How’s it coming along?
“How’s it coming along?”
“Slow,” I said. “Sometimes it feels like I need to squint my eyes and tilt my head to see any progress at all.”
My friend was thoughtfully asking about how my latest knitting project was coming along. It was a large project, often called a “shanklet” because it’s larger than a typical shawl, but not quite a full blanket.
I had been at it for weeks, slowly progressing through a collage of different stitch patterns and color changes. I had been working on what felt like the most tedious section - a series of 39 individual curved triangles, each worked side-by-side, one at a time, to form a wavy stripe in the pattern.
Now, to be fair, part of the challenge was my own making - after a few experiments with different techniques and false starts, by the time I really hit my stride with the triangles, I felt like I had been working on it forever. And I still had a ways to go.
It was tough to see my progress from one day to the next.
Have you ever felt this way?
There are so many things we face in life that feel like we have to “squint our eyes and tilt our heads” to see any progress. We can see it when we step back and get a little perspective, but when we’re in the thick of things, we feel like we’ll never reach our goal.
Maybe it’s the challenging project with the looming milestone. It feels like two steps forward and one step backwards (or is it sideways?) with all the blockers and obstacles we keep facing.
Perhaps it’s the French lessons we’re taking, and we still feel like we can barely understand a word even though we’ve been at it for weeks. How in the world will we be able to navigate that upcoming trip to Paris?
Or maybe it’s the lack of progress we feel in building relationships at our new job. Even after months, it still feels like we’re not brought into the rooms we should be in, we haven’t yet built the trust we need to be successful.
It’s often easier to see the progress in others - the milestones they’re hitting, the success they’re having, the harvest they’re able to reap. From the outside, it looks simple. Like things just work out for others in a way they never seem to for us.
Yet we know life isn’t that way - the success we see as an outsider is rarely the whole story. What people share on their social feeds and highlight reels are just a few of the moments it really takes to have the success they’re touting.
And when we look in the rearview mirror, we see our own progress. The project that we completed (after a year), the skill we obtained (after countless lessons), or the confidence we gained (after too many falls to count).
So how can we keep the faith that we are making progress, even when it doesn’t feel like it at the moment?
Here are three things you can try:
Track the leading indicators
It’s often easy to identify how we’ll measure at the end of our journey, but sometimes that causes more frustration because those results won’t come until we’ve done all the work. In the meantime, what can you measure that shows you’re taking the actions you need to get the results you aspire to have?
Perhaps you’re looking for a new job. You know a successful outcome is to be hired into a role that’s a great fit. But in the meantime…can you track the number of conversations you have each week? Maybe you’re looking to change your body composition. Before expecting to see results on the scale, can you track the number of minutes you’re working out or the weight you’re lifting?
Stop looking
Perhaps tracking, even tracking the leading indicators, isn’t helpful for you at this stage. What if you stop tracking any kind of results, and just focus on the actions you need to take?
Perhaps it seems that you’re not making any progress on getting your product to launch. What if you focused each day on doing the most important task in front of you? Maybe you’re overwhelmed with the work it’s going to take to flip the house you just bought. What would it look like to focus on just one room for now?
Get perspective
It’s often easier to see other’s progress because we see it in snippets. What perspective do you need in order to see the progress you’re making?
Maybe you’re struggling to see progress with a major overhaul you’re making to your team’s processes. Can you take a step back and see how many fewer steps are in the current process compared to when you started? Perhaps you’re learning how to cook. Could you host a dinner party and see what people think of your dishes?
When we feel like we’re not making any progress (or just really slow progress) towards our goals, it’s easy to lose hope. But sometimes we can find the progress we’re looking for by finding and tracking the leading indicators, stopping looking for progress at every moment, and getting perspective to help us see the progress we’re making.
Where do you want to be making progress?
What would help you see the progress you’re making?
Should we talk?
You’re here. You want to be there. I can help.
Book time, and we’ll figure out how to get you unstuck and get going.
How will you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
September 24, 2025
About the author:
Christina Von Stroh is a leadership coach who helps her clients become wildly successful by applying iterative software development practices to achieve their dreams. Want to work with Christina to help you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
Book your free strategy session.
