Before You Set Your Annual Goals, Be Sure You Can Measure Success

Elements of Business

Annual performance often looks worse up close than it does in total. By tracking both business and personal KPIs in a simple Excel dashboard, I was able to see that my year performed better than expected once all the data was in. The lesson is clear: before setting annual goals, use objective data—not vibes—to understand how your time and work truly add up.

I said recently that I “skip looking back” on the past year.What I really meant is this: I don’t dwell on it.

I don’t spend weeks reflecting on every accomplishment, I don’t rehash what didn’t go as planned, and I definitely don’t inflict a month-by-month victory blog post on anyone. What I want is simpler—a clear, honest summary of how the year actually went.

Especially before setting new annual goals.

When the Year Feels… Meh

In my business, client work typically slows in Q4. Marketing budgets are mostly spent by then, so I plan accordingly. Even with that planning, the final stretch of the year can feel quieter, slower, and—if I’m honest—a little discouraging.

Because of that slowdown, I genuinely thought the year hadn’t improved much over the one before it. Month by month, it didn’t feel dramatically better. Some months were strong, some were soft, and a few made me question my life choices while staring into a cup of coffee.

Then I entered the final numbers.

Surprise: every relevant metric improved—by more than I expected.

(My gut would like the record to show it was skeptical.)

When the entire year was totaled and viewed as a whole, the story changed completely. What felt uneven month to month was actually steady, meaningful progress over time.

The Problem with “How It Feels”

This is where things get interesting.

What counts as a relevant number?

QuickBooks is great at telling me how much money came in and went out. It does that job beautifully. What it doesn’t do is answer the questions most entrepreneurs quietly wrestle with:

Am I working too much?
Is the business growing efficiently?
Am I making room for life outside of work?
Or am I just getting very good at being busy?

Those questions matter just as much as revenue—sometimes more. And they’re almost impossible to answer accurately if you’re relying on memory, mood, or how tired you feel at the end of a long week.

Why I Built a Custom Dashboard

That’s where my custom Excel dashboard earns its keep.

I’ve been a heavy Excel user for years, so I built a simple dashboard that pulls together the metrics that actually matter to me—both business and personal. It doesn’t try to track everything. It tracks the right things.

A few examples:

How much time I spent developing the business
Whether the business grew without me working infinitely more hours
How much time went to personal passions and volunteer projects
Whether my proposals improved—and converted at a higher rate

Seeing the percentage split between “business” and “life” work has been especially eye-opening. Not aspirational. Not theoretical. Just: here’s where the time actually went.

And time, as it turns out, has opinions—whether you measure it or not.

The Dashboard Only Works If It’s Fast

Here’s a key lesson I learned early: the dashboard only works if it’s fast.

Time is precious. If gathering the data is a chore, you won’t do it. You won’t “get to it later.” You’ll avoid it with impressive consistency.

I built my dashboard once—yes, it took time up front—but now it’s quick to populate and easy to review. That speed is what makes it usable month after month. No friction. No drama. No elaborate rituals involving coffee and denial.

Because I used it consistently throughout the year, the final review didn’t feel shocking or reactive. It felt clarifying.

Why Annual Perspective Changes Everything

This is the part that surprised me most.

I wasn’t surprised by the results because I checked at the end of the year. I was surprised because I’d already been tracking all along.

During off months, instead of spiraling into doom-and-gloom thinking, I could zoom out, see the larger trend, and course-correct. “Next month, I get back on track” hits very differently when you can see that the overall trajectory is still positive.

That perspective is invaluable—especially before setting new annual goals.

Before You Set Your Annual Goals, Ask This

If you’re setting goals—personal or professional—pause and ask yourself:

How will I measure success?
Do I know how my time actually breaks down today?
Am I relying on vibes… or data?

Your gut is useful.

It’s just not reliable for the big picture.

Objective data is.

Need Help Getting Started?

If you’re thinking, “This sounds great, but I wouldn’t even know where to start,” that’s fair.

If you want help focusing your ideas, deciding what to track, or building a simple, fast dashboard in Excel that you’ll actually use, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to help you turn good intentions into something measurable.

Resources

Here are a few examples of work-life KPI dashboards you may wish to investigate for ideas:

About the Author: Marcia Macomber

Bringing a cornucopia of services to her clients, Marcia provides graphic design, market strategy, social media, copywriting, website, video and many other services. Too impatient to wait for others to deliver the goods, Marcia prefers to usher projects from the twinkle in a client's eye to the finishing touches on a big stage. What are you dreaming you need to market your business?