after 2020 year-end clearing I wasted 3 or 4D residual AL. I didn’t feel bad. However, was my annual assessment affected?

In an extreme scenario, suppose you “consume” 10D (like contractors) but your colleagues consume 30D and manager doesn’t keep count. Your performance may look worse than theirs.

During my lite days, maybe I should just record more leaves, to reflect my slower project progress.

When I get busy at home, I do take many short leaves, usually half-days. I consider it a best practice.