First Quarter Review

Well, today is Thursday March 26th and it is hard to believe that the first quarter is almost behind us. I was always told that time would go by much faster after I had children and it is so true. Sometimes when time is moving at such a rapid pace it is easy to let our focus become scattered. Most of us start the New Year with a list of resolutions. We write the list with enthusiasm and feel very energized as we review it. We think to ourselves; "This is going to be the year that I get organized, live healthy, volunteer my time, paint the house, etc...". We write these resolutions with the very best intentions, but often times we get off track and miss place our list only to forget about it until the following New Year. This is why it is so important to do a quarterly review.

What exactly is a quarterly review and how do you do it? It is simple, find your list of New Year Resolutions and take a look at it. Have you crossed anything off your list? It is human nature to want to feel like we are accomplishing something. Go over your list and cross off or highlight anything that your have finished. This will give you a rewarding feeling and stimulates you to want to do more just so you can cross more off. It is funny how that works, but you can really trick yourself into getting more done by simply crossing stuff off your list.

Now, review the items that are left. Pick the three that rank highest on the importance scale and put a little star next to them. Take a clean sheet of paper and divide it into three sections and label them 1, 2, and 3. Write your top three selections on the page, one in each section. Now under each item write A, B, and C. Here I want you to list three things that you can do for each item that will get the ball rolling. For instance, if your top three items consisted of painting the house, signing your child up for karate, and spending more time with your spouse, your paper may look like this:

1.) PAINT THE HOUSE

A.) go to the paint store and select a few colors

B.) call 3 contractors and get estimates

C.) contact the home owner's association to get color approval

2.) SIGN KIDS UP FOR KARATE

A.) look in the phone book to see who offers classes

B.) visit the schools and meet with the instructor

C.) make arrangements for your child to have a free 1 wk trial

3.) SPEND MORE TIME WITH SPOUSE

A.) talk to your spouse and figure out what you would like to do together

B.) pick 2 nights per month as designated "date nights"

C.) call friends and family and pre-arrange baby sitting for these nights

Now that you have this sub-list you can eagerly get started. Try to do at least one thing on the sub-list everyday until you have completed the list in its entirety and of course you must remember to cross things off as you go. Once you have finished all the items on your sub-list it is time to review your resolutions again and pick the three that rank most important again and repeat the process.

You will find that once you get started you wont want to stop. You may even think of new things to add to your list of resolutions as you go and that is great. The more you do, the more you will want to do. Motivation definitely has a snowball effect and once you get started it is hard to stop.

It is time to get moving and get refocused. All it takes is a little effort. Lets make 2009 the year of accomplishment.