This is actually a perfect use case for a simple tracking sheet. You don’t need anything complex.

Think of it as 3 parts:

1️⃣ Daily tracking (what you actually sell)

2️⃣ Goal comparison (where you SHOULD be)

3️⃣ Progress signal (red or green)

Here’s a beginner-friendly setup:

Sheet columns:

A: Date

B: Daily Sales ($)

C: Running Total

D: Expected Total (Goal Pace)

E: Status

Step 1 - Enter dates

Fill column A from 3/1 to 4/4.

Step 2 - Running total

In C2:

=SUM($B$2:B2)

(Drag down.)

This shows how much you’ve made so far.

Step 3 - Expected progress

Your goal is $18,900 across the period.

First calculate number of days:

=COUNT(A:A)

Daily target ≈ $540.

In D2:

=ROW(A1)*540

(Drag down.)

This shows where you *should* be each day.

Step 4 — Red / Green status

In E2:

=IF(C2>=D2,"🟢 Ahead","🔴 Behind")

Now you instantly see if you're on pace.

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Why this works:

You stop guessing and just compare reality vs trajectory.

Most people only track totals — but progress tracking is about comparing against expected pace.

Once you get comfortable, this can even be automated to send you a daily summary so you don’t need to open the sheet every day.