Tracking Progress to Achieve Success

The end of the month is always a good time to check in. And the end of the first month of the year, is an even better time to evaluate progress towards the intentions you set at the outset of the year.

Regardless of whether or not you set goals, research suggests that as long as your goals are in line with your values, measuring progress can help with improving your overall wellbeing.

Though I believe goal setting is advantageous for more than just accomplishing outcomes, for example, the formation of character, I still advocate defining and reviewing them.

My favourite method of tracking progress is what's known as the Seinfeld Strategy. It follow American comedian Jerry Seinfeld's advice to young comedians on how to become better comics.

In response to a question about how to be a better comedian, Seinfeld noted that "the way to be a better comic [is] was to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes [is] was to write every day..."

Speaking of his approach to writing consistently, he spoke of having a big wall calendar with a year of dates, on which for each day he wrote a joke, he'd mark a big red cross. The idea here is simple:

• Keep what you're doing visible
• Keep doing the task daily
• Keep a chain of red crosses unbroken

This simple, yet powerful approach to monitoring your progress is effective because what begins with one red cross, can eventually lead to hundreds of continuous days of progress.

Also, it can be adapted. If like me you don't have wall space for a big calendar, or you simply don't like what it might do to the aesthetics of your home, try using a habit tracker. The principle is the same.

One of the reasons for it being a favourite of mine, is it focuses on process rather than outcome. For example, writing daily will make you a better writer, regardless of whether or not you create a bestseller.

There are of course other methods for measuring progress, not least social accountability and support. But the Seinfeld Strategy is certainly a good place to get you started.

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If you think you might benefit from working with a counsellor or coach, book a free Exploration Call with me to talk about what working together might look like.

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Photo credit: @towfiqu999999