When looking at the year it always seems like lots of time to achieve results. Without structural approach time goes by without progress so quickly that we may become discouraged. Breaking year into quarters gives more manageable periods. Paradox is that the same can happen to them as well. So how to get most of the quarter?
First of all why quarter, not a month. In Annual Goals Don’t Work. What to Do Instead? I wrote about picking cycle length and why month is not enough. At time of that writing I was using eight weeks cycle and still had a feeling that this is too short cycle. I was thinking about quarters and realized one interesting thing. Technically speaking a quarter starts and ends in the middle of the week which is not good when you want to move forward week by week. Everything changes when looking at quarters by weeks.
It turns out that each quarter has 13 weeks. This means that we can have 2 action stints of decent length and 1 planning week. I suggest to have them in this order and not the other way around. Just like with weeks (where planning on Sunday sets everything up for execution on Monday), planning next quarter before it begins sets a perfect ground to start a quarter.
Action stint 1
When stint starts, quarter is already planned. You have your goals set up. You understand which goals you should attack right from the beginning of the quarter. You have your projects and steps defined. Now it’s 6 weeks of execution.
As for the goals and projects for first action stint I prioritize those which continue from previous quarter, have a key influence on this quarter, or time bound.
It’s important to not overwhelm yourself in first couple of weeks of this action stint. Start this stint with a couple of strategic projects for key goals. Then later in stint, start working on other goals. It’s a game of consistency in execution. It’s absolutely fine to have different goals progressing at a different speed.
Moreover, start of some projects (or even small goals) could be intentionally planned for second stint.
Action stint 2
That’s another 6 weeks of execution to complete started projects, work on new ones, and achieve goals.
Just like in first action stint continue moving forward week by week, project by project. Execution is they key during action stints.
Monitoring probably is a bit more important in second stint compared to the first one. You’re half way through the quarter. At least most important goals should have passed their peak of the uncertainty hill and there should be no obstacles stopping you from achieving those goals.
Having a goal at risk? You may need to abandon some goal in favour of this one. It’s fine. The world is not perfect and we can’t predict a lot of things. Be gentle to yourself.
Quarter planning week
Now comes the planning week. After two action stints it’s time to review achievements and losses, close the quarter physically and mentally, and plan next quarter.
Assuming lots of things went well and all the goals are achieved without stress, it’s a great week to celebrate accomplishments and prepare for upcoming quarter. This should be relaxed week with low load during the days.
In a hard and stressful quarter with some unfinished projects after two action stints, there is a temptation to triple down in the last week and complete all of them. Please, don’t. If you do this then you will have no time to plan upcoming quarter properly. As a result you will set yourself up to another stressful quarter. Better spend time analysing why you end the quarter not in bright colors and use your findings while planning next quarter. As Stephen Covey said “We must never become too busy sawing to take time to sharpen the saw.”
Maximize results with the 2+1 approach to quarter structure: 2 action stints for execution, 1 planning week for reflection and preparation. Achieve goals strategically, adapt along the way, and celebrate achievements.