Tracking your progress works best when you write it down and tell someone

Key takeaways

• A 2016 analysis of 138 randomized experiments with nearly 20,000 people found that prompting people to check their progress helped them reach their goals, by a small-to-medium amount that shrank by about half after a correction for likely unpublished studies.
• The boost was bigger when people wrote their progress down and much bigger when they reported it to someone else or checked it in front of a group.
• Tracking an action mostly changes that action, and tracking a result mostly changes that result, so track one of each.
• In a review of weight-loss trials, stepping on a scale by itself showed no clear benefit, but adding it to a full program did help, and trials with built-in accountability saw more weight loss.
• Habit-tracker apps lean on reminders, yet one four-week study found reminders helped people repeat a behavior while getting in the way of it becoming automatic.

In 2011, 91 adults in the Chapel Hill, North Carolina, area joined a six-month experiment built around a bathroom scale¹³. One group got a “smart” scale that sent each reading to a website, a graph of their weight and a tailored email each week¹. The other group waited for the program to start later¹.

The scale group weighed in about six days a week. The comparison group averaged about once a week¹.

After six months, the scale group had lost 6.55% of their body weight, while the comparison group lost 0.35%¹. About 43% of the scale group reached a 5% loss, the point often linked with lower disease risk, compared with about 7% of the others¹². A companion paper found no rise in depression symptoms or binge eating, two worries people often raise about daily weighing³.

This is the twist. When a British research team reviewed weight-loss trials in 2015, they found only one that tested a scale on its own, and it showed no clear benefit⁴. The scale worked as part of a system: a goal, a record, feedback, a regular review and someone to answer to.

That’s the lesson of the tracking research as a whole. This guide explains what to track, how often, who to tell, and how to fit it all on one page.

138 experiments say checking your progress pays off

In 2016, psychologists led by Benjamin Harkin at the University of Sheffield pooled 138 randomized experiments with 19,951 people⁵⁶. Randomized means people were assigned by chance either to a program that prompted them to monitor their progress or to a comparison group⁵.

Nearly all the studies targeted health: weight loss, smoking cessation, diet changes, lower blood pressure and the like⁵⁶. Weight loss was the most common, in 50 of the studies⁵.

Prompting people to monitor worked. They checked their progress far more often, and they were more likely to reach their goals⁵. The more often people checked, the more they gained, and statistically, the extra checking helped account for the benefit⁵⁶.

The idea comes from control theory: a goal sets a target, and progress happens when you compare where you are with that target and adjust⁵. Without checking, you can’t steer.

How big was the effect? Researchers scored it with a standard yardstick called an effect size, and the main estimate was 0.40, which the authors called small to medium⁵.

There are caveats. The review found signs that some studies with weak results never got published. A standard correction for that lowered the estimate from 0.40 to 0.19, roughly half⁵. The authors still judged that bias modest rather than severe⁵.

Only 51% of the studies were large enough to give reliable answers⁵. Studies in which participants and researchers didn’t know who was in which group found smaller effects⁵.

So the benefit looks real, but it’s probably smaller than the headline number. It’s still one of the better-supported tools in behavior change.

Writing it down and telling someone made the effect bigger

Two details changed how much monitoring helped.

The first was writing it down. When people physically recorded their progress, for instance in a diary, the effect on reaching goals was about 1.5 times as large as when they just noticed it⁵.

The second was sharing. When progress stayed private, the benefit was small. When people reported it to at least one other person, the effect was about 2.5 times as large⁵.

When they checked it in public, such as weighing in at a weight-loss class, it was nearly three times as large⁵. The lead author advised people to log what they find and share it, or go public with it⁶.

The weight-loss review pointed the same way. Trials that built in accountability produced significantly more weight loss⁴.

In the review, public monitoring included weighing in at a class and handing in progress reports⁵. You don’t need to post your weight online. One trusted person who expects a weekly update may do the job.

Treat these comparisons as promising rather than settled. They come from comparing groups of studies, which can’t rule out other differences between those studies⁵.

Track the action and the result, because each moves only itself

The most surprising finding in the Sheffield review is about what you choose to watch.

When people tracked a behavior, such as what they ate, the behavior changed a lot. But the related outcome, such as weight, barely budged⁵. When people tracked an outcome, the outcome improved, but the behaviors around it didn’t change much⁵.

The authors offered an explanation. Watching an outcome can prompt many different fixes. Watching one behavior mostly changes that one behavior⁵.

That argues for tracking a pair: one result you care about, and one or two actions you control. Actions are what you can do today. Results tell you whether those actions are the right ones.

Step counters show the action side at work. A 2007 review in JAMA, led by Dena Bravata at Stanford, pooled 26 pedometer studies with 2,767 people⁷. In the randomized trials, pedometer users took about 2,500 more steps a day than people without them⁷. That’s roughly an extra mile of walking⁸.

