Quarterly Goals

Resolutions.  Goals.  Mantras.  Plans.  Word of the year.  

There are about a million ways to celebrate the New Year and many of them include some kind of goal making.  Many Americans like to make fitness or work goals.  Others will land on a reading or travel goal.  Still others will make it a goal to learn a new skill or save money.  Whatever the goal, research shows only 8% of Americans actually achieve their New Year’s resolution or goal.  That’s a pretty low number considering all the New Year’s hype.

I don’t have the answer to why New Year’s resolutions don’t stick, but I can guess if other Americans are anything like me, it’s because we get overwhelmed with the prospect of striving to meet a goal for 12 months or 366 days (Did you know 2020 is a leap year??) and then we give up or forget or put it on the back burner.  I can justify some reason to abandon my goal or I can get bored or lazy.  It’s not too hard to give up some arbitrary goal that seems out of reach.

A few years ago around this time my husband and I started making Quarterly Goals.  Every three months or so we sit down, think through, and write out our Quarterly Goals.  We do this together and while it would be nice to have a long, luxurious date to discuss and ponder them, most of the time it’s done over a quick glass of wine after the kids go down for the night. This past year a few quarters were skipped with pregnancy brain and a new baby, but we are back in the saddle and hoping to start 2020 fresh.

Our Quarterly Goal process is pretty straight forward, simple, and has made me more excited about goal setting and motivated me to actually meet my goals.  Here is our fuss-free process.

Sit down and talk.

If you have a spouse, set aside 30 minutes to an hour to discuss your Quarterly Goals for the next three months.  You can also do this with a friend, another family member, or an older child.  We do this in January, April, July, and October.  You can do it at other times if that doesn’t work for you, but basically we do it every three months, give or take.  

If one year goals get you more excited, awesome, go ahead and set that one year goal. Then think, “If I’m going to accomplish ‘X’ over the course of this year, what do I need to accomplish over the next 3 months?”

When we sit down to talk about it, we come having thought a bit beforehand.  We each make two to three goals and then set one goal for each of our kids. This year we will be including Luke (age 7) in his goal. If there are older kids in the house, it makes sense to involve them in the goal making process.

Make the goal specific and actionable.

When making goals we form each goal to be actionable.  For example, one of my goals this spring was to plan school for the summer and fall.  Basically I needed to get our school plan completed before the end of May.  One of Kevin’s goals the past few months has been to run 100 miles by the time we go on vacation.  He is really close to completing his goal and has just a few miles to go.  Make sure you can see the goal in action and it’s specific enough you can see it happening.

Most of us find it easier to conceptualize what we want to accomplish rather than focusing on how we are going to do it. We want smart kids, more financial flexibility, and less flab; but how are we going to accomplish those things.

Some examples:

Instead of Get healthy use Go to the gym 2 days a week for the next 12 weeks.  

Instead of Save money use Put aside 5% of each paycheck into savings.

Instead of Learn more use Read three times a week instead of watching TV at night.

Why Quarterly Goals? There are two really good reasons:

1. Having a light at the end of the tunnel keeps us motivated to stay on the path.
2. Ninety days is long enough to form habit.

Understanding how habits are major influences on our life is a key breakthrough in being able to lead a life of intention. I’m not just talking about bad habits like drinking and smoking (while those DEFINITELY count); I’m talking about other not-so-great habits like looking at social media first thing in the morning, buying sweets that weren’t on the grocery list, or (do I dare?) spreading gossip. But this is just a list of what some might say are bad habits. Other habits can be: giving praise to my daughter each time she asks for something politely, doing yoga 5 minutes EVERY morning right after waking, or reading a devotional each night.

Make the goal measurable.

At the end of the three months you should be able to tell, without a doubt, if you met your goal or not.  For example, instead of  the goal: Eat Better. Try the goal: Eat at home 6 nights a week.  It’s a specific, actionable goal and while trying to meet the goal, you have a clear standard on what it looks like and if you meet it or not.  Make the goal measurable.

Ask yourself, “How will I know whether I accomplished this or not?”

Keep one thing in mind, the goal that is measurable might be less inspirational than the intention that came behind it. “Lose 30 pounds” is way more exciting than “abstain from sweets for 90 days”. So, as you identify and progress through your quarterly goal, remind yourself WHY you are doing it; this will help keep you on the path.

Kevin set the goal of running 100 miles in less than 3 months because he was coming off a period of a brand-new-baby-sleep-deprived season and was determined to get back on the path of staying physically active. Because he can only run a few miles at a time, he knew this would require him to run routinely. He knew he would have to run 9.5 miles per week and downloaded an app to make sure he kept himself ahead of the curve. The “why” behind all of this is that he lost quite a bit of weight over the last 5 years and is determined to keep it off for the long haul.

Write down your Quarterly Goals.

You have heard this before, but it’s true.  Write your goals down.  Research done by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University in California, found people who write down goals are 42% more likely to achieve them. 

Keep it simple and use your ‘Notes’ app on your phone or go all out with a whiteboard or bullet journaling.  My husband and I use the ‘Notes’ app and I think we will continue logging that way.  I have kept all past goals in there, so it’s interesting to see what we have done and how we can move forward with new goal setting.

Partner with someone. While peer pressure can be harmful for adolescents, it can be hugely beneficial for responsible adults.

Limit Yourself to 1-4 goals. If you set 8 goals, you are more likely to form the habit of not completing your goals. If you are just getting started on this, for the first quarter set three goals you absolutely know you can accomplish; then start ratcheting them up each quarter. Earn the mentality of thinking, “I know I can do this!” Accomplishing goals is a huge booster in confidence and self-esteem, which in turn helps us to accomplish more things in life.

Reflect.

The reason I like Quarterly Goals is because there is a built in time to check in.  At the end of each quarter, meet and discuss the goals from the last three months and set goals for the next three months.  There have been times I continue with a goal for another three months, but that only happens once in awhile.  Reflection on how it went will keep you accountable and help you decide what should come next.

My Quarterly Goals

Because telling the internet your goals really helps with accountability, I’m going to share mine for the next three months with you.  

1.  Read one book a month for myself. My first one is going to be Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. These will come next: Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Life Giving Home by Sally Clarkson.
2. Get current with each of my kids’ yearly Shutterfly books.
3. Eat through our freezer and pantry and use a budget of $150/week on groceries.

These goals are specific, actionable and measurable.  I will take these goals and make sure they play out in my daily life.  Reading will be added the downtime I have during nap time. Working on each child’s Shutterfly books will be on my to-do list at least once each week and my weekly meal plan will include meals inspired by what is in our freezer and pantry.

Potential Categories of Quarterly Goals:

Diet

Exercise

Faith and devotion

Parenting and Marriage

Career

Hobby or Travel

Financial

Household

Friends and Mentors

It may not be wise to set goals for each category each quarter, but it helps to consider them in deciding which goals to make a priority.

That’s it for Quarterly Goal Setting.  Tell me, are you a Resolution Setter?  How do you set goals for the coming year?