As a hacker what gets me to the gym is that I realized its all just a numbers game. I weigh x. It will take x amount of days eating x amount of calories. I do x amount of reps time the number of sets per each workout. When I go to the gym I record everything. Every rep and half rep. I wrote a program to learn python and to track my gym progress. Realizing its all just a numbers game really helped me sorta do the math on taking care of myself for the long term.
I'm going to disagree. The biggest mistake most people make is not showing up.
I've arranged things so that when my kids have swim lessons, I go to the gym. It doesn't matter if I track progress or not, because I'm not looking to "make progress". I want to be in better shape. Going regularly is the key. Just as a photographer will tell you that the best camera is the one you have with you, the best workout is the one you actually do.
As a side effect, I lift 150% - 250% of the weight that I did when I started, and I can do many, many more reps. I no longer get backaches, and I can't remember the last time I was out of breath from a normal activity.
Showing up obviously is key, but the underlying issue is maintaining long term motivation. I found most people need to feel they are accomplishing something in order to stay motivated. Measuring allows that.
Another thing that trips many people up is they are unsure what to do. Having a written plan when they show up removes that hurdle. Much like having a TODO list helps many people complete them, having a written TODO list of exercises helps people to show up.
It doesn't matter if I track progress or not, because I'm not looking to "make progress". I want to be in better shape.
BTW, be in better shape is called progress. Although be in better shape isn't a very good SMART goal. While it is measurable it's not specific enough or time bound.
