Goal Progress Tracker

Set a goal target, your current progress, your start date, and your typical pace per week. The tracker projects when you'll finish based on current velocity, shows the percent complete, and flags ahead/behind/on-pace status.

The projection uses linear extrapolation from your reported pace. If you're 30% through after 6 weeks, finishing the remaining 70% at the same rate takes 14 weeks. The tool doesn't model acceleration or motivation drop-off — it shows what happens if you keep doing what you're currently doing.

Use it to spot pace problems early. A goal that needs 5 units of progress per week to finish on time will obviously slip if you're averaging 3 — but the human tendency is to assume you'll 'pick it up later.' The tracker shows what 'later' actually requires.

The math: required_pace = (target - current_progress) / weeks_remaining. Compare to actual_pace (your reported weekly rate). If actual ≥ required, you're on pace or ahead. If actual < required, the projection slides past the deadline by (target - current) / actual_pace weeks total. The tracker also computes burn-rate-style metrics: at current pace, when do you cross 50%, 75%, 100%? Those checkpoints tell you whether the trajectory is realistic without staring at a percentage all day.

Worked example: you committed to writing a 60,000-word book in 6 months (24 weeks). After 6 weeks, you've written 9,000 words. Required total pace: 60000 / 24 = 2,500 words per week. Current pace: 9000 / 6 = 1,500 words per week. To finish on time you'd need to write 60000 - 9000 = 51000 words over 18 remaining weeks — that's 2,833 words/week, nearly double your demonstrated pace. Realistic options: extend the deadline (write 51000 / 1500 = 34 more weeks total), reduce the target (1500 × 18 = 27000 more words for ~36000 total), or actually accelerate (which the tracker can't make happen for you).

Where linear projection lies: motivation isn't linear. Most goals follow a pattern of strong start, mid-project slump, strong finish — particularly creative goals. Linear extrapolation from a 6-week pace might underestimate completion time (if you're in the slump) or overestimate (if early enthusiasm hasn't worn off). Recalibrate every 2-4 weeks rather than trusting a single early projection. Also: the tracker can't see whether the work is the right work. A book on track to be finished but not improving in quality is still a problem. Pace is necessary but not sufficient.

The psychology behind why pace tracking works: it makes invisible drift visible. A goal that needs 5 units/week and you're delivering 3 feels manageable in the moment — just a slow week. Aggregated over 8 weeks, you're 16 units behind, which is harder to ignore. Tracking forces honesty earlier. The pace metric is the early-warning system; without it, most goals slip silently until the deadline forces a confrontation that's too late to fix.