How Goal Tracking Can Lead to a Tighter Routine

Rachel Bussert
August 11, 2021

How often do you set goals — once a year in January or your birthday, or do you do it more frequently? 

Have you given up on setting goals altogether — perhaps because you hate the feeling of looking at them later and seeing that you accomplished very little?

If this is how you feel, first, know that you are not alone. 

Science has shown that it’s easier to set goals than to attain them (true story!). Still, no matter how many times you have “failed” in the past, there are simple ways to keep at your goals until you achieve them.

Goal tracking through journaling is an interesting and easy way to keep track of the routines that lead to goal achievement. 

Set the Routine with the Goal

We’ve all achieved some goals in the past — at home, at work, or in our personal development journey. 

Look back on some goals you have achieved.

One thing that stands out is this: You probably achieved the goal by focusing on the small parts. These parts were small and repetitive — waking up earlier each morning, choosing a healthy meal every day, exercising every day, reading a chapter every day.

That — the repetition — eventually gave you significant results. 

Achieving a goal comes down to one thing: the routine. Routines are the actual things you do daily that determine whether you are headed toward or away from a goal.

We all love the motivation that comes with a New Year, a new job, a birthday, or a new season. We feel supercharged and energetic — and able to accomplish anything. 

Soon enough, though, the excitement wanes and you need something more to dredge through hard days of no time, no motivation, and too much to do.

But there’s one powerful tool you can use to improve your success by streamlining your routine — goal tracking.

What Is Goal Tracking?

Goal tracking is the simple daily habit of journaling to ensure your routines are in line with your goal. We’ve mentioned before that you can use journaling in many different ways — not just to jot down your innermost thoughts and dreams.

Once you break down your goal into smaller parts (do this early, while you still have the excitement, optimism, and motivation!), create the daily tasks that will get you to the goal.

This is an incredibly important step, and it can be the difference between achieving your goal and not.

Importance of Daily Goal Tracking

Most things we accomplish are a sum total of decisions we made every day.

If you’re trying to accomplish something that goes against your natural grain, writing down your daily goals or to-do list can help in two ways. First, it’s easier to think about daily tasks than the goal as a whole. It doesn’t get overwhelming, because it’s just a few things to do. You are more likely to keep doing them.

Second, daily goal tracking helps to set up the systems that will lead you to success. Simply keeping up with your daily to-do list allows you to progress toward a massive goal without knowing that’s what you’re doing.

Daily goal tracking:

Shows your progress, especially when you don’t feel like you’re making a difference.
Helps you to prioritize in light of the goal and any other responsibilities — it gives you greater control.
Breaks down an ambitious goal into small, concrete, manageable steps.
Allows you to celebrate small wins when you accomplish daily tasks. These wins build momentum for eventual success.

How to Use Journaling for Daily Goal Tracking

Most people don’t feel like they’re very good at achieving goals. Most people are still working on setting better goals. 

If you’re one of these people, try daily goal tracking by journaling. This simple but powerful tool will lead to remarkable improvements in goal achievement in your life.

When to Write Your Daily Goals

You can journal your daily goals in three ways: the night before, the morning of the day, or at the beginning of a new week. Try all three methods and see what works best for you.

How Many Goals to Set

People who do daily goal tracking set four goals on average, but you can do anything from two to five. Note that those who set fewer tasks are more likely to accomplish them and stay motivated to keep going.

Start with two to four goals and only increase if you consistently achieve at least three. Not accomplishing your goals will dampen your motivation and make it harder to keep journaling.

Checking Your Progress

The truth is that only the most internally driven people will achieve their goals consistently. This doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. 

Rather, it just means you’re human. Do your best to be lenient with yourself. If you meet more than half of your goals more than half the time, you’re making good progress.

The most important quality you need is the willingness to keep trying, regardless of what happened yesterday. After all, daily goal tracking gives you another chance to try every new day. 