In the quest for personal growth, we’ve gathered insights from CEOs, founders, and top consultants on tracking and measuring progress in personal development. From maintaining a structured development journal to advancing with a structured personal development plan, explore the ten methods these experts use to monitor their growth and the impact on their motivation and self-awareness.
- Maintain a Structured Development Journal
- Monitor Progress with Monthly Reflections
- Prioritize Daily Tasks with the Covey Method
- Engage in Skill Swapping and Habit Tracking
- Use Journaling to Record Growth Milestones
- Combine Bullet Journaling with Habit Tracking
- Reflect Daily for Clarity and Self-Awareness
- Organize Goals with a Yearly Planner
- Contrast Skills with Before-and-After Journaling
- Embrace Daily Discipline and Individual Development
Maintain a Structured Development Journal
Imagine you’re leading a key project aimed at breaking into a new market—a scenario where personal growth isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential. One method that’s proven invaluable for tracking and measuring personal development is maintaining a detailed journal. This isn’t just any diary filled with daily musings, but a structured tool where you note specific goals, actions, outcomes, and reflections systematically.
For instance, let’s say you’re working on enhancing your leadership skills within your team. Each week, you jot down the objectives you’ve set, the situations you’ve handled, feedback received, and most importantly, your reflections on what you could improve. This journal becomes a living document of your developmental journey, providing a clear timeline of your progress and a mechanism to scrutinize the effectiveness of different strategies.
The real power of this approach lies in its dual capacity to keep you motivated and grounded. Reviewing past entries not only helps you see the milestones you’ve conquered—fueling your drive forward—but also keeps you honest about areas where you’re lagging.
Niclas Schlopsna
Managing Consultant and CEO, spectup
Monitor Progress with Monthly Reflections
I begin by selecting a specific goal I wish to achieve and breaking it down into the smallest actionable steps. To monitor these daily actions, I use journaling, as it adds a personal touch and allows for reflection without distractions.
At the end of each month, I review the “numbers” or progress made and decide whether any adjustments are needed to stay on track. This method helps me see tangible progress month by month and also keeps me motivated and focused.
I’ve found its effectiveness lies in its simplicity and the clarity it brings to my personal development journey by providing valuable insights into my daily habits and helping me adjust my strategies for better outcomes.
Bayu Prihandito
Founder, Psychology Consultant, Life Coach for Men, Life Architekture
Prioritize Daily Tasks with the Covey Method
When tracking my personal development, I’ve used multiple methods, but my favorite remains using my daily planner. I was trained decades ago on the Covey method of writing and prioritizing my daily tasks. This methodology stuck, and I continue to write the key items in my planner that I want to accomplish each day.
Years ago, when I wanted to start a daily meditation practice, I wrote “meditate” in the daily column of my planner. Once it’s accomplished, I go to the next day and write “meditate” again. Nearly five years later, my daily meditation practice has continued. In fact, as I write this, I just completed today’s meditation as listed in my planner.
I’ve also used my Google Calendar and placed key personal development activities as recurring events. Still, I learned I may not check my calendar daily and tend to overlook activities. Some people prefer using OneNote to keep track of their activities. But, for me, I always check my planner like clockwork. It sits on my desk, open, and the activities are clearly laid out. They seem to call out, asking, “Have you completed me?” There’s also something satisfying about taking my pen and checking off my accomplishments.
To quote a line from the classic movie “The Ten Commandments,” “So let it be written, so let it be done.” Research indicates that writing with pen and paper activates our brain more intensely than typing does. Handwriting is also linked to enhanced neural processing and better memory recall. This might reinforce why writing for me is paramount in helping track my activities, especially those important to me, like personal development.
Yet, it all comes down to individual preference. What works for you and will continue working for you over time? Each person must answer that question and use the most sustainable method. Follow the spirit with a Latin phrase, “unicuique sua,” or “to each their own.”
Glenn Citerony
Professional Life Coach, Self-employed
Engage in Skill Swapping and Habit Tracking
Understanding that progress is a multifaceted journey, we incorporate various unique methodologies to ensure we’re not just moving forward, but also doing so in a way that’s aligned with our core values and long-term vision.
I use a technique I call “Skill Swapping” with other industry leaders and mentors. Every month, I meet with a peer from a different field to teach and learn a new skill. This not only broadens my skill set but also forces me to step outside my comfort zone and view my progress from a completely different angle. It’s a dynamic, engaging way to develop, pushing me to adapt and learn in ways I wouldn’t in my day-to-day life at our organization. This method offers fresh perspectives and motivates me to continue growing in unexpected directions.
I’ve implemented a habit-tracking app that integrates with our Toggl suite, specifically designed to monitor the development of new skills and habits. This tool is effective because it breaks down larger goals into daily actions, making them more manageable and measurable. It offers insights into my consistency and areas where I may be lagging, serving as a daily nudge towards continuous improvement. It’s a practical, straightforward way to keep myself accountable and ensure that I’m always moving towards my broader goals.
Alari Aho
CEO and Founder, Toggl Inc
Use Journaling to Record Growth Milestones
One way to measure your own personal development is through a journal. Often dismissed as a hobby, journaling is actually a great way to remind yourself of where you started from, what your big goals have been, and the progress you’ve made in meeting them. Recording every lesson, failure, or change in strategy is like giving yourself a rule book for the future.
