5 Commitments to Finish Strong for the 4th Quarter

There are only 3 months left of the year! Where did the time go? Today marks the first day of the final thirteen weeks of this calendar year. While some people may lose a bit of motivation this time of year, fall and winter are a fantastic time to make sure you’re finishing up on some solid efforts for your annual goals. You have 13 weeks left in the year. What are you going to do with them?

Here are five commitments I’m making for the fourth quarter.

1. Make decisions based on priority. Franklin Covey’s concept for regular goal setting starts with values. What do you value most? Your values should dictate your priorities which should dictate how you make decisions with your time, money and hard work. I’m going to take stock of my values and apply those values to my calendar, my bank account, and my brain power.

2. Pay more attention to importance than urgency. For the last quarter of the year I want to focus more on what is important and less on what is seemingly “urgent.” For example, instantly answering text messages, checking emails, and replying on social media feels urgent but is not as important as my work agenda or time with my husband.

3. Zoom out. I recently read Sheryl Sandberg’s best seller Lean In. Sheryl recommends setting goals on an 18-month schedule. I like that idea. Goals make me 100 times more productive than I would be if I didn’t articulate what I want to achieve. By keeping the big picture in mind I make better choices now that will get me where I want to be in 18 months or 5 years (which if you’re curious includes writing books, a consistent acting career, a thriving business, and becoming a homeowner.)

Question to ask:

What am I doing in these last 3 months of the year that contribute to those long-term goals? 

4. Hustle. It’s easy to go slow-mo with intentional living as the days get shorter and the mornings get colder. But in order to accomplish my goals I know I can’t let up during these months. In fact, it’s a great time to really focus and make some solid ground. I can do this through determining what I want to accomplish on a weekly basis and breaking that down to a list of five things or less.

5. Be consistent. Whether it's my investment of time in the lives of the people who are most important to me, consistency in giving something useful to people like you who happen across this blog, or consistency with clients to give them a wow experience, one of my five commitments for the fourth quarter of the year is to be consistent.

What about you? What are you focusing on this 4th quarter?