Keep track of

Keep track of

“Keep track of” is an expression that means to organize information or stay up to date, so you understand what’s going on. We’ve all had times when we missed something important because we weren’t paying attention or didn’t write down the details. That’s what happens when we don’t keep track of things.

In today’s episode, I’ll show you two ways to use “keep track of.” The first definition is about writing down or typing up information to refer to later. The second definition is more general; it’s more about staying informed. And then toward the end of the episode, we’ll talk about a few variations on “keep track of.”

Organizing information

The most common way to use “keep track” is when we’re talking about organizing information or details. This kind of “keeping track” means gathering, writing down, typing up, entering, or saving important information.

Here’s a great example. I keep track of what books I read. I do that on an app called Goodreads. I keep track of the books by entering them into the app. I just finished the book “Long Island” by Colm Tóibín—great book, by the way. I entered it in Goodreads. I started a book called “Wednesday’s Child”—I entered it in Goodreads. I’m keeping track of my books. I’m keeping track of my books so that I don’t accidentally buy or borrow a book I’ve read before. So in this case, keep track is about entering, saving, and organizing information.

These days, we often keep track of things in apps, on websites, or in computer files. But that’s not the only way to keep track of things. If you’ve ever had to take multiple medications at the same time, you know that it can be difficult to remember what to take and when. If you have two, three, or four medications that all need to be taken at different intervals…well, that can get confusing fast!

It’s important to keep track of your medications so you don’t accidentally miss a dose, take something twice, or take something at the wrong time. So how can you keep track of your medication?

You may have seen weekly pill boxes with different compartments for each time of day. That’s a great low-tech way to keep track of your medications. You can use an app; you can use a pill box; you can use paper and pencil. But it’s important to keep track of what you’re taking so you don’t miss a dose.

Another great example is fitness tracking. Some people like to keep track of their exercise routines. You might see people at the gym keeping track of their workouts with a small notebook and a pencil. Some people use an app called Strava to keep track of how far they’ve run, how far they’ve gone on their bike, or how many laps they’ve done in the pool.

I use a fitness app called Strong. It helps me see when I’ve exercised and what I’ve done each time. I keep track of which exercises I do, how much weight I lift, how many repetitions I can do. I enter and save the information; I keep track with the app.

Some people keep track of their spending. I used to keep track of my spending in an Excel spreadsheet. But now, there are apps that connect directly to your bank accounts. That makes it so much easier to keep track of your spending.

So, when we talk about keeping track of things in this way, it’s all about organizing and saving important information or details.

Staying informed

Another way to use “keep track of” is to talk about staying informed, staying up-to-date with something, even if we don’t write down the details. This way of keeping track is more about being aware of the latest updates, knowing what’s going on; it’s less about organizing and saving information.

Many parents like to keep track of their kids’ school assignments. Does this mean they write down every single assignment, write down every due date?

Not necessarily; most parents don’t do that. “Keep track” here means, the parents stay informed. They make sure they’re aware of what’s going on. They ask questions and check grades; they look over their kids’ shoulders as they do their homework. They pay attention to announcements from the school. This is how parents keep track of their kids’ progress. They stay informed.

In your social life, it works the same way. Let’s say you have a big extended family, and everyone has busy schedules. You probably don’t get to see everyone as often as you’d like. But you can keep track of what’s going on in their lives with social media, group chats, texting, calling from time to time, and holiday visits. Keeping track of what’s going on in the lives of your friends and family just means, you stay connected and stay informed.

Your job might require you to stay informed about a particular topic. If you’re a tax accountant, you’ll want to keep track of the latest changes in the tax laws. Like that.

Keep close track

There are a few variations of “keep track” that you should know. Let’s start with “keep close track of.”

When you “keep close track of” something, you’re keeping track in a very detailed way. It’s like you’re a detective and you can’t miss any details. You carefully monitor every little detail, every piece of data, and you notice even the smallest change. This phrase is perfect for situations where every detail counts.

I don’t do this all the time, but there are times when I keep close track of my nutrition. I use the app called Myfitnesspal and I enter everything I eat during the day. Everything! I keep close track of what I eat. I don’t let myself miss a detail. Every calorie goes in the app. It’s not easy. I’m weighing my chicken, measuring my oatmeal, and counting the olives I add to my pasta. I keep close track—this is no way to live in the long run! But I do keep close track during certain times.

Keep better track

Next up: “keep better track of.” When someone says they need to “keep better track of” something, the person is admitting that he or she has room for improvement. A person might say, “I need to keep better track of my spending this month, so I don’t go over my budget.” That means, the person needs to do a better job at keeping track.

A few years ago, I missed some important calls and meetings, like two or three in the same month. I just totally forgot about them. And so I said to myself, I need to keep better track of my appointments. And then I started using my calendar more.

Lose track

Finally, you can say “lose track.” “Lose track” is the opposite of “keep track.” It means you’ve stopped following something—usually by accident. You might lose track of something because you got distracted or because you weren’t paying close enough attention in the first place.

The most common way to use “lose track of” is with time. When you lose track of time, you look at your watch and find out it’s later than you thought. Imagine you start work at 8:00 and you have a 10:30 a.m. call. No problem, right: you start working, get on a good roll, cross things off your to-do list—but then you look at the clock, and it’s already 10:45. What happened? You lost track of time. You weren’t aware of what time it was.

Have you ever had to do the same thing over and over at work? I sure have! It’s important to keep track—even keep close track—of what you have done. Imagine you have to review 30 files. Here’s a nightmare scenario: what if you get through about half of them, go home for the night, and then the next morning you discover that you’ve lost track of which ones you’ve done? That’s bad! Then, you’d have to go back and do them all over again. So you don’t want to lose track; you don’t want to lose track of what you’ve done.

Just to review what you’ve learned. “Keep track of” can mean to organize and save information, like how I keep of my exercise routine in an app. “Keep track of” can also mean to stay informed about a person or a topic, like how an accountant keeps track of changes in the tax laws. “Keep close track” means to keep track in a detailed way. “Keep better track” means to do better at keeping track. And then remember “lose track” is the opposite of “keep track.”