Tracking for progress - how I have been tracking my health goal

I've set three big goals for myself this year, and one of it is to lose weight. Working towards big, year-long goals often involves slow and steady progress that seems intangible. Therefore, when I started these goals at the beginning of the year, I set up multiple trackers for each goal. It's about four months into the year, and they have been the most effective tools to keep up with my goals. Here's why and how I set up my trackers.

1. Accountability

Attention and focus are the currency of progress, and tracking has kept me accountable to my goals on a daily basis. It has also helped me establish a routine, such as meditating every morning after I wake up. Tracking helps me focus on what matters in the long run by making small daily efforts.

2. Motivator for progress

In James Clear's Atomic Habits, he introduces Four Laws of Behaviour Change, in which tracking your habits falls under the 4th Law – to make the habit satisfying. Tracking is satisfying not only because of a running streak, but also because it provides tangible proof of your progress when progress seems invisible.

3. Immediate feedback

Lastly, self-development comes from learning on your progress. Tracking provides data that you can objectively learn from – recognising patterns and adapting to overcome challenges (like the Dip). It helps you to reflect on setbacks, learn and correct from them, but also to celebrate the small wins and big milestones.

Credit: Lilartsy, Unsplash

How you should start tracking?

I believe tracking should be simple, easy, and convenient. I primary way track data daily my phone's Notes app. It is quick way to note down data points, ideas and reflections. For my weight-loss journey, I have two main trackers – a weekly and daily weight tracker, and an exercise tracker to note down each workout session.

Visualising the bigger picture

All these data points are great input to form the big picture – your overall progress. For this, I archive and translate all these data points into an excel sheet, that'll include charts and calendars to get an overview of my workout consistency and weight loss progress.

Charting for weight loss progress and archiving my notes

Workout sessions in Calendar view provides an overview of consistency

This looks tedious

I know that may be your reaction and I agree, you don't have to track everything. However, there's always a sense of motivation whenever I log in something to the spreadsheets and get an updated chart for my progress. It translates into excitement to see how the chart will change. It helps me to be compassionate to myself with past patterns and reason whenever my weight fluctuates.

Working towards a big goal is not easy as we can lose sight of it easily when life takes over, and we get caught up in busyness. Trackers has helped me to keep myself accountable to them on a regular basis and act as a reminder to work towards it with one small positive action each day.

Till the next!