We’re into August now, and I don’t know about you, but the vibe of this month for me is always about “what’s coming.”  Don’t get me wrong - I’m still present to summer, and taking all the chances I can for the kind of rest and renew activities that summer offers, but part of my mind is looking ahead – to the fall season and toward the end of the year. 

Woah – hold on a minute!  Did I just say “the end of the year??”

Now before you go clicking away from this blog, hear me out. 

We all know that the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s gets a little wonky with holiday preparations, end of year stuff, and time with loved ones.  So by my count, we’ve got one more solid season (approximately a 90 day stretch) to handle life like a boss. 

It doesn’t matter if your annual goals are still only sitting on paper and not coming to life.  It’s OK if life sideswiped you earlier this year and you’re just now getting back in gear.  If you’ve got a pile of half-done stuff sitting next to you and throwing guilt grenades at you, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone.  AND I’m going to share the 1-2 punch that will help you neutralize all those negative bombs with progress.

1 – Intentional Planning

Sure, maybe you’ve heard this before, or you already know it deep down.  But do you practice it?  Do you plan on purpose, with purpose?  Intentionality is not just a momentary, passing thought.  It’s a longer pause to reflect, it’s pre-deciding what you want to prioritize, and it’s creating a plan to accomplish that.

So when will you take this intentional pause?  “Someday soon” is not a date on the calendar, friend, so grab your calendar, and block off one hour to do some intentional planning.  You’d be amazed at what you can get done in one hour.

How to spend the hour?

Start with the big picture, then focus on naming what you need, who brings you life, and what you need to accomplish.  Here are some questions to get you started on setting up the next 90 days with intention:

• As you think about the next 90 days, what three words would you choose to describe how you WANT your life to look when that season is over?

• What would help you to feel productive AND balanced in the coming season?

• Who do you want to invest in, or spend quality time with, in the next season?

• What do you still really want or need to accomplish in these next 90 days? 

Important note:  I strongly recommend keeping your answer to that last question really short.  Choose only 2-3 things.  If you get those done within a month – great!  THEN you can add a new project.  But you’ll keep better focus and increase your chances of success if you keep your intention on only 2 or 3 major priorities.

After choosing those projects, you’ll need to create a detailed action plan for each project.  And I know you’ll be tempted to skip this step!  But remember – Intentional Planning.  Your hour’s not up yet, friend, so keep trudging.  I can guarantee that actually writing down those action plans will take LESS TIME than you think it will.  In fact, I’m willing to bet that you can get those 2-3 action plans done before your hour is up!

2 – Regular Review

Now block off 30 minutes every week when you’ll review your intentions, note your progress, and plan for the coming week.  30 minutes.  Every week.  It doesn’t matter when you do it – choose the day and time that work for you.  But schedule it now, because well, scheduling it is a way of being intentional (see #1). 

I’ll have more to share next week about Review.  But for now, it’s enough for you to know that review needs to happen and to have blocked off the time.

In Atomic Habits, James Clear says “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”  Having a successful 90 days does not depend on you setting the right goals.  It depends on you establishing and following a system of intentional planning and regular review.

And if you REALLY want to cement this system, I’m going to flesh it out and walk you through it in my next free workshop.  I’ve got a simple 5-step process and worksheet that I’ll be sharing in Setting Up Your Next 90 Days for Success (Wednesday, August 16 at 12:00 PM ET).  Register to join us live or get the replay and the worksheet so that you can develop the system that will help you create success in the next 90 days… and in every 90 day season after that!