Words such as progress, ready and urgent can carry several meanings. Define the terms that regularly shape your commitments before relying on them in a plan.
For a personal writing project, finished might mean drafted, edited, reviewed or published. If you count all four as the same state, you will repeatedly misjudge what remains. Choose distinct terms and an observable condition for each.
Keep the definitions useful
In a fictional team, ready to review could mean the source figures are checked and the unresolved questions are listed. The reviewer can then begin without wondering whether basic preparation is complete. Agree on that meaning together.
Write the definition near the place where the status is used. Include a brief example where a boundary is easy to misunderstand. Do not create a glossary for every ordinary word.
Revise through confusion
When two people interpret a term differently, inspect the definition rather than assuming one person was careless. If the condition changes, update it openly and clarify how earlier records should be understood.
The same discipline helps with personal goals. Define what enough preparation or a useful practice session means in the current context. Clear terms make it easier to recognise completion and harder to hide uncertainty behind a reassuring label.