As we enter the last quarter of the year, it seems like a good time to pause, consider what we’ve accomplished so far this year, re-evaluate what we want to do in the time that’s left, and set ourselves up for success in the remaining months of this year. We can do that by spending a little time walking through these simple steps:
- Even if you’ve let yourself get off track in pursuing your goals, rest assured it’s not too late to make this a great year. Lots of things can be accomplished in 3 months.
- What have you accomplished so far this year? Give yourself credit for the things you’ve done, and celebrate the successes–both large and small!
- Re-evaluate the goals you set earlier in the year. Are they still valid? Do they still call to your heart?
- What’s left to be done in the fourth quarter?
- It there are things left unfinished (or even unpursued), what’s stopping you? External hindrances? Internal resistance? Structural impediments? What can be done to overcome them? Check out some great insights in Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern.
- What will you commit yourself to pursuing as the year winds down?
- What do you need in order to wholeheartedly pursue those things for this 3-month period?
- How will you celebrate your success? Plan for it now–and remember that effort is a success!
- Get accountable.
Your turn: When will you take a few minutes to set yourself up to end the year on a high note? What one or two goals will you commit yourself to in this next three months? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Some great resources to look at:
- I’m looking forward to reading The Best Yes, by Lysa TerKeurst, a faith-based guide to “Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands.”
- Also planning to read Addicted to Busy by Brady Boyd. Subtitled “Recovery for the Rushed Soul,” it sounds like something I need to read.
- My writer friend Jill Kemerer just published a helpful blog post called “How to Get a Lot Done This October.” Well worth a read.
- Want a more in-depth process for evaluating your life and changing your thinking? Consider trying the 21-day “program” described in “Reboot Your Life in 21 Days,” by Robert V. Taylor on Huffingtonpost.com.
- If you like worksheets and planning templates, check out the “Smart Goals Life Assessment Sheet” and several other forms and templates for goal-setting at smart-goals-guide.com.
I would love to have your help!
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Royse City, Texas
I Was Just Thinking . . .
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Laura, this episode was particularly inspiring. And I’m so relieved to know I’m not alone. I’ll explain: you probably remember that you and I met at ACFW 2012, and it sounds like we’ve had similar experiences with our novels since then. I’ve committed to finish revisions (finally) by the end of the year and begin submitting to the agents who requested it at ACFW. I’ll include you in my prayers as we both work toward this goal. =) You go!
Thank you so much, Alison! Yes, I remember meeting at ACFW 2012 in Dallas. I didn’t know we were walking the same path with our novels, though. Let’s get them done and submitted so we can celebrate together and move on to the next big adventure!
I really appreciate hearing from you.
Laura
Thanks for replying to my email last week. I am still enjoying listening to your podcasts! I was wondering if you have any tips for managing household tasks and daily or weekly routines and how you schedule them.
Also, just curious if you have any tips for me – in this season of life I am working at our local school in a number of positions, plus another job in the cash office of a department store. This schedule keeps me busy and the hours vary greatly from day to day so it’s difficult to have a set schedule. I have been setting appointments for everything I want to accomplish the next day (exercise, meal planning, household chores etc) but I have seen that experts don’t recommend putting things in your calendar that are not time bound. It works so far, but I just wonder if there isn’t a better way of doing things 🙂
Tawnya – What great questions! Both are excellent topics for podcast episodes, and I have put them on my list to address in upcoming episodes.
As a quick note re whether to put your daily routines onto your calendar: You’re right. Most “experts” recommend keeping your calendar for only those appointments and commitments that must occur on a specific day and at a specific time. The reasoning is that if you include “phony” appointments, and them ignore them, over time your brain learns to disregard what’s on your calendar. That’s the reason I generally only put truly timebound commitments on my calendar.
That being said, though . . . if it’s working for you, then I’d say go ahead. I do, from time to time, block out time on my calendar for particular tasks that aren’t truly timebound. For instance, if I know I must get a particular document drafted for a client tomorrow, I might block out time on my calendar in the morning to make sure I save space in my day for that. I’ll set an alarm to “ding” at me at the applicable time as a signal that this is the time I’m committed (to myself) to get that document drafted. Although not strictly speaking a true timebound appointment, it IS an appointment I’ve made with myself to take care of a certain task.
As for other, more daily, types of routines and things, I actually have another way of dealing with those outside my calendar. I’ll talk about that on an episode of the podcast very soon.
Thank you again for taking the time to write, Tawnya.
I’m so excited to find your site, Laura! I’m always looking for ways to increase my productivity! Thank you for sharing my blog too. I’ve got big plans this month. I’m bookmarking your site to help me stay motivated!!
Jill! Thank you so much for your kind comments. I hope you find something useful in The Productive Woman podcast. If you have questions or suggestions for topics I could address in future episodes, I’m all ears.
Thank you for stopping by, and for taking the time to leave a note. I look forward to hearing how your big plans for October pan out!
Laura