How To See Real Progress with Atomic Habits
Progress can be frustrating to measure. You’re putting in the effort, showing up, doing the work—and yet the finish line still feels so far away. It’s easy to feel like you’re stuck, like nothing’s changing. I know I’ve felt that way plenty of times.
But in Atomic Habits, James Clear offers a way to reframe that frustration: “Be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.” Instead of focusing on how far you still have to go, he suggests looking back at how far you’ve already come.
When I took that advice to heart, I started seeing things differently. Measuring backward helped me notice the small wins I’d been overlooking. Maybe I wasn’t hitting the big goal yet, but I was showing up more consistently. I’d gone from struggling to start to actually sticking with it. Even small changes, like doing something for just one minute a day, were proof that I was moving forward.
It’s so easy to get stuck in “the gap”—that space between where we are now and where we want to be. The more we focus on that gap, the more discouraging it feels. But when we focus on the progress we’ve already made, it’s like flipping a switch. Suddenly, the steps we’ve taken feel motivating, not small. They remind us that we’re capable of continuing, even when the big goal feels far away.
ACTION: Think of a goal or habit that feels slow or frustrating right now. Pause for a moment and reflect: What progress have you made so far? Write it down or sit with it for a minute. Then, give yourself some credit—it could be as simple as saying “good job” to yourself or taking a moment to acknowledge how far you’ve come. Progress isn’t always obvious, but it’s there. Let it fuel your next step.
