Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to learn your seasons, find the natural
Speaker 1: rhythms of your year so you can use them to
Speaker 1: help you set goals. That makes sense to you. If
Speaker 1: you ever listen to my other podcast, Best of Both Worlds,
Speaker 1: you may have heard one of our goal episodes when
Speaker 1: my co host Sarah Hart Hunger and I discussed the
Speaker 1: goals we are setting and check in on our progress.
Speaker 1: I like to set goals by quarter January through March,
Speaker 1: April through June, July through September, and October through the
Speaker 1: end of the year. I like the rhythm of orders
Speaker 1: because thirteen weeks feels like a nice mix between the
Speaker 1: ambition and realism. A quarter is a long enough time
Speaker 1: to accomplish something big, but a short enough time that
Speaker 1: there aren't so many unknowns that the line between planning
Speaker 1: and dreaming starts to blur. Sarah, though, sets goals by
Speaker 1: what she calls quintiles. To her. As she explained to
Speaker 1: me on Best of Both Worlds, quarters don't really seem
Speaker 1: to fit the rhythms of her life. Her rhythms are
Speaker 1: derived from the academic calendar. Her first quintile runs from
Speaker 1: January one through spring break. The second is spring break
Speaker 1: to the end of the school, the third is summer vacation,
Speaker 1: the fourth is the start of school till Halloween, and
Speaker 1: then the last is November in December. Those are the
Speaker 1: natural seasons of her life. They provide an obvious sense
Speaker 1: of focus that is inherent in each season. Camps and
Speaker 1: vacations in quintile three, new kids schedules in Quintile four,
Speaker 1: holiday celebrations, and preparing for the next year in Quintile five.
Speaker 1: On Sarah's other podcast, Best Laid Plans, she interviewed organizing
Speaker 1: expert Lisa Woodruff. Lisa explained that she plans in trimesters,
Speaker 1: again linked to the academic calendar, but with just one
Speaker 1: Lisa season for each semester, whereas Sarah has two seasons
Speaker 1: per semester. So Lisa plans and set schools for the
Speaker 1: fall semester, the spring semester, and the summer. Clear and simple,
Speaker 1: maybe one of these approaches three seasons, four seasons, five
Speaker 1: seasons feels natural to you, or maybe something entirely different
Speaker 1: makes sense. Maybe for your family it's sports seasons football, basketball, baseball.
Speaker 1: Maybe you are an accountant and there are rhythms of
Speaker 1: tax seasons. Maybe you run a ski school and focus
Speaker 1: on business from November to April, with the rest of
Speaker 1: the year focused on very different things. In any case,
Speaker 1: figure out the seasons of your year, however you define
Speaker 1: them what would make sense. The reason to do this
Speaker 1: is that when you learn the seasons of your year,
Speaker 1: you are able to think through your year strategically. You
Speaker 1: can set goals and priorities for a period of time
Speaker 1: that feels distinct and meaningful, not arbitrary. You are oriented
Speaker 1: towards accomplishing specific goals within a clearly defined time period,
Speaker 1: the year feels more doable. You know the landscape. You
Speaker 1: can also make appropriate choices focusing on business during your
Speaker 1: busines season, let's say, and focusing on an athletic goal
Speaker 1: during the list busy time. So as you consider your
Speaker 1: goals for decide on your seasons within the year, then
Speaker 1: use those seasons to help you work toward your goals
Speaker 1: and celebrate your accomplishments in the meantime. This is Laura,
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, i'd love to hear from you.
Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.
Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod. That's b the number four, then Breakfast
Speaker 1: p o D. You can also shoot me an email
Speaker 1: at Before Breakfast podcast. At i heeart media com that
Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks
Speaker 1: so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before
Speaker 1: Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For more
Speaker 1: podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app,
Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.