It’s March Madness! To some that could mean that the NCAA basketball tournament is here. To others it means that spring is upon us. But to the rest, it means the end of Q1 is near. So let’s check in! My posts up to this point have mostly been about setting up 2025 with meaningful intentions and how to do so. I’ve shared some tips that I think are helpful and I’ve also shared some of my personal experiences (low-buy spending and running, for example). Now, I’d like us to take a time-out and game plan for the next quarter- Q2. See what I did there?
What went well?
By now, you’ve had some time to get warmed up and acclimated to the new year. No matter how it started, you’re in it and moving through each new day – good, bad or indifferent. Let’s assess. What parts of these first three months went well? What did you find successful? If you set goals, what steps or actions are you most proud of committing to?
For me, I’ve done a good job about sticking to a grocery budget (funny enough because eggs alone cost a million dollars)! In January and parts of February, I consistently tracked my grocery expenses to get real about how much I was spending. This allowed me to know the exact dollar amount so that I could then determine an amount I was more comfortable spending in groceries during the next trips. From there, I shopped smarter. I did better with meal planning and checking my current stock beforehand. I changed up my grocery stores, researched the better deals, and leaned into the sales of the week! This was a huge success for me and something I can leverage the rest of the year. So, what are your wins?
What did you find challenging?
We also need to keep it real and address the hard parts. What about the first three months was hard or challenging? Something likely happened that you didn’t expect and it may have thrown you off – this could be illness, tragedy, house or car repair needs, layoffs, etc. Acknowledge the sucky stuff, call it for what it is – just don’t dwell on it.
Although not deeply personal (kinda not in the vulnerable headspace to share the deeply personal stuff today), the low-buy of clothes was HARD for me. I had a whole plan – you saw it! I listed what I could buy versus what I couldn’t buy, but as soon as I made it out of January and got into February I felt like I had nothing to wear. I had some planned events to attend that I wanted wear fun outfits to. While I tried to ‘shop my closet’ I just wasn’t feeling my best with what I had to choose from. Because of this, I made purchases against my low-buy. I learned that my current wardrobe had gaps and wasn’t the truest reflection of how I wanted to represent myself. What was hard for you?
What did you learn?
After assessing your successes and challenges, assess what you’ve learned. What valuable lessons did you learn after living through the first three months? What data did you collect about yourself, your habits, your environment, your community, your relationships, and your goals? The lessons learned should be the catalyst or the fuel for you to navigate the next 12 weeks. Maybe you get to do some of the same things the same way or maybe you need to pivot.
I’ll be continuing to meal plan and stick closely to my grocery budget. I’ll also be pivoting from my low-buy a bit to allow space to bring clothing items into my wardrobe that I truly love. What did you learn in Q1?
The Time-Out
My best friend recommended I read “The 12-Week Year” by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington a while back. I finally got around to reading it recently and it makes the year as a whole feel less overwhelming when you break it up into 12 week chunks (or quarters). It encourages you to adopt a 12 week system for your specific goals so that you work with more of a sense of urgency, increase your focus and take actionable steps. In theory, it drives your action and discipline to hone in on what you set to accomplish. But you choose to focus on one major goal at a time. Maybe this approach could help you in the next quarter. Or, maybe you realized you need to relax a bit. Whatever the case, take the next couple of weeks to reflect. Use this as your time-out before Q2 starts.
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