Tools to Help You Track Progress and Stay on Course
- bryan6708
- Jun 13
- 6 min read
How to Stay Focused, Accountable, and Consistently Moving Forward in Business
Success Isn’t Just About Big Goals—It’s About Measuring the Small Wins That Get You There
If you’re like most entrepreneurs I work with, you’ve got vision.
Big ideas. Bold goals. A business you’re passionate about growing.
But here’s where many get stuck:
📌 They don’t have a system to track their progress.
📌 They’re busy—but they don’t know if they’re making meaningful movement.
📌 Their teams are working hard—but are they focused on the right things?
When you’re not tracking your activity and results, it’s easy to feel:
🔹 Unfocused
🔹 Overwhelmed
🔹 Stuck in “busy” mode instead of “growth” mode
As a business mentor and serial entrepreneur, I’ve built, scaled, and systemized companies that rely not just on hard work—but on metrics, dashboards, and visible progress tracking.
In this edition, I’ll show you the exact tools and strategies I recommend to keep you and your team on course—so you can stop spinning your wheels and start scaling with clarity.
Why Progress Tracking Matters More Than You Think
Let’s start here:
You can’t improve what you don’t measure.
Peter Drucker said it, and I’ve seen it firsthand in every business I’ve run or mentored.
Without consistent tracking:
❌ You don’t know what’s working (or what’s not).
❌ You can’t make data-driven decisions.
❌ You waste time reacting instead of proactively adjusting.
❌ Your team gets misaligned, distracted, or burned out.
But when you have simple, visible systems in place to track progress?
✅ You feel in control
✅ Your team is focused and motivated
✅ Bottlenecks and issues show up early
✅ Decision-making becomes faster and clearer
Step 1: Start with What You Need to Track
Before choosing any tools, get clear on what actually matters.
Every business will have different KPIs (key performance indicators), but most entrepreneurs need to track in these areas:
🔹 Personal Productivity
Are you working on high-impact tasks?
How much time is spent on admin vs. growth?
What gets scheduled—and what gets done?
🔹 Team Execution
Is everyone hitting their goals?
Are deadlines being met?
Are projects staying on track?
🔹 Business Performance
Are your sales numbers improving?
What’s happening with customer retention?
Are your marketing efforts translating into growth?
📌 If you’re only tracking revenue, you’re missing 90% of what drives it.
Step 2: Use Project Management Tools to Track Day-to-Day Execution
Let’s start with the heartbeat of your operations: task and project tracking.
You need one centralized place where:
✔ Every team member can see what they’re responsible for
✔ Tasks are assigned and deadline-driven
✔ Projects are broken down into manageable steps
✔ Progress is tracked in real time
✅ Recommended Tools:
🔸 ClickUp
A robust and flexible project management platform.
Use it to build SOPs, assign tasks, track goals, and even manage content calendars.
Best for: Entrepreneurs managing multiple teams or client projects.
🔸 Asana
Clean interface, powerful integrations, great for visual thinkers.
Best for: Small to midsize teams with recurring workflows.
🔸 Trello
Simple, drag-and-drop boards (Kanban style). Great for freelancers or lean teams.
Best for: Solopreneurs or small creative teams.
🔸 Notion
An all-in-one workspace to combine task lists, dashboards, wikis, and databases.
Best for: Teams who want to build a fully customized productivity system.
📌 Tip: Choose one tool—and commit to using it consistently.
Don’t manage tasks across five platforms. It creates more noise than clarity.
Step 3: Track Metrics Visually With Dashboards and Analytics
You’ve got goals. You’ve got projects.
Now you need a dashboard that shows you what’s happening—at a glance.
Think of it like the cockpit of a plane. If you’re flying blind, one small issue can become a crisis fast.
✅ Tools to Build Dashboards:
🔸 Google Data Studio (Looker Studio)
Free, powerful, and integrates with dozens of data sources. You can pull in website traffic, ad performance, CRM data, and more.
🔸 Fathom
Financial performance dashboards that sync with QuickBooks or Xero. Helps you visualize profit margins, cash flow, and revenue trends.
🔸 Geckoboard
Great for teams—create a visual metrics board that everyone can see (think sales numbers, support tickets, or growth KPIs).
🔸 Klipfolio
Another robust tool for real-time dashboards, especially for SaaS or data-driven teams.
