Measurement: How to Know If You’re Actually Making Progress
“What gets measured gets managed.” This old adage is the cornerstone of turning a vision into reality. Without measurement, you’re flying blind. You have no way of knowing if your actions are effective, where you’re falling short, or when you need to adjust your strategy. A functional vision board system requires a simple, consistent method for progress tracking.
Choosing Your Metrics: Input vs. Output Goals
Most people naturally set output goals. These are goals focused on the result you want to achieve. Examples include “lose 10 pounds,” “earn a promotion,” or “run a 5k.” The problem with only tracking outputs is that you don’t have direct, immediate control over them. You can’t force your body to lose a pound tomorrow. This lack of control can be demotivating.
The solution is to focus on input goals. These are the actions you can control that lead to the desired output. For the output goal of “lose 10 pounds,” your input goals could be “exercise 3 times a week” and “eat 5 servings of vegetables daily.” You have 100% control over whether you put on your running shoes or add broccoli to your plate.
This is also known as the difference between lagging indicators and leading indicators. A lagging indicator (the output) tells you what has already happened (e.g., the number on the scale). A leading indicator (the input) is predictive; it measures the actions that will likely cause the lagging indicator to change. Your progress tracking system should be overwhelmingly focused on leading indicators. Did you do the thing you said you would do? Yes or no. This binary, controllable measurement is the key to building momentum.
The Review Cadence: Creating a Feedback Loop
A plan is just a guess. You need a regular cadence for reviewing your progress and adjusting your plan based on real-world data. A complex review process will be abandoned, so keep it simple.
The Daily Check-in (2 Minutes): At the end of each day, look at your plan. Did you complete your intended action? Mark it on your “done list.” If not, why? This isn’t about judgment; it’s about gathering information.
The Weekly Review (15-30 Minutes): Once a week, perhaps on a Sunday evening, review your progress toward your weekly objectives. Celebrate your wins—what went well? Analyze the misses—what got in the way? Was the goal too ambitious? Did an unexpected event derail you? Use this information to set realistic objectives for the upcoming week. This is your primary course-correction meeting with yourself.
The Quarterly Reset (1-2 Hours): At the end of each 90-day cycle, take a step back. Look at your big vision board. Review your progress on your quarterly theme. Did you achieve what you set out to do? What did you learn? Based on this review, choose your theme for the next quarter. This ensures your plan stays agile and relevant to your evolving life and priorities.
How to Handle Slip-Ups and Setbacks
You will miss a day. You will have a bad week. It is inevitable. The difference between a system that works and one that fails is how you respond to these moments. Perfection is not the goal; consistency is. If you view a missed workout as a total failure, you’re more likely to give up entirely. This is known as the “what-the-hell effect.”
Instead, treat setbacks as data points. If you consistently fail to achieve a weekly goal, the problem isn’t your willpower; it’s your plan. The goal might be too large, the time you allocated might be insufficient, or the strategy itself might be flawed. Use your weekly review to diagnose the issue. Maybe you need to break the goal into even smaller steps. Maybe you need to schedule it for a different time of day when you have more energy. By treating setbacks as feedback, you transform them from sources of shame into opportunities for learning and refinement.
