Why tracking progress is important

Either way, it feels good to see what you've accomplished. Challenge yourself to squeeze in more activity, whether spending an extra five minutes on the elliptical or taking more steps every day. When you reach a goal, treat yourself to a non-food reward, such as buying some new workout clothes. National Academy of Sports Medicine. The push up test measures upper body endurance, as opposed to a one rep maximum bench press test You still have the data.

Take a step back, re-evaluate your metrics and make necessary adjustments. There are 3 types of goals : outcome, performance, and process goals. Accountability and consistency help with accomplishing process goals.

Being consistent and accountable to your training and overall performance is crucial to achieving your goals. Identifying weaknesses help with setting performance goals. The metrics show specific areas that need improvement, so you can break down your targets. By basing performance goals on the metrics, you can set specific and realistic goals.

At any point, you can track and evaluate your progress to see if you are still going in the right direction or if you need to reassess and make adjustments. Small improvements in individual metrics add up, allowing you to check off performance goals along the way, ultimately leading you to your outcome goal.

You come to a stopping point and reach for your bookmark to place it inside. That bookmark is now a checkpoint that designates the remaining distance to reaching your goal.

The same concept applies when trying to achieve your fitness goals. Of course, you can exercise and eat healthier but without proper tracking, the time remaining to achieve your goals is unclear. RescueTime works in the background, meaning it automatically tracks the progress you make each day. You can even set daily goals and get an alert when you hit it. For example, I have a RescueTime Goal set for spending 3 hours every day writing.

Streaks are incredibly powerful psychological tools. The longer we maintain one, the more pressure we feel to keep up with it. Want to start tracking your progress with RescueTime? Sign up for your free account today. The idea is simple. Pick a metric or two that makes sense for you and then track how many days you hit it.

For example, this could be writing a certain word count, making a number of sales calls, or fixing a number of bugs. Your calendar becomes a large, visual reminder of your progress and also brings in the power of streaks. You can also combine the benefits of tracking your progress with daily reflective writing. At the end of each day, take a few minutes to write about what you worked on. To get the most out of this approach, try going analog and use a paper notebook rather than a word doc or your phone.

If you use RescueTime, you can also use our daily Highlights feature to write down what you accomplished each day. No matter how big or complex the project is.

Whether they are trying to solve a major scientific mystery or simply produce a high-quality product or service. The more you feel a sense of progress. The more motivated and productive you are. And the more you see progress.