The power of self-tracking

As we move into February, new year's resolutions and goals for 2020 tend to fade into the chatter of everyday busy-ness. How do we keep ourselves accountable and actually achieve the objectives we have set ourselves? One of the key missteps in goal setting or making resolutions is forgetting to have a way of tracking changes or developments. Humans thrive on feedback, especially when it supports our intrinsic motivation for doing something.

Tracking doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, the easier it is, the more likely you will do it, and get benefit from mapping your progress. Sometimes taking the first step can be the hardest one. So often, we hear about people wanting to make a change before taking measurement eg hoping to lose weight before stepping on the scales, training to run faster before actually measuring speed, planning a unit of learning before finding out what students already know... Start tracking from Day 1.

Sharing goals and objectives can also make someone feel vulnerable. Often we equate sharing a goal with an audience as an imperative that we must achieve that exact goal. However, sharing our goals/dreams/objectives invites a wider audience to be our support and cheerleaders, to offer advice and guidance, to check in on us when steps in the process can seem overwhelming.

Finally, knowing your 'why' is crucial to tracking and working towards your goal. Understanding why you have a certain goal or objective will also help if the goal or objective becomes unexpectedly difficult or unachievable. Sometimes, the reason why you are doing something no longer aligns with the end point. Understanding your why helps with motivation to start tracking your progress and to recalibrate if things don't go to plan.

For 2020, my goal is to run every street in my new town. My why? It's a way to learn more about this city and to add some fun and interest to my training runs. It also appeals to the geography teacher in me! My tracking tool? High tech and low tech - I use my Suunto watch GPS to record my route then add it to a wall map with red marker.

What are your goals for 2020? How are you tracking your progress? What's your why?