How to evaluate my chess progress?

U can venture yourself in any hobby that can brings more money...when u get more financial freedom...u can play chess all day

I don't know how you evaluate it. I've been playing online for three years I'm 300 rating points or there abouts higher over the years. So in in five years time I should be a 2,2 and in ten years I should be a 2,7 rated player lol but don't think it works like that!? Plus does everyone else playing get better at the same time? I'm not sure xxx

@Brian-E said in #9:

It seems to me that you are asking two unrelated questions (how to monitor chess progress, and whether to switch to another game), but I'm probably misunderstanding you.

Just to try to clarify what you're getting at, I would like to ask you this question:

What are the reasons why you might consider switching to another game?
Your question seems like it has an obvious answer, but after all the comments, I see that the problem is a bit more complex, so I need to think about it for a while.

@nadjarostowa said in #8:

Improving on the lower levels is quite easy, but then you will eventually plateau. And you will need to put in real hard work to get better, an effort that most people are not willing to put in.

I doubt that it's very different in in other games.
That makes sense to me because I can relate it to my own experience with job skills and learning a new language. It's similar to what MrPushwood said about other games too and this can explain a plateau on my opponents' plots as well.

@hisokaxhunter said in #11:

U can venture yourself in any hobby that can brings more money...when u get more financial freedom...u can play chess all day
Yeah, sth like that

@SimonBirch said in #12:

I don't know how you evaluate it. I've been playing online for three years I'm 300 rating points or there abouts higher over the years. So in in five years time I should be a 2,2 and in ten years I should be a 2,7 rated player lol but don't think it works like that!? Plus does everyone else playing get better at the same time? I'm not sure xxx
Well, as nadjarostowa stated, rating is an obvious choice for tracking progress. Looking at your rating from last year, it seems like you're stuck. There are two differences between us: you've already hit this plateau, while I'm still moving toward it. You swear to take a chess board to your grave, but I usually give up in situations like this. However, if this post has suddenly appeared from nowhere, I hope there's a little chance that things might go differently for me this time.

Reminds me a nice observation from a blogpost I read here: having consistent performance sounds like a good thing while hitting a plateau sounds awful... but when you think about it, both in fact mean the same thing. :-)

It's a matter of attitude and of your goals and motivation if you see not growing as a failure or if you can be perfectly content with it.

@mkubecek said in #17:

Reminds me a nice observation from a blogpost I read here: having consistent performance sounds like a good thing while hitting a plateau sounds awful... but when you think about it, both in fact mean the same thing. :-)

It's a matter of attitude and of your goals and motivation if you see not growing as a failure or if you can be perfectly content with it.
It seems obvious, but how do you know if the choice is truly free? For example, when I started playing chess, I noticed that the emotional patterns I use in tough situations, like losing pieces or being at a disadvantage, are similar to those I use in other areas of life.

It's not really purely a matter of choice but I believe it's not completely out of your control either. Losing a piece (or making a mistake in general) is a nice example. Beginners and less experienced players often respond by losing focus and adding more blunders quickly. (Example:

But I meant something different by the second paragraph of #17. Some people have high ambitions and see every plateau or even slowing down as a failure or at least a big problem. Which is wrong, IMHO, as even the best will confirm that such phases are inevitable and sometimes they had to even lose a bit of rating and perform worse for some time to be able to progress further, e.g. when they had to leave their comfort zone and change their habits. On the other hand, many people do not have such goals, have chess just as their hobby and are perfectly fine with maintaining their 1800 (or 2000 or 1500 - or 1200, FWIW) lichess rating. As I'm in the second group (except for still investigating what "my level" is going to be), I find it weird how some people see a plateau as a disaster and often even think that if they cannot improve their rating any more, they should quit playing as there is no point playing otherwise.

As an old low rated chess player, I have other goals I imagine than yours. By starting over 3 years ago I found out that I was not gifted for chess. At the age of 61 I can see a very little progression, but my calculation is short sighted if not non-existent! I had to lower my expectations and tell me ego to f... off. But that said : I have a genuine love for this game. I like winning, but above all to see a good combination/tactic that has something to do with art : I even prefer to lose and see these intricate patterns revealed in a beautiful position. So I only care for progression as long as it gives me more aesthetic pleasure! That's what I'm hoping : some progress and more pleasure.