Take a moment to reflect periodically

Look at that! A shiny new year, so full of possibility!

While a new year can be a good time to reflect and plan, I actually find it more beneficial to do this each quarter instead of only once a year.

The shorter timeframe makes it easier to stay on track and to course correct as priorities inevitably change.

It also keeps you more honest about your expectations as to what can be accomplished. A year is long enough that you will likely pack in more goals than you can reach, but 3 months is much more tangible. You may still be a bit optimistic, but not by quite as much.

What does my quarterly review process look like? It's pretty simple, and only takes an hour or two.

• I review each of the goals I set for the previous quarter and decide how I did. If I didn't fully meet the goal, I still try to understand how close I got. Was it 50% met? 75%? or 0%?
• I then take about an hour to review each week in my task planner (Omnifocus) and notes app (Obsidian) to identify additional things that weren't part of my high-level goals, but were notable accomplishments all the same.
• Finally, I reflect on how I felt about that quarter. This is more accurate if you keep a journal at least once a week, but even without it, you can likely still capture a general sense of whether a quarter was fun, stressful, challenging, or inspiring.

Now with details from the last quarter fresh in mind, I decide on 2 - 3 main goals for the upcoming quarter.

This is where you get a chance to "course correct" from the previous quarter. Did I spend too much of my energy in one area, and this quarter I want to focus on a different area? Did I say "yes" too many times and try to do too much, and this quarter I'm going to be more realistic?

If I notice that last quarter was full of things I didn't enjoy or stressed me out, I also think about whether I can reduce or eliminate those things in this next quarter.

And then each week, as I'm planning out my tasks, I try to make sure I'm spending some time on at least one of those goals. Without this continual check, it's way too easy to let busywork or lower-value projects take over your life.

Here to help,

Joel

P.S. I have spent a lot of time refining a system that works well for building a business and managing tech projects, so I have a lot more to say. Send me a quick note if you'd be interested in reading more on this topic.