Manasvini Krishna
Founder, Boss as a Service
Combine Bullet Journaling with Habit Tracking
Tracking and measuring progress in personal development is vital for staying on track and maintaining motivation. As an HR consultant, I personally prefer bullet journaling, combining habit tracking with journaling for a holistic view of my growth.
Habit trackers act as personal cheerleaders, helping me set routines, stay focused, and celebrate daily wins. Whether using a classic notebook or digital apps like Habitica or Streaks, ticking off completed tasks feels like collecting gold coins in a game, providing tangible evidence of progress.
Additionally, journaling acts as a therapist, uncovering insights, patterns, and emotions along the way. By documenting my journey from start to present, along with milestones like weight loss and travel achievements, I maintain a clear vision of my progress and goals. Moreover, displaying both “proof of reality” and “vision” boards as constant reminders of growth and targets keeps me motivated and inspired to continue striving for personal development.
Shweta Joshi
Consultant, NamanHR
Reflect Daily for Clarity and Self-Awareness
I dedicate a few minutes each day to jot down my thoughts and experiences in a journal. This simple process helps me reflect and gain valuable insights into my emotional and mental state over time. Personally, I have found this practice to be immensely beneficial in providing clarity and self-awareness.
I think one effective method for tracking and measuring personal development progress is through the use of a daily journal. I also set aside time weekly, monthly, and yearly to review my journal entries; this helps to identify any blind spots and track my emotional and mental growth or any recurring patterns.
Gaining a deeper understanding of your thought processes will allow you to celebrate your achievements and highlight areas where you can focus on for improvement. This is a much easier way to track what will make a difference for you and drive your motivation.
Yemisi Iyilade
Senior Consultant, YEMISIIYILADE.COM
Organize Goals with a Yearly Planner
The most useful tool I have for tracking and measuring my progress is the Ink & Volt yearly planner. I stumbled upon Ink & Volt’s beautiful paper products for productivity through a Facebook ad maybe five years ago. The first thing I purchased was a “Priorities” pad that divides a sheet into four squares to help you identify 1) what you have to do, 2) what you want to do, 3) what you dream about doing, and 4) what you must do immediately. I typically have so many different projects, ideas, and tasks that this tool helped me organize all the things into very clear groups of what to tackle first, next, and later. That pad was so successful that I bought a bunch of their other pads, and eventually their yearly planner.
The yearly planner is beautiful and useful. It starts with goal setting and breaking down what has to be done when to reach those goals. Each month has a calendar and a big picture of goals for the month. Then each week has a calendar and more specific goals and tasks for the week. There’s also a journal prompt for each week related to productivity and an area for reflection and celebration. This planner is by far the best tool I have for managing all my goals and my progress toward them.
While I typically don’t get all my tasks done in each week or month, I have managed to accomplish some pretty big things like launching online courses and writing a book because of this planner and how it helped me keep making progress throughout the year.
Jenny Morse
Business Writing & Communication Expert, Appendance, Inc
Contrast Skills with Before-and-After Journaling
The method that gives me the greatest satisfaction is what I call “before-and-after journaling.” In the “before” column, I write things that I used to be completely ignorant about—in my case, it mostly has to do with STEM-related fields, economics, or more practical things such as gardening. The “after” column will be there to contrast and complement it—and show me that yes, even I can learn and even become relatively good at it.
The key is to be super specific, as it’s the only way to really be able to track your progress. For example, don’t write how you didn’t know how to grow plants and now your knowledge has gone up a bit. Instead, jot down how you had no idea what a tomato plant looks like, and now you’ve grown one yourself.
And the reason I find it so satisfactory is that it helps me see myself as more than a person with a very specific set of skills or interests. I, you, and everybody else—all of us—are many-faceted people who develop, change, and grow. When I look at these journal entries over the years, I realize one other thing: There are countless ways in which a person can be and become.
Jelena Ciric
Content Editor, BG Electrical & Air Con
Embrace Daily Discipline and Individual Development
One way to stay on task and not get derailed is daily discipline. It means taking small steps every day to achieve a major goal. First, you have to dream and ask yourself if the goal you plan to achieve is in alignment with your purpose.
Choose one powerful word or statement each year to strive towards the goal and get better and better each day. It’s just that simple. Example: I want to teach at a university one day and name what you want to teach specifically. Say it quietly to yourself to let the universe know you are open and will be intentional.
You will remain intentional despite the challenges, which will definitely come your way. You will look past the challenges and keep going, even if and when you become discouraged. Trust me, you will, but don’t stay there. Dust yourself off, friend, and run that race. You will finish. A flower doesn’t look at other flowers and say… “Wow, they are simply beautiful.”
They just keep blooming in their season. Surround yourself with people who truly advocate for and amplify you to keep you on track, but don’t be surrounded by “yes” people. They never challenge you, and it’s never the true reality. A simple tool is an Individual Development Plan, or IDP, that you can own, and managers or mentors can amplify or help influence outcomes. Remember, no one owes you anything, but you owe yourself everything.
Manage your time by doing small things such as learning in increments, and don’t boil the ocean. Perfection is not attainable nor realistic. Be better than you are today, stronger than tomorrow, and firmly rooted for future endeavors. Start small, stay consistent, be accountable, and remain open yet curious.
Tanya Turner, MBA, SHRM-CP, PHR
HR Director, SALTO Systems, Inc
