Since April 1, 2023, I started doing quarterly life review and planning. I love doing it as it makes me feel good about living a meaningful life. It also kept me proud of my wins and reflected on things that didn’t go well. So, feel free to use the template below!
- If you had set your top 3 aspirations for the past three months, did you achieve them? If not, why?
- What were the top 3 big wins of the past three months, and why?
- What were the three biggest challenges, and what did you learn from them?
- What are the top 3 aspirations for the coming three months? And what’s the biggest risk they might not happen, and how will you mitigate that risk?
Note that it doesn’t always have to be three things. You can change the number yourself as our life experiences differ.
Update from my Q3 aspiration
I set these goals in Q2
- Finish Google UX cert and be a good product manager. It was a six-month program, but I wanted to finish it in 1.5 months (by August) without knowing the courses get more challenging along the way. So, I changed my goal to finish the last one out of seven courses to get my Google UX cert in October. Other than that, I’m doing fine as a product manager at work, with room for improvement. But more importantly, I’m excited about this role.
- Be good with finances. I read a personal finance book, Girls That Invest, which is helpful for women who want to build long-term investments. I’m accumulating my emergency fund, which will last me for not working at least 1-2 years. I am also investing more money into monthly passive investments like index funds.
- Be fit and eat healthy. I did not start on calisthenics but found my love for yoga and pilates. I had been going to yoga, reformer pilates every week, and tennis on alternate weeks. I did not master three recipes by the end of the quarter, so I will add this as my aspiration for Q4.
- Start my blog, Wondefull. I have finally started writing more frequently, just like I’m doing it now. I’m not sure where it will go at the end. But writing or journalling has been great for organizing my thoughts and articulating them. I will continuously write; hopefully, one day, my writing will inspire or help someone.
If you want to buy this book, you are most welcome to use my link. If it’s not for you, no pressure, no need to buy!
Top Wins in Q3 and Why
- I learned to surrender and enjoy life. Learning to overcome demons inside has not been easy, and I’m thankful I made significant progress this quarter, as my last therapy session was on June 9. I stopped seeking validation from the rest, especially from men via dating apps. Instead, I shifted my time into doing things I enjoy and loving myself like how I want the world to love me. I continuously tried new things, including embarking on a Bali trip with people I had not traveled with at the end of September. There were some awkward and annoying moments as it was with strangers, but I would do it all over again for the good times.
- I learned to be curious and humble. In August, I started working 50% as a product manager in a new department. I’m incredibly proud of being humble and curious, leading to tremendous learning from people of different backgrounds and experiences.
- I started reading more frequently. I bought a Kindle and started reading many more books. No one could have said it better than Jhumpa Lahiri, “That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet”. I read fiction and non-fiction; they brought me to places and shifted my perspectives.
Top Biggest Challenges and What I Learned from Them
- Time management. I am multi-passionate; there are just so many things I want to do! I created an ideal week schedule and realized I only have so much time every day. So now I assess priority regularly to ensure I have enough time to rest and hustle.
- Fear of intimacy and not knowing how to find The One. I realized that the journey of finding The One is discovering myself. I understood why I wanted to but could not love someone unconditionally because I couldn’t love myself the same way. I was self-critical and self-loathing. Also, I was trying to find out what type of partner suits me vs the partner I desire. But, I’m reminding myself to take this process slowly as singlehood is temporary, and I will miss it when I build my family with my partner.
Top Aspirations for the Next 3 Months
- Take ownership of the product team. Other than finishing up the Google UX cert by the end of October to level myself, I will start building myself a brag book. It is to hold myself accountable and assess my performance. I want to lead the sprint meetings without needing my senior PM to sit in.
- Master 3 cooking recipes and 1 baking recipe. To prevent this from falling out again, I will pay for lessons. It always works for me because I don’t like wasting my money.
- Write 4x weekly. On Medium or wondefull.com, I want to have four days per week that I write for 1-2 hours. Based on personal experience, setting goals for creative work makes me procrastinate and want to escape. So I won’t beat myself up when I fall behind the goal. I want writing to be fun so that I can keep writing, and I will read more and get more inspiration from authors and medium writers.
- Join 1 event per month to meet new people organically. I have to expand my social circle to find The One. 😉
My Favorite Tool for Quarterly Planning
Inspired by 12 Week Year book, I made a 12-week goal planner Google Sheets template to help with my own time management, reflection, and motivation—and it’s been a game changer! It even comes with a 13-week version for extra flexibility. If you’re into planning and staying organized, you can check it out here or on Etsy! 😊
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