Introducing milestones: break big goals into progress

Today we're shipping milestones — one of the most-requested features from alpha users. Here's what changed and why.

The problem we were hearing

Big goals feel abstract. "Find a new job" is a goal. "Run a marathon" is a goal. "Launch the app" is a goal. But none of them are actionable as written, and none of them are easy for someone in your network to help with.

What our alpha users kept telling us:

I want to share my goal, but I also want my people to know where I am in it. Right now they have to ask, and I have to re-explain.

That's the milestone gap.

How milestones work

Every goal can now have any number of milestones. A milestone is a smaller, concrete step that moves the goal forward. For example:

• Goal: Find a new senior PM role

- Milestone: Update resume - Milestone: Reach out to 5 mentors for intros - Milestone: Apply to 10 roles - Milestone: Get to first onsite - Milestone: Receive offer

When you mark a milestone complete, your circles see the update. They can react, comment, or reach out. The goal feels like a journey instead of a wall.

Why this matters

A few things click into place once milestones exist:

• Progress becomes visible. You can see — at a glance — how far someone is in something. Are they at milestone 1 of 5, or 4 of 5?
• Help becomes targeted. Your people can offer specifically the help that fits where you are right now.
• Momentum compounds. Each milestone is a small win to celebrate together, which keeps the goal alive.

Designing for "small wins"

We deliberately made marking a milestone complete feel a little celebratory. There's a small animation. Your supporters get a notification (only if they've opted in). It's a moment.

The reason: small wins, witnessed by people who care about you, are how big goals actually get done. Most goals die because the middle is invisible. Milestones make the middle visible.

Try it now

Open Manifest and add milestones to one of your goals. We'd love your feedback. As always, send notes to <alpha@manifest-app.org>.