Have you ever started a project around the house only to abandon it and move on to something else? Maybe it was a lack of motivation, the job turned out to be harder than expected, or you got distracted by another idea.

Now, picture the same job, but this time a friend or spouse is working along with you. They help with planning, encourage you to stay focused, and keep the work from feeling like a drag. Many hands really do make light work.

It helps to make progress easier to see, rather than count on willpower alone. A simple routine for checking your balances and marking what you have paid can keep your goal in view.

In the same way that getting a friend to work with you on a house project can make it more fun, using a debt payoff tracker can turn the drudgery of paying off debt into an entertaining challenge. It gives you clear milestones towards your big hairy audacious goal, instant feedback on your progress, and a continually growing source of motivation.

Getting started is simple. I encourage you to download the free debt payoff tracker on this page and print a copy today.

Here’s how to get started with a debt payoff tracker:

List out all of your debts. Don’t overthink this process; the important part is just to do it. Look at all of your outstanding debt accounts and list them out along with the amount you owe. For now, include all the debts that you plan to pay off. Later on, I’ll show you how to narrow that down if needed.

Choose your debt payoff strategy. There are many ways to pay off debt, including the debt snowball and the debt avalanche. The debt snowball involves paying off your smallest debt first and directing extra payments to your next smallest, and then the next. The major benefit is that it feels great to knock out those smaller debts, which keeps you motivated. The debt avalanche is similar, except you order your debts by highest interest rate, which may save interest but can take longer to show a paid-off account.

Identify a target and start tracking. Once you have a list of all your debts and have chosen a strategy, the next step is to set a goal on your debt payoff tracker. Maybe you want to pay off one or two of your smaller debts, or maybe you want to reduce your total outstanding debt by a certain amount. Breaking your debt repayment plan into smaller, more digestible goals is critical. Of course, these smaller goals should be ambitious but still realistic.

Record payments and update balances. As you make payments, write down the new balance so the chart reflects actual progress. Keep up the required minimums on each debt and direct extra money, when you have it, toward the one you chose to focus on. Review the figures regularly rather than guessing where you stand.

Track your progress visually by coloring in your chart. Paying off debt is hard work that doesn’t provide you with much immediate satisfaction. The benefits are all deferred gratification, which is why so many well-intentioned people struggle to follow through. That’s where the debt payoff tracker comes in. Every time you make a payment, you should color in a part of your chart. That visual mark can feel like a small reward for your hard work. It feels great and helps you stay motivated.

You can use the same tracker to track savings goals. Even if you don’t have any debt, you can still benefit from using a tracker. You could set up a separate tracker for a savings goal. This could include milestones like saving for a down payment on a house, growing your emergency fund, putting money aside for a vacation, or whatever financial goals you want to achieve this year. Seeing progress toward savings can be useful even when debt is not your main goal.

One of the best ways to pay off debt is to track your progress visually. Not only does it help you see how far you’ve come, but it helps you run up the score and focus on achieving new personal bests. It nudges you to keep doing the right thing, and over time, those small signs of progress can help you keep going.

Every great journey starts with a single step. For you, that means downloading the free tracker from this page, printing it, and adding your first balance. The next payment gives you a place to begin marking progress.