How I Plan My Quarterly Goals

That’s right. Not ANNUAL goals, quarterly goals. I think if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected and to be flexible and ready for anything. Last year I had laid a lot of goals out for 2020 and when it came time to articulate my Q2 goals in April I froze. Thankfully, by June I had a little better grip on my current reality and was able to be realistic in my goal setting.

But 2020 isn’t the only reason I am a fan of setting goals for the quarter rather than the year. Did you know that only 25% of people who set New Year Resolutions are sticking to them after only 30 days into the year and only 8% actually accomplish them (according to Forbes.com.) That’s mind blowing.

Today I want to share with you how I set goals and tips I think will help you to plan your future and stick to it! Accomplishing goals is something that is really important to me and not accomplishing them can be pretty deflating. So whether your personality is really driven or laid back, I know there are things you would like to see your future self accomplish.

1. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Yes we want to lose weight, read all the books, finish a degree, be the top in our company, cultivate better relationships, etc… But if we set all of these at once, the likelihood of accomplishing even one is low. Habit stacking is something I will talk about later. So go ahead and list out ALL the things you want to do, but it isn’t likely we are going to get them all done today.

2. Prioritize what’s important in this season. There have been many times I have looked at something I wanted to do but realized this wasn’t the season for it. We decided to home school our son the same year we added a new baby to our family in the first year we were planting a church. I had some other things I wanted to do and my husband was so kind to caution me when he saw I was setting myself up for disaster. Those things did eventually happen, but it was in the right time. So look at the list you have created and determine the top 3 (4 at the most) things that are the most important for this season.

3. Make your goal a SMARTER goal. What this means is to completely articulate exactly what you want. According to Michael Hyatt, a SMARTER goal is: Specific - Measurable - Actionable - Risky - Timed - Exciting - Relevant. What this means is you need to know exactly WHAT you are doing. WHEN? HOW? and WHY?
   For example, one we often have is “lose weight.” A better goal would be: I want to lose 10 pounds this quarter in order to fit in my clothes and feel better. I will do this by adding 10 minutes of exercise to my mornings and cutting all sugar out of my diet except on special occasions.

4. Look back to look forward. What have you accomplished in the past? While you want to push yourself, you do not want to create a goal that is impossible for you. If you have been completely inactive for the last few years, setting a goal to run a marathon in Q1 is likely unhealthy and unattainable. Instead, your goal could be: “I want to finish the couch to 5K program this quarter.”
   What if you have a goal that spans longer than a quarter? This happens to me often. What I do is plan what I am going to accomplish during this upcoming quarter and when I am planning goals for the next quarter I will look back at what I accomplished to help me redraft that goal for the next quarter. Let’s look at another example. “I want to fully fund my 6 months savings fund.” If you know your budget can handle this goal in it’s entirety in Q1, fantastic. However, you might have a goal like this instead: “I want to add $500 a month to my 6 months saving fund by working extra hours each week and selling extra things in the house.” When it’s time to plan Q2 you can reevaluate. Did you save more than you thought you could? Did you save less? This helps you to plan the next quarter.

5. Make actionable steps. Is your goal to declutter your house this next year? What area will you focus on this quarter? Divide it into 3 sections and focus on one portion each month. Plan to spend 2 hours a week on this goal. Or 30 minutes each night after work. A vision is so important, but if it is not broken down into actionable steps, it will likely never be achieved.

6. Share your goal. You don’t have to share your goals with the world, but find that friend, or group of friends, that inspire you to push forward. If you don’t have friends like that, I encourage you to pray about it and ask God to help you find those friends. Surrounding ourselves with people who inspire us to be a better version of ourselves is the support system we need. Is it necessary? No, you can do it alone. But even the Bible speaks of this benefit. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 NIV.
   A support group can be in the form of a group text you start with some friends who are like minded in your pursuit to achieve goals. My husband and I have also found great benefit in asking each other where we are at or how we are doing on a goal. We always sit down in the fall of each year to look at our goals for the next year. Some of these are ones we want to plan as a family, but we also look at individually what we want to accomplish the next quarter. This year we are planning to meet for only a few minutes each week to specifically check in on our goals. This is going to go a long way to keeping us accountable.

7. Keep the goal in your face. Each week when I plan my week in my Full Focus Planner (get yours HERE) I take a minute to flip to the front of the book and check out my goals. One of my Big 3 for the week needs to be pushing that goal forward. You might want to make a note with a dry erase marker on your mirror or print a sign for your work space. Do whatever you need to do to keep those goals right in your face.

I can’t wait to see what goals you accomplish this year! Be sure your goals are lining up with your goal to have margin in your life.