When starting any creative project, it can be easy to get lost in the work. You are diligently working through to-do lists, that seem to grow larger every day, and before you know it, you look up from your desk, a month has passed, and you’re not sure what you have to show for it.

This is where the art of progress tracking comes in.

Checking off small tasks every day is helpful; We all know the sense of accomplishment that comes with crossing something off a list (even in that task was simply to “write a list”). But to ensure you are making meaningful, purposeful steps towards your end goals, you need to regularly take a step back from these small, daily objectives and take a look at your progress as a whole.

What was the original driving force behind your project? Was is the main overarching goal you are trying to achieve? How has all your work over the last few weeks/months moved you towards that larger end goal?

I will be the first to admit that this can be a stumbling block for me. I can easily get lost in the minute details, spend weeks perfecting one thing, only to finish that task, look up and realize; that was just one task in a list of 10! and the other 9 are still incomplete.

Knowing that this is a bad habit of mine, I have developed a system to ensure I don’t get hyper focused on one area to the detriment of an entire project. This system has helped me stay productive, helps me know where to invest my time and energy, and has helped me make measurable progress towards my end goals.

It’s quick, easy to adopt, and I can guarantee if you give it a try, you will soon be reaching those goals that have eluded you for so long.

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The System

1: Plan For Tomorrow

After each day spend working on a project, you are going to write a list of things you want to accomplish tomorrow. Anything not completed today gets copied over to the top of tomorrow’s list.

Simple right? Yes. It’s supposed to be. Writing your to-do list the day before helps you start every day with direction and purpose. You know what you want to get done, and you can jump right in getting started, instead of wasting time remembering where exactly you left off and trying to work out what still needs doing.

It’s also much easier to think about completing big projects ‘tomorrow’ instead of ‘today’- anything seems possible if you do it tomorrow. This might sound like procrastination, putting things off, but we are actually using that procrastination mentality to our advantage. This evening you can tell yourself: “it’s okay, I can do it tomorrow”… but when tomorrow comes, you now have to complete the task you set yourself last night. ‘Past You’ is free to make big plans, and ‘Future You’ is now bound to put in the work.

2: Start the week with a check in

At the start of every week, take a look at your most recent to-do list, and compare it with the 3 month plan you wrote at the start of the project.

If you need a refresher on creating your three month plan: check out this SkillShare course by Holley M. Kholi-Murchison, where she talks you through envisioning a career path and creating an action plan to get there.

Each week, you are asking yourself two main questions:

• How do the tasks on this list help you towards your overall goals for the month?
• Is there anything on your monthly list that is not represented in your daily plan?

Everything on your daily list should be related in some way to your overall monthly goals. If there is something that isn’t in line with these larger goals, ask yourself: Does this task need to be completed now? Does this task help me move towards the end goals of this project? If the answer is yes, then add this task to your monthly goals and keep it on your list. If the answer is no, shelf this task for later, for once you have completed the more pressing items on your list. Changing the colour scheme of your website might sound like fun, but if it’s not integral to this month’s success, save that idea for another time, and prioritize other items on your list.

Is there anything on your monthly list that is not represented in your daily plan? Are there any goals you are forgetting about? If so, then add a task specifically designed to tackle that item. For example: If you have “write a creative cv” on your monthly goal, you could add “research creative cv templates” to your daily list.

Having this weekly check in ensures you are making progress on all your goals every week, and that you are spending your valuable time on tasks and projects directly related to your larger end goal.

3: End the month with reflection

The end of the month is a time to look back on the work you did, see what you accomplished and what you didn’t, and assess the direction of your project as a whole. Remember, this process isn’t intended to make you feel ashamed for falling short or like a failure for missing deadlines. This system is designed to help you make meaningful progress, keep you on task, and help you reach your goals, whatever those goals may be.

If you want to see an example of this type of reflection: check out this post, which I wrote one month after getting started as a freelance writer. It’s a little rough around the edges, but it’s a good example of progress tracking in action.

The important questions for the end of the month are:

• Did you complete the goals you set for this month?

Now is the fun time to cross anything off your monthly list that you successfully completed. Some months, that might be everything! congratulations, you did it! but at other times, you might only be able to cross off a few. Don’t worry, that’s all part of the process. For any goal you didn’t successfully reach, have a think: Did I make any progress towards this goal? Can I break this goal down into smaller parts to make it more attainable? And importantly, is this goal still relevant to my overall project? If yes, then move that goal over to next month’s list, and set it as a top priority for the start of the week. If no, then feel free to remove that goal entirely.

• Have any of your goals for next month changed?

It is likely that as you work and gain experience, your whole creative project will change direction multiple times. And that’s okay. In fact, that’s great. Goal setting is not intended to restrict you to certain tasks and limit your creative journey. If at any point a goal becomes irrelevant or outdated, edit it, or remove it. Something you might have thought was super important last month might no longer be helpful to your end goals. Your lists will be constantly evolving as you make progress and reprioritize. Embrace the change.

• What have you learnt from your work this month?

As you make progress on your monthly lists throughout the year, you will not only be moving towards your ultimate creative goal, but you will be gaining skills and experience along the way. The end of the month is a great time to look back on what you did and consider its overall impact. Did completing that task lead to the outcomes you were hoping for?

It’s okay if the answer is no. When taking on any creative project, you will likely follow many sidetracks and rabbit holes that turn out less fruitful than you imagined. That’s all part of the journey. It’s all about learning, taking the time to recognize which projects were helpful and which weren’t, and reorganizing your priorities accordingly.

Remember: Success isn’t about never making a wrong turn. It’s about recognizing when you step off course, learning from the diversion, and making a plan to get back on the highway.

So that’s it. Pretty simple huh?

• Plan for tomorrow, so you can hit the ground running
• Check in once a week, to keep yourself on track
• Reflect once a month, to see what you’ve learnt and set the course for the month ahead

You are already putting in the work, spending valuable time and energy getting things done. This system is going to help you ensure that your time is spent on the right things. Tasks that move you towards your end goals. Tasks that are productive, measurable and most importantly, tasks you are going to achieve in the time you set out to achieve them.

So what are you waiting for? Give it a try!

Make this easy progress tracking part of your daily schedule this month, and I promise you will start seeing results.

You will make meaningful progress towards your end goals. You will notice tasks start to get crossed off your to-do list that have been sitting there for months. And you will feel motivated and empowered, knowing your work is heading in the direction you want it to go.