Having a step goal was a key predictor of success, and 23 of the 26 studies paired the pedometer with a goal and a step diary⁷⁸. Users’ body mass index (a weight-for-height measure) dipped slightly, and systolic blood pressure, the top number, fell by about 4 points⁷. The studies averaged 18 weeks, so whether the gains last is unknown⁷.

For how accurate step counts are, see our article on fitness trackers. For what step goal to set, see our article on walking clubs.

The scale: daily or weekly, and the worry about obsession

Weighing yourself is the classic outcome to track. People often fear it will make them anxious or obsessed.

In the North Carolina trial, that didn’t happen. After six months of daily weighing, the scale group showed no more depression symptoms, binge eating or disordered-eating thoughts than the comparison group, and they reported less dissatisfaction with their bodies³.

That group was small, and the typical participant was a white, college-educated woman in her mid-forties². The results may not apply to everyone, especially people with a history of eating disorders.

How often? The 2015 review found no significant difference between advice to weigh daily and advice to weigh weekly⁴. Pick the rhythm you’ll stick with. If daily numbers rattle you, weekly is a fair choice.

If you have a history of an eating disorder, talk with your care team before tracking weight or food at all. Our article on wellness journals covers this risk.

Habit trackers count repetitions, and cues build the habit

Habit-tracker apps let you tick a box each day and watch a chain of checkmarks grow. They’re good at counting. That isn’t the same as building a habit.

In a 2015 study, researchers at University College London reviewed 115 habit-formation apps⁹. Most centered on self-tracking and reminders⁹.

Then they ran a four-week study comparing kinds of cues⁹. The published summary doesn’t say how many people took part or which habit they tried, so treat it as a first look.

Reminders helped people repeat the behavior, but they hindered it from becoming automatic⁹. Tying the behavior to an event in the day, such as doing it right after breakfast, made it more automatic⁹. Rewards for completing the task didn’t help⁹.

The lesson: use your tracker to record, not to nag you. Let a daily routine do the reminding. Our article on changing long-held habits explains how cue-based plans work.

How you look at progress may matter too. Consumer researchers Minjung Koo and Ayelet Fishbach found that people stayed more motivated when they focused on whichever part was smaller: what they’d done, early on, and what was left, near the end¹⁰. Their tests included loyalty-card programs at a café and a bagel shop¹⁰¹¹.

It hasn’t been tested on health habits. Still, it costs nothing to try. In week one, count days done. In the last week, count days left.

Paper or app: choose the one you’ll keep using

Apps can make logging easier. In a 2021 review of 39 weight-loss studies, digital tracking groups logged more often than paper groups in 21 of 34 comparisons and less often in only 2¹². Logging more on a digital tool was linked to more weight loss in about three of four cases¹².

But few programs got people to log on even three-quarters of days¹². Any tool fails if it sits unused.

Paper has strengths: no battery, no notifications and no company holding your data. The Sheffield review counted writing in a diary as physical recording⁵. Choose what fits your day, and see our article on health app privacy before handing an app your numbers.

A one-page tracking system you own

Many readers want to take charge of their health rather than wait to be told what’s wrong. Tracking is one of the simplest ways to do it.

You don’t need a lab, a subscription or a gadget. A pencil, a calendar and a few minutes a week can show you whether a change is working for your body. The numbers that matter most are yours, measured against your own starting point.

Copy this onto a sheet of paper or a single notes-app screen.

Part 1: Set it up once

• My result goal (what and by when): ________
• How and how often I’ll measure it: ________ (weekly is plenty for most results)
• Action 1 I control: ____ Cue: right after I ______
• Action 2 (optional): ____ Cue: right after I ______
• Who I’ll report to, and when: ________

Part 2: The weekly grid

Action	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Days done
Action 1	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	___ / 7
Action 2	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	☐	___ / 7
Result this week								__

Part 3: The weekly review (10 minutes)

1. How many days did I do each action? Leave missed days blank and move on.
2. Did my result move? Compare it with my starting point, not with last week alone.
3. What got in the way, and what one change will I make?
4. Is the goal still right: too easy, too hard or about right?
5. Did I send my update? If not, send it now.

A worked example (hypothetical)

Picture a reader who wants to walk more. Her result goal is to raise average daily steps from 4,000 to 6,000 by December 1, checked each Sunday on her phone.

Action 1 is a 15-minute walk right after lunch. Action 2 is taking the stairs right after she parks at work. Every Sunday evening, she texts her weekly average to her sister.

When tracking helps less

Tracking has costs, too. In experiments by Duke University’s Jordan Etkin, people who could see a count of their walking or reading did more of it¹³¹⁴. They also enjoyed it less, and later they were less likely to keep going¹³. Tracked walkers said walking felt more like work¹⁴.

