How do I interpret the goal page?

There's a lot on the Beeminder goal page, which can be overwhelming when you don't know what it all means!

The top line of the page has the most important information: it tells you how much work you need to do, and by when, in order to avoid derailing on the goal and paying your current pledge. For more information on that (and everything else), check out the labels and links below!

Image of the graph page annotated with the letters A-O

Your username/goalname.
The bare minimum amount you need to do to earn one more day of safety buffer!
You can click this field to toggle between showing deltas (the additional amount you need to do) and totals (the total amount done you need to reach, as shown in the screenshot below). For most goals, the delta is the more helpful number to display because you won't remember your cumulative total.
The countdown until your goal next derails.
You can also click this field to toggle between showing a countdown view and a specific date/time.
The pledge you currently have on the goal: the amount you will pay if it derails.
Click this field to open up your pledge settings, where you can increase/decrease the pledge or set a cap.
The (optional) goal description.
Click on this text to add or change your goal description, if you want to.
Another reminder of when the goal will next derail, right on the graph image!
Your data, graphed against the bright red line.
We usually use cumulative graphs, so your data is meant to be going upwards! It doesn't mean your rate is ever-increasing.
Another reminder of the pledge you currently have on the goal, right on the graph image!
The data entry box.
You'll be able to add data for the last couple of days by selecting the right date from the dropdown.
Click Advanced Entry to toggle to text-based data entry.
This allows you to enter older data, and also lets you enter multiple datapoints at once. You can read more about how to format your data for this form on the What is my data? page.
The Commitment tab.
Where you can make changes to the commitment you've made (change the rate, end date or target total, reduce your safety buffer, adjust your pledge, change your respite settings and add no excuses mode.).
The Stop/Pause tab
Where you can put the goal on hold temporarily or permanently.
The Data tab
Where you can see all your data on the goal. Click the different column headers to change the sort order!
The Statistics tab,
Where Beeminder calculates a few different statistics to help you evaluate your progress so far. You can also see the graph legend there if there's anything you want to clarify.
The Settings tab.
Where you can find all the other editable features of the goal, including changing the goalname and units, tweaking your reminders and deadline, and switching on custom settings.

Keywords: newbees