📌 What to track on your dashboard:
Weekly revenue
Leads generated
Customer satisfaction
Project completion rates
Time spent on high vs. low impact tasks
Marketing campaign performance
Step 4: Keep Personal Productivity on Track
Entrepreneurs wear a lot of hats—and it’s easy to slip into reactive mode.
A strong productivity tracking system helps you focus on needle-moving work, not just inbox cleanup.
✅ Tools to Keep You Accountable:
🔸 Motion
AI-powered calendar that auto-schedules your day based on your to-dos, priorities, and meetings.
🔸 RescueTime
Tracks how you actually spend time on your devices. Helps you spot distractions and reclaim focus.
🔸 OmniFocus
Task manager organized by projects and tasks, with ability to set recurring tasks.
🔸 Sunsama
Helps you plan your week by integrating with your calendar, email, and task apps—great for time-blocking.
🔸 Toggl
Time tracking for tasks and projects—great if you want to see how long you really spend on things.
📌 Pro Tip: Block off time weekly to review what worked, what didn’t, and what needs adjustment.
Step 5: Create Review Rituals to Stay on Course
Tools help—but it’s the habits around them that make the difference.
Set time each week and month to review your progress and refocus your goals.
✅ Weekly Check-Ins:
Review completed tasks and progress
Celebrate wins
Identify bottlenecks or blockers
Adjust priorities for the week ahead
✅ Monthly Reviews:
Look at business KPIs
Assess progress on key projects
Check team performance metrics
Re-align everyone on goals
📌 Bonus Tip: Involve your team in the review process. When everyone sees the metrics, they take ownership of the outcomes.
Step 6: Use Communication Tools That Support Alignment
Tracking doesn’t just happen in dashboards—it happens in how you talk about work.
Avoid scattered updates across email, Slack, text, and voice notes.
Instead, use tools that keep communication aligned with progress.
✅ Tools to Keep Team Progress Visible:
🔸 Slack
Use channels to separate conversations by topic or department.
Pin important updates, link to project tools, and integrate with ClickUp or Notion.
🔸 Loom
Record short videos to share updates, clarify assignments, or review results asynchronously.
🔸 Weekly Status Emails or Reports
Use a simple template to share updates like:
What was completed
What’s coming next
Any blockers
📌 Communication isn’t about volume—it’s about clarity and visibility.
Step 7: Don’t Forget Customer-Facing Metrics
Internal progress tracking is key—but so is measuring how your customers experience your work.
✅ Tools for Customer Feedback & Success Tracking:
🔸 Delighted / AskNicely
Automated NPS surveys to gauge customer loyalty.
🔸 Google Forms / Typeform
Collect client satisfaction feedback post-project or monthly.
🔸 Help Scout / Zendesk / Gorgias
Track support tickets, resolution time, and satisfaction ratings.
🔸 HubSpot / ActiveCampaign
Track engagement, follow-up activity, and conversion rates.
📌 When customers are satisfied and engaged—it’s a signal your internal systems are working.
Your Progress Tracking Stack (Summary)
Here’s a quick-reference stack you can use or adapt:
🔹 Projects & Tasks:
ClickUp / Asana / Trello / Notion
🔹 Dashboards:
Google Data Studio / Fathom / Geckoboard
🔹 Time & Focus:
Motion / RescueTime / Sunsama / Toggl
🔹 Team Communication:
Slack / Loom / Status updates
🔹 Customer Insights:
Delighted / Typeform / HubSpot
📌 Start with what fits your current business size—and scale up as you grow.
Final Thoughts: Stay on Course with Systems, Not Stress
If you want to grow a business that runs smoothly and scales sustainably, you need more than goals—you need a way to track progress and course-correct along the way.
📌 The right tools give you that clarity.
📌 The right habits turn tools into traction.
📌 The right metrics tell you when it’s working—and when it’s time to pivot.
You don’t have to guess. You don’t have to hustle blindly.
You just need systems that show you where you are, and where to go next.
Action Step
What tool or strategy do you use to track your progress and stay on course?
Share it in the comments—I’d love to hear what’s working for you!
🚀 P.S. Want more support building smarter systems and tracking what drives growth?
Start with my free webinar: https://www.ralwest.com/get-webinar
💼 Ready to go deeper with other like-minded entrepreneurs?
Join me in the Livin’ the Dream Mastermind—it’s designed to teach you to shift from being the Operator to the Owner of your business. https://programs.ralwest.com/mastermind
📺 And don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly insights on business systems, leadership, and entrepreneurial freedom: https://www.youtube.com/@RalWest
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