Deciding which metrics should measure your progress within your goal depends mostly on the goal you have. ⚖️ Metrics should yield concrete and tangible evidence of progress toward your goal. The metric used will be one that makes sense considering the goal and the measured behavior.
For example, if your goal is to get healthy, you may use the scale to weigh yourself every week to measure your weight loss progress and track it over time until you reach your goal. Using a scale as the metric makes sense for this goal. ✅
For most goals, there is more than one way to measure progress that can be used alongside the primary measurement tool. Implementing several measurement tools will add to motivation, make tracking more fun and interesting, and build on your progression to your goal.
Take the above goal as an example, to get healthier. There are several ways other than a scale that you can use to track your progress. You can track with a smartwatch that has a step or fitness counter, you can measure the amount of inches lost, measure your body fat percentage, even use your favorite old pair of jeans that used to fit to measure how close you are getting to your goal every week. As long as the metric works well to yield a tangible measure of progress, you can use it to track your goals. 🎉
Using more than one method for tracking can be even more effective. Multiple methods will switch things up and help fight the monotony of tracking the same way all the time, which will boost motivation.
Different tracking methods may make measuring progress more fun and help keep things interesting. When an activity is fun, we are more likely to want to repeat it, building on the success.
Another example could be, if the goal is; to get a promotion within my current company by improving my quality of work and advancing my knowledge through online training. The metrics used to track this goal might be quality and quantity of projects completed and success factors as they relate to superiors within the workplace, and revenue produced.
Knowledge and experience gained from online training is measurable through the amount of online courses completed and books read that relate to my goal. As stated, several metrics can track this goal, producing the possibility of a higher success rate.
Success rates rise even further when tracking takes place more often. Here, tracking of the goal will be beneficial as least once every two weeks. You may build mini goals into the primary goal, to help increase motivation and give an opportunity to use a reward system. Tracking your progress will yield concrete data pertaining to the success of your goal.
Answer some questions to gather tangible data;
❓ Were successful projects submitted?
❓ Is revenue up and by how much?
❓ Have I completed online courses?
❓ Did I gain knowledge through reading any books or articles that will further me professionally?
❓ Did I use rewards to help instill behavior towards the goal?
The answers to these questions will give you the ability to measure your progress toward your goal.
My Health-Focused Habits coaching program offers tools to help keep you on track daily and weekly to provide the support needed to achieve success.. Message me to schedule a Success Session to talk about openings in my current coaching program.