Ever heard the saying, "What gets measured, gets managed"? In simple terms, it means that if you keep track of something, you're more likely to pay attention to it and improve it. The very act of measuring an activity—whether it's your daily steps or the number of projects you complete—can motivate you to manage it better. For those of us in the early stages of our careers, this idea can be a game-changer. It turns abstract goals into tangible targets and pushes us to grow. In this post, we'll break down what this principle means, why measurable goals matter for your growth, and how you can start tracking your way to personal and professional success.

What It Means In Plan English

Let's demystify the phrase. What gets measured, gets managed simply suggests that tracking something makes you more aware of it, which in turn makes it easier to improve. When you measure an aspect of your life or work, you shine a spotlight on it. This attention naturally encourages you to manage that aspect more carefully. For example, if you start tracking how many pages you read each day, you'll likely read more than if you never counted at all. Measurement creates accountability. It’s like giving yourself a gentle nudge that says, "Hey, keep an eye on this!"

Psychologists have found that this is more than just folk wisdom. Monitoring your progress can unlock a host of positive internal motivations. In fact, simply tracking your goals or behaviors can make you more aware, focused, reliable, creative, and motivated – all at once (1). In other words, by measuring your progress, you're tapping into your brain's natural ability to adapt and improve. This principle has stood the test of time because it works across nearly any area of life. Early-career professionals can especially benefit, because when you're just starting out, being intentional about improvement is key. Why leave your growth to chance when you can measure it and actively manage it?

The Importance of Measurable Goals for Growth

Setting goals is great – but setting measurable goals is even better. When your goals have clear criteria, you can definitively know when you've achieved them (or how close you are). This removes ambiguity and gives you a concrete target to work towards. For instance, saying "I want to improve my coding skills" is admirable but vague. How will you know when you're "better" at coding? Instead, if you say, "I will complete three coding courses in the next six months," you've made the goal measurable. You can track your progress course by course.

Early in your career, measurable goals help you stay on track and see your own development. They turn big, intimidating ambitions into bite-sized steps. Suppose your aim is to become a project manager. A measurable approach would be to set specific milestones, like "lead at least one team project by Q4" or "complete a project management certification by year-end." Each milestone is concrete. You can check it off and measure your progress. This not only boosts your motivation (nothing like the satisfaction of hitting a target!) but also highlights where you might need to adjust your efforts. Remember the acronym S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) – the "M" is there for a reason. Measuring your goals is how you know you’re inching forward, and it gives you proof of your growth that you can show to yourself and others (like your boss, when review time comes around).

Real-World Examples: Tracking Progress in Action

It's all well and good to talk about theory, but what does this look like in real life? Here are a couple of down-to-earth examples of how tracking and measuring can lead to better outcomes:

1. Personal Growth Example: Fitness and Habits: Ever use a fitness tracker or a habit-tracking app? There's a reason these tools are so popular. Research shows that when people diligently track their progress, they tend to get better results. For example, a Stanford study found that individuals who closely monitored their weight loss with apps and smart gadgets lost more weight than those who didn't (2). By logging meals, recording workouts, or counting steps, they were constantly aware of their behaviors and could manage them better (eat a bit healthier, take a few extra steps, etc.). The same idea can apply to any habit. If you want to start reading more, try keeping a simple log of how many pages or minutes you read each day. You'll likely find that just writing it down motivates you to read a little more the next day.
2. Professional Example: Early-Career Advancement: Imagine a young professional, let's call her Alex, who is a year into her first job. Alex wants to grow in her role and maybe snag a promotion down the line. How can she actively work toward it? One approach is to identify a few key areas she needs to excel in (say, improving sales numbers, learning a new software, or leading a small project) and then track her progress in each. In one scenario, a manager did this during performance reviews—he set specific skill targets with his team member and kept a log of progress. By tracking her progress and updating her on what skills she needed for the next role, Alex stayed focused and ended up clearly meeting the promotion criteria over time. In other words, because she and her manager measured her improvements (like how much her sales grew quarter over quarter, or how many projects she managed), it was easy to see when she was ready for the next step. This real-world example shows that whether you track your own growth or a mentor/boss helps you do it, having those numbers or notes to look at can illuminate a clear path to your goal.

These examples highlight a simple truth: tracking makes a difference. When you measure your progress, you create a feedback loop for yourself. The numbers (or notes) tell you what's working and what isn't, so you can adjust your actions and keep improving.

Practical Tips for Measuring and Managing Your Progress

Ready to take control of your personal and professional growth? Here are some practical, easy-to-implement tips on how to effectively measure and manage your progress:

1. Set Clear, Quantifiable Targets: Break your big goals into smaller milestones that you can quantify. For example, if you want to network more, set a target like “Attend two networking events per month” rather than just “Network more.” If you aim to improve your coding skills, decide on a number of coding challenges to complete or a certification to earn. Having a number or specific outcome attached to your goal forces you to focus. These targets become your personal KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) – essentially, the metrics that matter most to your growth.
2. Write It Down (Journal Your Journey): Don’t rely on memory to track how you're doing. Journaling is a powerful habit for self-improvement. Keep a work journal or personal development diary where you record what you did each day or week toward your goals. It could be as simple as jotting down tasks you accomplished, lessons learned, or even setbacks faced (and how you plan to overcome them). Over time, this journal becomes a record of your progress. You’ll be able to look back and see how far you’ve come, which is super motivating. Plus, writing things down helps clarify your thoughts and keeps you accountable. If journaling daily feels like a lot, do a weekly recap of your achievements and challenges.
3. Leverage Habit-Tracking Tools: We live in an age of apps and gadgets – use them to your advantage! There are plenty of habit-tracking apps and tools (like a simple Excel sheet) that can help you monitor your progress. These apps often have features like streaks, reminders, and charts that make tracking kind of fun. For example, you can use a time-tracking app to see how many hours you spent on learning a new skill this week, or a habit app to tick off daily practice sessions. Find a tool that works for you and make it part of your routine. Even setting a daily reminder on your phone to log your progress can do wonders.
4. Establish Feedback Loops: A feedback loop means you regularly check in on how you're doing and make adjustments. In practice, this could mean setting a weekly or monthly meeting with yourself to review your journal or tracking data. Ask yourself: What do the numbers show? Am I improving? If you have mentors or managers, you can include them in this loop too. For instance, ask for a quick coffee chat with your manager for feedback on a project, or pair up with a buddy to share progress on your goals. Regular feedback (from yourself or others) helps you course-correct quickly. It's much easier to stay on track when you catch a slip-up early or celebrate a win, rather than realizing three months later that you were off course.