Working on creative projects & hobbies? Track your progress with a goal attainment scale 🎯

Has your hobby or creative project been feeling a little…less than you need right now? 

It might be time to revisit what you actually want from it — and set some goals.

You might be thinking, "Isn't my hobby supposed to be relaxing? Setting goals and managing progress sounds like a joy-kill."

It doesn't have to be!

With your goal attainment scale, you'll start by describing where you are today — then set a goal for where you want to be. Check in on your progress over time, and watch yourself get there.

A goal attainment scale is a simple 5-point scale (-2 to +2) to personalize and picture your goal and what progress actually looks like.

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You'll rate your progress across five levels — from falling short, to hitting your goal, to going above and beyond.

A goal attainment scale is a lightweight approach — not all-or-nothing, not the pressure of a perfect "A". You'll describe what each level looks like for your goal and set a date to check in.

To hear an audio description of the image above, click play on the audio player below:

What the Levels Mean

• "Getting It Done" is what reaching your goal looks like in action (for example: a daily 10-minute sketch session).

• "Room to Grow" is your starting point. It's where things are right now.

• “And Then Some” and “Big Leap” — this is where you’ll describe what going further by a little or a lot looks like.

• “Falling Short” — what it looks like when things are pulling you away from your goal.

Together, the five levels map out every way your goal could go.

Pat and Danny are friends catching up over coffee when the conversation lands on their hobbies.

Danny said, "Ugh! My craft room is total chaos! Piles of supplies and unfinished stuff, I'm not getting much done!" Pat sympathized but her news was better, "I love my gym and I've been lifting heavier. I'm going to get ready for a competition!"

They decided to help each other stay on track — set a clear goal, map out what progress looked like, and check in over coffee.

Danny's Goal Attainment Scale

Danny got a quick start and sent Pat his goal attainment scale along with a check-in date already picked — a specific day to pause and honestly ask, "where am I right now?"

(-1) Room to Grow (Starting Point) My supplies and space are disorganized — it's hard to just get started on anything.

0) Getting It Done (Goal) My craft desk is cleared off and my most-used supplies and books are organized and easy to find.

(+1) And Then Some (Beyond the Goal) I've donated crafts I'm no longer interested in, set up new shelves, and everything is organized.

(+2) Big Leap I invite friends over to enjoy the craft space!

(-2) Falling Short I keep adding to the piles instead of tackling them — the craft room is worse than when I started.

At their next coffee, Danny asked Pat how the powerlifting is going. Pat had started her goal attainment scale, but was stuck on one level — she couldn't figure out what "And Then Some" looked like for her goal.

Pat's Goal Attainment Scale

(-1) Room to Grow (Starting Point) I love the gym and I'm lifting heavier, but I'm not tracking progress or following a plan — I don't know how to get competition-ready.

(0) Getting It Done (Goal) I've researched training plans and created a lifting chart to track my progress.

(+1) And Then Some (Beyond the Goal) ???

(+2) Big Leap I signed up for and competed in my first competition!

(-2) Falling Short I'm still going to the gym but I've hit a plateau — I'm not getting stronger and the competition goal feels out of reach.

Which description would you suggest for Pat's "And Then Some"?

A. She gets to the gym every day.

B. She increments weights using the chart she created as a reference.

C. She has improved her nutrition alongside her training.

D. Others are noticing she looks stronger.

A check-in is simple:

• look at your five levels

• compare them to where things actually are right now

• find the description that fits most honestly

That's your score. Then you decide what it's telling you.

Pat and Danny Have a Check-in

It’s been several weeks and the friends are at coffee again, this time to check in. Danny is frustrated because the past few times he reflected on his progress he was “Falling Short”! 

Pat prompted Danny, "Okay, so you landed at Falling Short — what actually happened?" Danny explained, "I found so much great stuff at a yard sale, I couldn't resist — now there's even more to organize."

Pat thinks they should explore Danny’s goals and progress and asks, "How do you feel about the original goal — does organizing the space still matter to you?"

Danny is stuck. What would you suggest he do next?

A. Reset "Room to Grow" to reflect the new reality and keep going.

B. Scale the goal back so it feels more reachable right now.

C. Set this goal attainment scale aside and start fresh with something new.

D. Ignore the check-in result and just try harder next time.

Time to think about a goal you have for your own hobby or creative project. Start with one goal that means a lot to you, is well-defined and when you reach it you’ll know because you can observe or measure the achievement. 

Image created in Canva by the author

Then set up your 5-point scale to describe the ways you'll know you're exceeding or falling short:

• Describe your goal at "Getting It Done" (0) — the change you're aiming for

• Describe where you are right now at "Room to Grow" (-1) — your starting point

• Describe what exceeding your goal looks like at "And Then Some" (+1) and "Big Leap" (+2) — one a little further, one a lot

• Describe what moving backwards looks like at "Falling Short" (-2)

Your levels don't need to be perfectly equal steps — they just need to be honest ones that you'd recognize when you got there. 

Before you close this out, pick a date to check in and put it in your phone.

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You've got the tool. Now make it yours!