How to Track Hard-to-Measure Goals
How can you track progress when you have a goal that is hard to measure?
Many of us with chronic illness need some flexibility and may have goals that are a little ambiguous like -
“I want to have more energy”
“I want to stop catching every cold”
“I want to feel less stress”
These all sound great!
But, how do you:
Break down those bigger goals down into specific action steps? AND
Measure progress when the outcome might not be easily definable and quantifiable?
These are important questions that come up a lot.
In an ideal coaching scenario, clients have well defined goals that are easily measured (i.e., a goal to exercise 5 days a week for a half hour in order to lower blood pressure to normal range within 3 months).
However, this is not what typically happens when I meet a new client. Unless a healthcare provider has prescribed some specific lifestyle changes, my chronic illness clients don’t usually have such a cut-and-dried goal in mind. They typically have a more ambiguous goal of something like “wanting to have more energy.”
These goals are no less important than more specific goals, but they require a more nuanced approach.
When we have a more ambiguous goal to work on, I know that it is time to dig in a little deeper and find out what that would actually look and feel like to my client. From there, we can learn about what specific aspects of her lifestyle may be supporting or detracting from her end goal.
Here are 5 considerations to think about when trying to turn your generalized wish into a more defined goal and action plan:
ONE: Break Down The Larger Goal
One important consideration for an ambiguous goal is to ask yourself what would “being less stressed” look or feel like? It might mean something along the lines of feeling more ease, having less of a packed schedule and having the ability to take a number of breaks in your day. Thinking through specific feelings you will have or practices that you will be engaging in is important to breaking down the larger goal into something more specific.
It is helpful to think about how you could work on your end goal in a way that works for your lifestyle. If your goal is to feel less stressed, you could meditate. You could work on some other type of calming, breathing or mindfulness practice. You could go for walks. You could spend time in nature. You could pet your dog, or listen to music. You could delegate more. You can prioritize your to-do list or simplify your calendar. You could take bigger actions like changing jobs, going part-time, or de-cluttering your home.
Once you break down what you think could help, there are inevitably ways to create relevant action items. Sometimes the action steps might make more sense if you think about them as a practice than related to an outcome.
It is important to note that it might not need to look the same everyday. You could take any combination of action steps that meet you where you are - literally and figuratively. You don’t necessarily need to commit to doing 20 minutes of silent meditation everyday at a certain time. You can simply commit to finding time each day to do something that furthers your overall goal of stress reduction.
TWo: FIGURE OUT A WAY TO TRACK PROGRESS
Once you have some potential action items to pursue, it is important to figure out a way to track progress.
Why?
Finding a way to track progress on a goal is important because it is helpful to know whether your efforts are making a difference for you. When you have a chronic illness, you probably want to maximize your return on any energy and effort on anything that you do since that energy is precious and not unlimited.
When progress is slow and steady, it can be hard to notice how small changes add up over time. Having a way to track your progress can be a helpful way to notice the effectiveness of your method and any long-term progress.
In addition, measuring your progress helps fuel your motivation to keep going. If you are not noticing the benefits of your efforts, it can be demoralizing. It is hard to stay motivated when you don't feel like your efforts are paying off. But, when you can feel some progress, it tends to add fuel to your motivation to keep going!
Think about how you can measure your progress. For example, if you know you need 8 hours of sleep a night in order to function, you can track how much sleep you are getting and how you feel when you get 8 hours of sleep a night on a consistent basis.
But, sometimes, it is not that easy to track progress. In that case….
THREE: Find another way to track progress
Another way some of my clients track progress on less definable goal is to find something else to track that is related to the goal. This involves considering what you would feel, or be capable of, if you reached your goal.
For example, if you hope to feel more energetic you could track changes in:
the duration that you can engage in certain activities;
your capabilities (i.e., walking farther in the same timeframe or lifting something you could not previously);
mobility; or
the amount of daily life activities you have energy for.
FOUR: record how you feel periodically
When a goal seems hard to measure, some of my clients write about how they feel they are doing related to their goal. Then, I ask them to check in with what they wrote periodically (maybe every 1-3 months) to determine whether the consistent effort they are making is leading to noticeable change in the way they feel.
If you subscribe to my newsletter, you know that you can count on me for a quarterly health coach check-in. While our individual progress is not always tied to the calendar, a regular check-in can be a helpful benchmark to look at how you are feeling every once in a while.
Five: Look for long-term patterns
Several years ago, one of my deepest wishes was that I did not want to get sick so frequently. That is not a well-defined goal. But, it was what I wanted. I was able to turn it from a wish to an achievable goal by making consistent efforts to find my answers and to take action on them.
I started listing the dates I got sick. Some patterns began to emerge. I was able to determine that there were some months when I was more prone to illness, and I started to focus on taking extra care of myself during those times. When I started to take a more holistic approach to my health, I began to notice a sharp decrease in the amount of times I was getting sick each year overall. I would not have noticed that long-term pattern unless I tracked it, because the patterns only emerged over years.
For more info…
For more info on tracking slow and steady progress, check out this blog post.
I hope you have some helpful takeaways in this post if what you want for your life and health are not easily defined.
If you are looking for more guidance or support in your journey to live Chronically Well, let me know here.
What do you most want for your health and wellness?
What is your vision for how that will look and feel?
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