Module 8 · Goals & direction · Lesson 6 of 8

Measuring progress honestly

Look at what actually happened, not what you hoped would happen — with checkpoints that fit real life.

7 min read · Free — no account needed to read

The idea

It is easy to believe a goal is going well because we think about it often, or because we feel busy. Honest progress means looking at what has actually been done: sessions completed, applications sent, money saved, drafts written. The evidence often differs from the feeling.

Realistic checkpoints help: a regular moment, weekly or monthly, to ask what you did toward the goal, what got in the way, and what you will do differently. Checkpoints should fit real life — a check-in you will actually keep is worth more than an ambitious one you skip.

Honesty works in both directions. Sometimes you will find you have done more than you thought, which is worth noticing. Sometimes a goal has quietly stalled, which is useful information, not a reason for self-criticism. Reviewing goals regularly is how you find out which.

Why it matters

Without honest check-ins, goals drift for months before anyone notices. With them, you can change course while there is still time — and you get to see real progress, which is one of the strongest motivators there is.

See it happen

Ruth tells friends she is working on her online shop. When she looks at her calendar, she finds she has spent one afternoon on it in the past two months.

The first read

She thinks about the shop every day and has lots of plans, so it feels like the project is progressing well.

With this idea

She starts a short weekly check-in: hours spent, what got done, what got in the way. Seeing the real picture, she blocks two evenings a week for the shop, and within two months it has its first products listed.

What changed

She measured what she actually did instead of how much she thought about it.

Easy to get wrong

• Turning measurement into harsh judgement. The point is to see clearly enough to adjust — be curious, not critical.
• Measuring everything. One or two honest facts per goal are usually enough.

What this rests on

Well studied. Researchers have studied this a good deal. The core idea holds up, though details vary between people and settings.

• Teresa Amabile & Steven Kramer — The Progress Principle (2011) — A study of thousands of work-diary entries finding that making progress in meaningful work was the most common feature of people’s best days.

Try it: A five-minute check-in

1. Pick one goal you care about right now.
2. Write what you actually did toward it in the last two weeks — facts, not feelings.
3. Write what got in the way, and one thing you will do differently next week.

Reflect

• Which goal feels like it is going well, but might not be if you looked at the facts?
• Where have you made more progress than you give yourself credit for?

Use it in the coming days

Set a regular check-in for your main goal — weekly or monthly — and do the first one this week in My Reviews.

Where to do it: My Reviews

My Reviews is built for regular, honest check-ins on how things are really going.