be remembered, much less, how I performed. So much for "competent, even excellent" at work being the counterpoint to anything not working outside of work.

Now it is up to me, and pretty much just me, to evaluate, and to evaluate not just how I'm doing at the specific work, but what that work is doing for me.  Is it making me feel competent and challenged?  Is it giving me satisfaction about what I am producing or putting out in the world?  Is it giving me interesting interactions with interesting people?  Is it working for my family, logistically, financially, and otherwise?  Would I do something (or many somethings) differently if I could?

That's a lot of questions.  Luckily, I still have a few weeks before year's end to finish this "evaluation" so that it can go into my self-employee file.  Stay tuned for the results.