In the Insights section of ExcellGrowth, you can get some pretty good clues if your goal is on track, and the most likely reasons why.
Are you on track?
Pretty easy. The narrow line inside the progress graphic shows where you should be (based on elapsed time between start and finish dates). The thicker coloured line shows where you are (based on the progress% you update on the goal screen under the weekly review section).
Are you doing the work required for the goal?
Each insights card shows how many days you've recorded working on the goal in 3 timeframes: the last week, the last month and the last quarter. If you're being honest with yourself on recording work in the Journal, this shows if you're putting enough work in. This is usually the place to start. If you aren't putting enough work in to achieve your goal, you can consider:
1. Freeing up more time to work on it
2. Reducing goal scope to fit the time you have
3. Increasing the duration you've allowed
Good ways to ensure you're working on the goal effectively and efficiently are time blocking your calendar and using a task list to stay on top of the details.
Do you have enough supporting habits (and are you doing them)?
Supporting habits create a "slipstream" effect to make achieving goals easier. There are some "keystone" supporting habits that affect many types of goal (e.g. sleep, nutrition, exercise) and others that are more targeted (e.g. learning a new programming language).
A lack of supporting habits makes doing enough work directly on the goal more important.
Similarly to goals, the coloured dots show the level of habit achievement in the last week, month and quarter. Red is way off track, amber just off, green on target and blue over achieving (hollow dots show active habits that are not linked to the goal).
Similar to goals you aren't working on, habits require creating the right time and context with preparation. Use the habit implementation advice in the habit screen, set a reminder and ensure you also have it blocked out on your calendar and you have everything in place to do it.
Do you have the right strategy to achieve the goal?
If you're putting the work in, working on the goal and the supporting habits, and you think the target timescale and scope feel right, maybe your strategy / approach to the goal could do with a change. For example, if your goal is to increase sales, but your approach is based on creating generic marketing content for broadcast and this isn't creating the results you're looking for, it might be worth thinking about targeting specific customers with specific messages, and personalising the content more around 1:1 discussions.
Are you "biting off more than you can chew"?
It's possible that your goal is just too big and unwieldy - you're taking the right approach, but with the resources you realistically have available, it's going to take years. Having big ambitions is great, and the best way to realise them is to break them down into a series of goals of typically 1-3 month duration. This helps keeps things manageable and gives you more of a sense of progress. You can also plan future goals better based on what you learn from the earlier ones in the series.