Those were short lab studies, many with students, so treat them as early evidence. If you walk, garden or dance mainly for joy, you may not need to count it. A later article in this series looks more closely at when tracking backfires.

What the evidence shows

Claim	Evidence rating	What it rests on
Monitoring progress helps people reach health goals	Strong evidence	138 randomized experiments with 19,951 people; a small-to-medium effect (0.40) that fell to 0.19 after a correction for likely unpublished studies5
Writing progress down and sharing it boosts the effect	Promising but early	Comparisons across groups of studies in one large review5; accountability linked to more weight loss in another4
Tracking an action changes the action more than the result	Promising but early	Subgroup results in one large review5
Pedometers with step goals raise daily steps	Strong evidence	26 studies, 2,767 people; about 2,500 more steps a day in randomized trials; long-term effects unknown7
Daily self-weighing in a structured program aids weight loss without psychological harm	Promising but early	One six-month trial of 91 adults13
Stepping on a scale alone, with no program, produces weight loss	Not enough evidence	Only one trial, with no clear benefit4
Tying a habit to a daily event builds automaticity better than app reminders	Promising but early	One four-week study of unreported size, plus a review of 115 apps9
Focusing on the smaller share of progress keeps motivation up	Promising but early	Consumer and lab studies; not tested for health habits10

Questions readers ask

The bottom line

Checking your progress is one of the better-tested tools for reaching a health goal. It works best when you write it down, share it with someone and review it on a set day.

Track a pair: one result you care about and one or two actions you control. Let daily routines, not app alerts, remind you. Keep the system small enough to fit on one page, and if counting starts to drain the joy from something you love, give yourself permission to stop.

Related reading

• Writing down what you do helps you change, while brooding on the page doesn’t
• Old habits run on cues rather than willpower, and you can rewire them
• Fitness trackers add steps, but their calorie counts are rough guesses
• Walking clubs work, and you need fewer steps than you were told
• Wellness apps help a little if you keep using them, and most people don’t

Sources

1. Steinberg DM, Tate DF, Bennett GG, Ennett S, Samuel-Hodge C, Ward DS. “The Efficacy of a Daily Self-Weighing Weight Loss Intervention Using Smart Scales and E-mail.” Obesity, 2013;21(9):1789-1797. fds.duke.edu
2. UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. “Daily Self-Weighing Helps Study Participants Lose Weight.” UNC, 2013. sph.unc.edu
3. Steinberg DM, Tate DF, Bennett GG, Ennett S, Samuel-Hodge C, Ward DS. “Daily Self-Weighing and Adverse Psychological Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2014;46(1):24-29. fds.duke.edu
4. Madigan CD, Daley AJ, Lewis AL, et al. “Is Self-Weighing an Effective Tool for Weight Loss: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.” International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2015;12:104. research.birmingham.ac.uk
5. Harkin B, Webb TL, Chang BPI, et al. “Does Monitoring Goal Progress Promote Goal Attainment? A Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence.” Psychological Bulletin, 2016;142(2):198-229. eprints.whiterose.ac.uk
6. American Psychological Association. “Frequently Monitoring Progress Toward Goals Increases Chance of Success.” APA press release, 2015. apa.org
7. Bravata DM, Smith-Spangler C, Sundaram V, et al. “Using Pedometers to Increase Physical Activity and Improve Health: A Systematic Review.” JAMA, 2007;298(19):2296-2304. search.pedro.org.au
8. Stanford School of Medicine. “Pedometers Help People Count Steps to Get Healthy.” Stanford Medicine News Center, 2007. med.stanford.edu
9. Stawarz K, Cox AL, Blandford A. “Beyond Self-Tracking and Reminders: Designing Smartphone Apps That Support Habit Formation.” Proceedings of CHI ’15, ACM, 2015:2653-2662. discovery.ucl.ac.uk
10. Koo M, Fishbach A. “The Small-Area Hypothesis: Effects of Progress Monitoring on Goal Adherence.” Journal of Consumer Research, 2012;39(3):493-509. ideas.repec.org
11. University of Chicago Press Journals. “Sticking to Our Goals: What’s the Best Approach for Success?” ScienceDaily, 2012. sciencedaily.com
12. Patel ML, Wakayama LN, Bennett GG. “Self-Monitoring via Digital Health in Weight Loss Interventions: A Systematic Review Among Adults With Overweight or Obesity.” Obesity, 2021;29(3):478-499. doi.org
13. Etkin J. “The Hidden Cost of Personal Quantification.” Journal of Consumer Research, 2016;42(6):967-984. scholars.duke.edu
14. Duke University Fuqua School of Business. “Why Counting Your Steps Could Make You Unhappier.” Duke Fuqua Insights, 2015. fuqua.duke.edu