Over time I’ve settled on quarterly goals as the best way to focus on the stuff I most want to get done. I still think about my long term goals and I still have to do short term planning, but quarterly goals work out to be the most useful measure when explaining my goals to anyone else, including my family. This past quarter I had two things I wanted to get done, but one of them had to get done, and by mid quarter even my daughters could tell you about my goal and why some things were getting pushed aside. Not all goals have make or break deadlines and goals can always be adjusted (carefully), but they clarify the expenditure of time, money, and energy.  Sometimes a deadline is real, painful though it may be!

I will probably end up the year with about 3-1/2 quarters worth of goals because I tend to lose a few days planning the next quarter. I could be more rigid on this and when I’m managing at work I am (because cadence matters), but for my home/career there is a little more room for flexibility. Getting stuff done matters. Getting 100% of what is possible done isn’t a goal worth pursuing though, and there is nothing wrong with saying this quarter has no goals either.

I’m still thinking on my goals for this quarter. There is some writing I need to get done and I need to finish the SQLSaturday Orlando marketing plan and I’ll be presenting at oPASS and I need to plan summer vacation and I have an idea that I’ve been thinking on for a while and a book project that is lagging too. I’ll decide in another day or two, but right now I think it will be a quarter with 2 or 3 goals of similar size, with the total hours being something that won’t impact life at home much.

It’s still early in Q2, what will you get done this quarter?