What Is Goal Tracking? Definition, 3 Methods and What to Track

Goal tracking is recording your progress toward a goal on a regular schedule, so you can see whether you are on pace and change course early if you are not. Setting the goal says where you want to end up. Tracking tells you where you are now.

It is a different job from goal setting. A goal written in a notebook and never opened again is set but not tracked. If you want the how-to version, see how to track your goals online.

What you need in order to track a goal

Three things, whatever tool you use:

1. A finish line and a date. "Publish a portfolio site with 3 projects by 30 November" can be tracked. "Get better at design" cannot.
2. Steps under the goal. A goal two months away gives you nothing to do today, so it needs smaller pieces with their own dates.
3. A regular check. Daily to tick off steps, weekly to review the pace.

Three methods of goal tracking

1. A list of steps

Write the goal, list the steps beneath it and tick each off. It is the simplest method and works for projects with clear stages. Its weakness is that all steps look equal, so a tiny one and a huge one move the bar the same amount.

2. A metric

Pick a number that moves as you progress: pages written, kilometres run, money saved. Record it at a set interval and compare it to the pace you need. It suits goals that are really a quantity. The formulas are in how to measure goal progress.

3. A streak of small actions

Break steps into microgoals you can finish in one sitting and count the days in a row you finish at least one. It suits goals that depend on showing up, and it shows lapses quickly. See how to build a daily streak.

Most people combine them: a step list for structure, a streak for consistency, and a metric where the goal is a number.

What to track each week

Keep it to a few items:

• Steps finished this week, and steps overdue.
• Whether the end date is still realistic at the current pace.
• The one step that matters most next week.

The weekly review template has prompts for this.

Tools for goal tracking

You can track on paper, in a spreadsheet, in a task manager or in a dedicated app. A spreadsheet is flexible but you build the structure yourself. A task manager is good at dated tasks but shows no overall progress on a long goal. Dedicated apps vary in whether they need an install or account; five goal tracking apps compared lists their trade-offs.

We make GoalTracker, a free browser tool built around goal, subgoals and microgoals with a daily streak. It needs no account and keeps data in your browser. Browse the other free tools too.