Happy New Year!
Well, in a way I’m ahead of myself, but it is the end of Q3 and the beginning of the last quarter this year, so I thought it is appropriate.
I always get a bit stressed this time of the year, especially if I look at the list of yearly goals I set for myself.
But rather than spending my time and energy lamenting on how quickly the time passes, I want to channel this energy towards something productive! And you can too! Read on to find out how to get ready for Q4 with your goals and make this year count!
#1 Reflect
I feel like we don’t do enough reflection. You are always rushing to the next project, the next task, or starting something different. But one of the best coaching techniques you can adopt when planning your goals is reflection.
I want you to start your reflection by looking at the past months and congratulate yourself on how far you have come. Believe me, whether you see it or not, you have moved from your starting point.
Yes, maybe you haven’t lost as much of those unwanted kilos as you hoped. Or maybe you wanted to learn Spanish, but you can only say Hola! Maybe you had all those projects planned which didn’t come to fruition.
That’s OK. There is plenty of people out there ready to tell you that you didn’t accomplish anything. You need to rise above it and cheer yourself on whatever progress you made.
Because you still learned something. Even if it is the fact that you need to pick a different method or a tool to achieve your goal. Or that more time is needed to get done what you scheduled.
Give yourself some credit for all the attempts in trying to do what you said you would. And think about all those moments when you choose to be better, to eat healthier, to not drink that second glass of wine.
That is all a great starting point. Own it.
#2 Be Realistic
I want you to take off your rose-coloured glasses for a moment. I need you to be realistic for a second here. Look at what goals you had planned for the year, evaluate what realistically you could have accomplished and what was way out of your reach.
I hate to admit it, but I always get carried away when I set my annual goals. Why? Because I see an ocean of unlimited time where I can fit anything! So, I add goal after goal, feeling very ambitious.
Don’t get me wrong. You need to be ambitious to get started. But now is a great time to reflect on how your goals look in the light of reality. We usually need more time than we plan for things to come true.
Remember that only because a goal was out of reach this year, it doesn’t mean it is out of reach completely. At least now you know you need a better time schedule next time around.
#3 Assess
Now that you reflected on the past months you can clearly see what goals were within your reach, and what goals were a bit out of sync. You are ready to assess what worked and what didn’t.
For me, the biggest lesson here was that I wanted to start many different projects, but some of them, wouldn’t move me in the direction I need to go. And also, I didn’t have enough time to complete them. So, I ended up jumping from project to project stressing myself out.
But I can assess now what didn’t work particularly well so I won’t spend any more effort traveling in the wrong direction.
How about you? Did you find that losing weight is a bigger project than you thought? Or that you wanted to quit your job, but you never made an exit strategy? Or maybe you picked a beautiful journal, but haven’t started your journaling practice?
Looking at what worked well and what didn’t will help you to see where your focus should go.
#4 Be Strategic
I detest saying it, but we have only got a few months left of this year. So, there is really no time to be unorganised. You need to be strategic.
Now is the time to pull your focus, productivity, and creativity in the same direction. Becoming more mindful of how and where you spend your time and energy will get you to your destination.
If you tried building a morning routine, but haven’t gotten up early enough to exercise, you need to ask yourself what didn’t work. Tweak it and be more intentional with your approach. If you planned that you would meditate in the evening, but are too tired to do so, see if there is another time of the day when you are more alert.
You still have enough time to give it another shot. Even if you accomplish one-third of your goal this year, it is still better than giving up entirely.
#5 Start Something New
If you found that you have a lot of goals that you didn’t manage to meet this year, adding something new may seem strange. But it isn’t.
There are still a few months left where you can accomplish at least part of your goal. You can start exercising or building your meditation practice even if you need to carry over with your goal for the new year.
It is still better to start something new, no matter how late, than not to start at all. This way you will be ready to keep building in the next quarter. And it will also boost your confidence.
Rather than looking at the list of things that you haven’t managed to get to, you are looking at the progress you can build on.
I am starting Tai Chi classes this Q4. I had it as a goal for this year and frankly, I thought I wouldn’t get a chance to do it. But after assessing what time I have and where my focus should go, I want to give it a try even if I get to do only a couple of classes.
How about you? Is there something from your list that you can start, even if you won’t manage to complete it fully this year?
How to Get Ready for Q4
Coming into the last quarter of the year may feel a bit stressful for some, or even unmotivating, but it doesn’t have to be. You can still end the year on a high note!
Start with reflecting on your past months and acknowledging how far you have come. So, what if you didn’t meet your goal yet? Trust me, you have moved from the starting point.
Be more realistic about what you can still get done this year and focus on that. Assess what didn’t work and what went well so you know what will get you the results you want. Then be strategic in your planning.
You can still start something new, because it is better to start late, than not start at all.
So, are you ready to have the most productive quarter of the year?
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