4th Quarter Clutch. Focus on Finishing 2017

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The entire year I’ve been sharing the value in setting a quarterly focus for 2017. Can you believe we are in the final stretch of 2017?! How is your year going? Are you pleased with your progress? Are you like me, with a few things you still need to get done? Today I’m discussing how to focus on finishing 2017 strong. Time to be 4th Quarter Clutch here on the View 112 Podcast.

Take an assessment. Take a look back over this year and check those wins and opportunities. I want to highlight wins for a moment. For me this is important. I have a terrible way of only looking at what’s not done.(More on that in a moment) So much so that it gives me a distorted view of myself and what’s actually happening. Based on my assessment, I’m proud of a few things: 1. Professionally, I have grown and developed quite a bit this year. At the top of the year, as I was starting this podcast, I was also embarking on a new journey at work. I had a new team with a new space and a new boss. I knew going into to it, I had to lead differently and connect with the team differently and I’m proud of the work I did. I’ve learn to lead using skills outside of my comfort zone. 2. I’ve been consistent with school. I’ve taken more classes this year and am set up to complete my degree next year. (God is good!). 3. I’ve made time to read, write, and podcast this year consistently. I’ve learned to much about myself and life through this process. Now some opportunities I have include: 1. I’ve let “being busy” allow my health to take a back seat. 2. I’ve earned and spent more money this year than I ever have in my life. 3. While I’m proud of my progress in writing, I’ve not really grown in the space as I envisioned.

Learn from Failures and Make a Plan to Move On. I am reading a book titled Sometimes You Win and Sometimes You Learn by John C Maxwell. Its a very smart book that talks about how to move on from failures and lessons. I also just listened to a sermon this week from Pastor Delman Coates in which he titled So What, I Lost. I came across this book and sermon at the perfect time in my life and I’m sharing it with you as we prepared to sprint to the finish line of 2017. We cannot sprint if we are weighted down with the baggage of disappointment from failures. I highly recommend you read Sometimes You Win and Sometimes You Learn as it highlights key ways to successful move past failure. Here are some key chapters from the Table of Contents:

Chapter 2: Humility-The Spirit of Learning

Chapter 4: Responsibility-The Foundation of Learning

Chapter 8: Adversity-The Catalyst of Learning

Chapter 11: Change-The Price of Learning

Set the plan TODAY! What can you realistically get done in the next 10 weeks? Open your calendar app and look at the next 10 weeks. I’ve mapped out things like: my parents coming to visit, a large event at work, meetings I already know about, and my school schedule etc. What are short term goals that pack a punch in your overall vision for 2017? I’ve set professional goals to that will make me feel great about this quarter. In my personal life, I’ve set financial goals that include a holiday spending budget. I start class on Monday and passing these 2 classes will keep me on track to graduating in 2018. For this podcast, I am recording 10 more podcasts this year to reach my number of 40 podcast episodes before my 40th birthday. Plan around what you can know can be controlled. You know the holidays are coming. Holiday season is packed with social events, calories, and spending. Set a plan now to set yourself up for success.

Are there goals and plan you need to downsize over the next 10 weeks? If so, do not be ashamed. Set a plan that will help you move the needle in the right direction. For me there are 2 things that I’ve improved with this year but missed the mark on what I set out to do at the top of the year. The first is weight loss. I have adjusted my weight goal to a number that will make me proud in the next 10 weeks and will have me weighing less than I did when I kicked off 2017. The second is a mental health goal. My job helped me with this one. We have a mindfulness challenge starting in November which is a busy time of year for us. In addition to the mindfulness challenge, having a therapy cadence is important to me. As busy working professional, I need to find a healthy outlet the stress and anxiety. Let me tell you what does not work: overworking, comfort eating and drinking, over exercising, procrastination by setting up distractions. Trust me, I’ve done them all. I’ve had the best success with rest, talking out my concerns, focused prayer, reading. When I’m doing those things well and consistently, I feel better. I am more focused on my goals and get to the finish line much faster.

Weekly check ins. Just as quarterly check ins have set me up for success for the year, I’m applying that to weekly check ins. I have set mine up to be on Tuesday mornings. Tuesdays are a big day for me anyway with meetings and such. I love going into Tuesdays with purpose and plans. Tuesday mornings I can celebrate, reassess, and stay focused on what I need to complete. Many productivity podcasts and books I’ve read suggest Sunday nights to set up your week. If you have a traditional, set work schedule then Sundays may be the move for you. I sometimes am working Sunday plus most reporting gets to me on Monday. Pick whatever day for weekly evaluation that works best for you be consistent.

As usual I’ve piled my plate pretty high with the things I need to do to wrap the year. However, your girl has a plan, a strong support system set up, and the sprint of determination.