Choose a question to review
A useful review answers a question: am I getting out for the walks I planned, leaving enough time for sleep, or repeating my strength sessions? Pick one. Collecting more measurements will not fix an unclear question.
Research on progress monitoring supports recording and reviewing a goal. Use that principle to make a short review you can repeat.
Check the record before judging the result
Count the days with usable data. An unworn watch, a flat battery or a changed app can make the week look less active. Compare similar recording conditions and keep missing data separate from a confirmed missed activity.
| Question | What to record | What it helps you decide |
|---|---|---|
| Did I do it? | Three of four planned walks completed | Keep the time slot or choose a better one |
| Did the record work? | Two days without the watch | Fix data capture before comparing totals |
| Was the plan useful? | The shorter lunch walk was easier to fit in | Repeat that version next week |
Give the chart a little context
Look at a week or two of your own routine rather than reacting to yesterday’s score. Note a relevant event such as travel, illness or an unusually late night. A pattern can suggest a question; it does not prove its cause.
Keep one action measure, such as walks completed, alongside one useful outcome, such as how manageable the route feels. Do not turn every fluctuation into a new target.
Try this at your next review
- Check the record for gaps.
- Write one sentence about what helped or got in the way.
- Choose one change you can make next week.
- Put the next review in your calendar; drop any measure that is not informing a decision.
Sources
Research and official guidance reviewed 3 November 2026; practical examples are illustrative.
- Harkin et al., 2016: monitoring progress and reaching goals ↗
Experimental meta-analysis of 138 studies with 19,951 participants supports progress monitoring; it does not test this specific weekly review.
- NICE: behaviour change, goals and review ↗
Recommends behaviour and outcome goals, monitoring and review. The worksheet is an editorial application of those principles.