We’ve already made it a quarter of the way through the year! Can you believe it?
You might be feeling happy about and excited by all that you’ve done in these first three months of 2019. (We certainly hope so!) Or, on the other hand, you may be feeling a little “post-New Year’s Resolutions guilt.”
It’s not uncommon to set some big goals or intentions at the start of a new year, then find yourself overwhelmed and struggling to maintain momentum just a few months later. It’s perfectly normal because . . . well, life happens. Unexpected circumstances pop up, we lose our initial motivation, and it’s all too easy to forget the goals we were so excited about on January 1st.
No need to beat yourself up about it, though. A new year isn’t your only opportunity for a fresh start; every new quarter (or month or week or even every day!) offers a new chance to align with and pursue your big goals! Given our love for all things planning and goal-setting and living a well-designed life, we’re big fans of a quarterly goals check-in here at Day Designer.
First, it’s important to understand why most New Year’s resolutions don’t stick:
1) They’re usually made without intention.
2) They’re never revisited and revised throughout the year.
It’s nearly impossible to anticipate the activities of an entire year at the start. A quarterly review offers the perfect opportunity to realign your goals—ensuring that you’re intentionally designing the life you want to live.
Here are a few quick and easy tips to help you through the process:
Congratulate and Celebrate
This isn’t just about planning for the rest of the year; this is also about celebrating everything that you’ve accomplished so far—even if all you think you’ve accomplished is successfully keeping your family healthy and fed through the first quarter of the year.
(Ahem, that is a MAJOR accomplishment!)
Start your review by making a list of three (or more!) accomplishments from this first quarter of the year. Think on it, and pick the stuff that you’re really proud of. As with any reflective process, it’s important to recognize and celebrate what went right. Give yourself some credit!
Consider What’s Working (and What Isn’t)
Whether you started the year with a list of big (and small) goals or not, you likely know which activities, habits, relationships, etc. have been working for you—and which haven’t. Take some time to review your New Year’s resolution lists, or start making some lists right now.
That new weekly spin class habit? That might be worth keeping. But the daily Starbucks habit? You may want to curb it. That being said, please keep in mind, that these are your lists—this is about what’s working and what isn’t working for you, and nobody else. Don’t feel like you need to cut back on Starbucks, if that’s what’s working for you!
The quarterly review process is a personal one, so make sure you keep it that way. You’re intentionally building the life you want by doing this work, so feel free to be honest about what works best for you!
Check and Reassess Your Goals
Lastly, take a minute to review the goals you’ve set—whether you set them in January, or started jotting them down throughout this review. Are your goals (both personal and professional) still aligned with the life you want to live? With the person you want to be? With the relationships you want to build and the work you want to create?
Goals and resolutions are great, but only when they intentionally align with how you want to feel, the person you want to be, and the life you want to live. This quarterly review process shouldn’t just be another to-do on your list; it should be an opportunity to actively create a life that’s worth living. Make sure the goals you set in January, and the new ones you set today, are allowing you to live just that.
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The quarterly review process is not meant to make you feel bad for what you haven’t yet accomplished or what may not be going well in your life. Rather, it’s about reflecting and reevaluating as necessary, and starting fresh to ensure you’re always being intentional about the way you spend your time and the goals you’re pursuing.
Even if you didn’t envision the year ahead or set goals in January, you have the opportunity to do so now. It’s never too late to start intentionally designing the life you want to live!
(And P.S. If you want some help designing, planning, and scheduling that well-intentioned life, check out our planners offered in daily, weekly, and flexible formats!)
So, at the start of this new quarter, take a minute to rest, recharge, and reflect on your resolutions, goals, and the past three months. Then, celebrate just how far you’ve come.
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Have you done a quarterly review? What would you celebrate? Have you successfully accomplished any goals—or are there any you’d scrap? Share some of your quarterly review insights in the comments below!