SELF Someone who wants to track a goal but has abandoned tracking systems before and needs a minimal, durable approach 139 words
Build a Simple Tracking System for a Goal You Have Started and Stopped Before
Most tracking systems fail not because the person lacks discipline but because the system asks for too much or tracks the wrong things. A minimum viable tracking format, designed against the specific reason previous attempts failed, and completable in under a minute, is more likely to survive. This designs the principles so you can build it in whatever medium you will actually use.
I want to track progress on {GOAL} but I have tried tracking before and abandoned it within [three weeks]. My previous tracking methods were: [describe what you tried].
Design a tracking system that is:
1. The minimum viable tracking format: the fewest data points that would tell me whether I am actually making progress
2. Resistant to the specific reason I abandoned previous tracking: identify the most likely reason based on my description and design against it
3. Built for a [one-minute] entry: the daily or weekly input should take no longer than one minute to complete
4. Designed for the medium that suits my habits, whether that is a paper notebook, a phone app, or a spreadsheet, and explain why
Do not give me a template. Explain the design principles so I can build one that fits. ⚠ human-in-the-loop: you are responsible for the results of using this prompt, not us.