Tracking Progress: A Year of Experiments with Productivity Systems
As 2024 ends, I'm reflecting on my yearlong experiment with different productivity tracking methods. Like many creators juggling multiple projects—in my case, writing and programming—finding the right system to maintain motivation and track progress has been a journey of trial and error.
[My Wall Calendar for 2024 (filled) and 2025 (blank)]
Three Tracking Systems, Three Different Approaches
My experiment revolves around three distinct tracking methods: a Basecamp weekly Check-In, a wall calendar using a variant of the "Seinfeld Method," and a Field Notes journal. Each system serves a different purpose and comes with its own strengths. I didn't really commit to experimenting between all three until late February.
The backbone of my accountability system has been Basecamp's automated weekly check-ins. Every week since November 2021, I receive an email prompt asking about my accomplishments. These reports go to Cathy Wilson, providing external accountability that has proven remarkably effective—I've only missed two or three check-ins out of 161 weeks. It helps that we use Basecamp for family activities.
I started using a wall calendar inspired by Jerry Seinfeld's "don't break the chain" method. In February, I shifted from a simple mark of what I was working on to a short snippet of detail. In October, I opted to continue with the calendar since NeuYear offered a two-year (front & back) calendar. I have a variant of this at work based on the Fiscal Year.
The visual impact of marking progress has been compelling, with only about 12 missed weeks since I started (I didn't count). The calendar didn't come into play until February 3rd, when I began comparing its effectiveness with the notebook method.
The Field Notes experiment—a 6x9-inch notebook next...