A goal is making progress when observable evidence shows that the relevant condition has changed. Work performed is activity. It becomes progress only when it produces, protects or validly tests part of the intended result. A stall means the current record shows neither change nor a useful test.
Define progress before reporting it
Write the condition you want to change and what you would point to if it had changed. Use a measure that is close enough to the outcome to matter. Hours, messages, meetings and pages may be necessary activity, but they are not automatically evidence of movement.
For each check-in, record the action, the evidence produced and the classification: progress, activity or stalled. Keep the explanation short enough that another person could challenge it.
Read the pattern, not one update
One stalled update may be ordinary variation. A declining share of progress across several reviews may indicate that the route, measure, capacity or goal needs attention. Monitoring research reports average benefits across varied studies, but effects depend on what is measured and how the information is used.
Do not reward a green status when the measure is a weak proxy. Do not treat negative evidence as wasted effort when it rules out a route or justifies stopping.
What condition should be different if this goal succeeds?
Defines the result before activity begins.
What changed since the last review?
Requires an observable difference or a useful test result.
Could this measure improve while the real outcome does not?
Exposes activity and proxy risk.
Should I continue, reshape, pause or stop?
Makes goal adjustment a legitimate review result.
Change the route when the record requires it
Repeated activity without changed evidence is not a reason to work harder by default. Check the route, resources, authority and consequence. A blocked goal may require another person, a smaller commitment or a responsible stop.
The Goal Reality Check stores classified updates and displays their pattern locally in the browser. It supports review; it does not verify that a goal is worthwhile or diagnose why progress is difficult.
Frequently asked questions
No. Activity is evidence that work occurred. Progress requires a relevant changed condition or a useful result from a test.
A review where the evidence shows no relevant change and the activity did not produce a useful test or decision.
Not automatically. Inspect the route, measure, constraints and consequence, then choose to continue, reshape, pause or stop.
What private and pay once mean
Private means the downloaded tool needs no account and makes no network requests, so the publisher receives no copy of what you enter. The record stays in the current browser unless you export it. Browser storage and exported backups are not encrypted or protected from another person who can use the same browser profile or read the file.
Pay once means you may keep reusing the version you downloaded without a subscription. Future major versions and continuing support are separate unless they are explicitly included. There is no cloud sync: export a backup before clearing browser data or changing device.
Use the smallest useful tool
The method above does not require a purchase. If a retained local record would reduce repeated setup, review the relevant interactive tool after its tested release.