ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Goal attainment scaling

Goal attainment scaling is a way to measure how well you are doing in achieving your goals. Imagine you have a big task to complete, like learning how to ride a bike or learning how to read. You might set some goals to help you achieve that big task. For example, you might set a goal to ride the bike for 10 seconds without falling off or to read a paragraph without making any mistakes.

Goal attainment scaling takes those goals and breaks them down into smaller steps, so you can see your progress along the way. Instead of just saying, "I want to learn how to read," you might have five or six goals that lead up to that skill. Each goal would be broken down into smaller steps, so you can see how much progress you are making.

Once you have your goals in place, you can start tracking your progress. This is where the scaling part comes in. Each goal is given a score from 0 to 10, depending on how well you have achieved it. For example, if your goal is to ride the bike for 10 seconds without falling off, you might get a score of 2 if you can only ride for a couple of seconds. If you can ride for 9 or 10 seconds without falling, you might get a score of 8 or 9.

The important thing to remember is that everyone's goals are different, so everyone's scores will be different too. What might be a 10 for one person might only be a 5 for someone else. The idea is to set goals that are achievable for you and to track your progress as you work towards them.

Overall, goal attainment scaling is a helpful tool for breaking down big tasks into smaller goals and tracking your progress along the way. It can help you stay motivated and see how far you have come, even if you haven't reached your ultimate goal yet.