Set a goal that actually fits how you write, daily or weekly, words or minutes, track a manuscript-wide deadline with real pace math, and build a streak, all without leaving the app to do it in a spreadsheet.
What You Can Do
- Set a daily or weekly goal in either words or minutes, or turn goals off entirely.
- Set a manuscript-wide target word count with an optional deadline, and see exactly how many words per day you need to finish on time.
- Tell Deckle which days of the week you actually write, so pace calculations don't unfairly count your days off against you.
- Build a day streak, with your current and best streak both tracked in your writing history heatmap.
- Choose whether pasted text counts toward your goals and activity stats, reversibly, any time.
- Get a celebration (confetti and a banner) when you hit a goal, double a goal, or reach a manuscript milestone.
How to Set Up Goals
- Open Stats and go to the Today tab.
- Choose a goal mode: Off, Words, or Minutes.
- Choose Daily or Weekly, and set your target.
- Switch to the Manuscript tab to set an overall target word count and, optionally, a deadline. Use a Writing Sprint for focused, timed sessions toward it.
Manuscript Target & Deadline
Once you set a target word count, Deckle shows your overall progress as a bar. Add a deadline and it goes further: telling you how many words per day you need to hit it, and (based on your recent writing pace) projecting when you'll actually finish at your current rate. An "Advanced: which days do you write?" option lets you exclude specific weekdays from that math, so a planned day off doesn't inflate your required daily pace.
A Couple of Things Worth Knowing
💡 Pasted text is always tracked separately, never lost. The "Count pasted text toward goals" toggle only changes which total your goal progress, streak, and History tab charts show. Flip it any time to compare, without losing any of your actual writing history.
💡 Celebrations have three tiers, each with its own icon: a regular goal met, doubling a goal, and reaching a manuscript milestone. They're deliberately reserved for these moments rather than firing on every small bit of progress.
💡 Weekly goals total the whole week, not just today, and your streak increments the moment you hit a weekly target, even mid-week, not only once the week fully ends.
FAQ
Does pasting a large chunk of text count toward my daily word goal?
Only if you've turned on "Count pasted text toward goals." It's tracked separately either way, so you can switch this on or off without losing any data.
Can I exclude weekends from my manuscript deadline's pace calculation?
Yes. Under "Advanced: which days do you write?" on the Manuscript tab, uncheck any day you don't write, and the required daily pace adjusts accordingly.
What happens if I hit my daily goal twice over?
You get a distinct "double goal" celebration, separate from the one for simply meeting your goal.