Ep 205 Prioritizing & Planning Next Quarter

Episode Notes:

Today I have a special treat for you as we begin the last quarter of the year and start building momentum for next year.  In this episode I am sharing an easy to use process for you to review last quarter, prioritize this quarter and utilize an efficient system to plan each day.  Download the It’s Your Time free planner and begin creating the life you imagine – in under an hour.  This will be a game changing tool for you as you take control of your schedule, reach your highest goals – and do it all without the normal stress and overwhelm.  Don’t wait – listen today, download the guide – and get started.  

In This Episode:

• The importance of assessing and reviewing last quarter 
• Using curiosity over judgement 
• Setting your quarterly goals
• Prioritizing your inspired actions
• Planning on purpose and with a purpose 
• Daily journal prompts 

• Free It’s Your Time Planner – www.michellebourqucoaching.com/mytime

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Episode Transcript: (Transcribed by OtterAI with minimal edits)

Michelle Bourque 0:03 You are listening to the it’s your time podcast and I’m your host certified life coach Michelle Arnold Bourque. In today’s episode I’m discussing prioritizing and planning your next quarter. Welcome to the richer time Podcast, the podcast where busy professionals like you get the practical solutions and support you need to gain control of your schedule. So you can strive to be the best in your career, but without the stress and overwhelm. If you’re looking to increase your energy and decrease your stress, you are in the right place.

Michelle Bourque 0:41 Hello, hello, hello, Michelle Bourque 0:41 welcome back to the podcast friends what is going on in your life? Let me tell you what I did this past weekend, I hung out for a bit with my brother who was doing a 24 hour race. And the goal was to get 100 miles within 24 hours. I was kind of laughing because I know people who don’t even want to drive 100 miles within 24 hours. And to this point, it had not been done until this year. Now, my brother received second place male and third overall and the number one guy he accomplished the 100 miles. So many people, including myself, were talking about how crazy it seemed. And yet, it’s another example of things not getting done, records not being hit until they are they are only impossible until they are not. So what does that have to do with this week’s podcast where I’m talking about prioritizing and planning your next quarter? Well, a lot. First, it reminds us that anything is possible. And second, it reinforces the importance of prioritizing, planning. And being strategic. Not everyone finished the race. The ones who did prioritize training plan the runs leading up and had a strategy for making it through the race day. And so today, I want us to do the same. Now at the time of this recording, we are heading into q4. But honestly, all of the information will pertain to any quarter that you’re heading into. So continue listening, please. And we’re coming into the end of September here. For many that is the end of q3 and looking at closing out the year. So I thought it would be a great time to chat about the planning, the prioritizing and the implementing of strategy for the quarter in relation to your goals. Now to start, let’s get clear, where are you in relation to maybe some of those New Year’s goals that you set. And if you are one of those folks that don’t really set New Year’s goals, maybe it was just that you were looking to win President’s Club this year. Or maybe you wanted to lose some extra lbs take a moment to think about what you were hoping to accomplish by the end of the year. Now I want you to do some reflection on this on where you were and where you are now. So let’s start with the basic. Do you remember what your goal was? And I laugh because there are a lot of people that put goals out there and the excitement of the new year and then just forget about them. Not here, folks, the goals or your dreams? We don’t just let them go to the wayside and die come March. Right. So what was that goal? Next? Answer these questions. And let’s use the timeframe of the current quarter you are in just so that we can be specific because you’ll have a much greater opportunity to see what’s actually going on, and hopefully not be so overwhelmed. So what worked, write down everything that went well, your brain might say not much. So give it time, just start writing big, small and in between wins. This is what we need to do in order to reprogram our brains to see where we are already successful. We want to know what is working so that we can do more of it. Next, and only next. I really want you to start with what worked. That is where you engage your prefrontal cortex. Remember, our primitive brain will always tell us what we are doing wrong. So we on purpose need to show us delves what is going? Well, then the next question will be, what didn’t work? Same thing free right on this. We also want to see what didn’t work so that we can determine where you might want to make some changes. Take a look at your challenges. What did you determine? Were challenges. Let’s start there. So what didn’t work? What were some of the challenges? And what can you learn from them? The second step is so important. What can you learn from them? Lots of times, people want to complain about the challenges that they came upon. And that usually feels terrible. But the solution to that challenge, is what gets you closer to the goal. If you can solve for those challenges, you are so much more ahead of the game. Now, let’s take a look at both lists. The what worked list and the what didn’t work list. And I want you to get honest on what things did you perhaps say no to that helps you focus on your priorities? And what things did you not say no to that perhaps would have helped you along the way. Because saying no to certain things, leads you closer to your ultimate goal,

Michelle Bourque 6:30 I get it. A lot of times, I like to control what is going on, which usually in my brain means I’ll just take care of it all. I’ll just do it all myself. Right. I know, I’m not the only one. But that’s not how you grow my friend. If you continue to keep trying to do everything that you are currently doing, guess what, you will keep getting the same results. I tell you all the time I do this work with you. And to this point, for example, if I’m looking at my annual goal, I have not yet hit the financial number that I want it to for 2022. And I know that part of where I can benefit from making some changes, is by delegating more, I can’t keep doing all of the things that I currently do, and think that I will get different results. Spoiler alert, it’s the same for you. I’ve prayed. And I didn’t mention this yet. But I am so excited to tell you that as I’m going through this podcast, you don’t have to be taking notes. Because I have developed a planner for you. It’s called the it’s your time planner. So I want you to think about it as you’re listening to this podcast. And it’s free, you can just go to Michellebourquecoaching.com/mytime is going to go through what I’m talking about here. And even more stuff than that I am so freaking excited to share it with you. It’s exactly the planner that I want. So when I talk about doing this work with you, it is the planner that I am going to start using for my next quarter planning and you get to make copies of any and all of the pages that work for you. So what I would suggest is use it this quarter. And then next quarter, you can either add pages or take out pages that maybe don’t work for you right now. It will have a spot for your quarterly goals, your monthly goals. And that’s what I’m going to be getting into soon here on the podcast. So it will have a spot for each quarterly, monthly daily planning some extra prompts. And I will tell you, I have done a lot of free guides over the years. And I think this is my best yet if I may say so myself because it’s a combo of so many things that I see you all need as I work with more folks. So let’s get started. I’m making this a new habit for you now, this quarter so that when you begin 2023 You already have some momentum. Okay, so let me take it down a notch here. Right and we’ll do a quick recap. I’m just so excited for this planner, I have to tell you, quick recap. What was the goal for the quarter? Where are you in relation to it? What worked?

Michelle Bourque 9:40 What didn’t work? What were the challenges? What can you learn from them? Where did you say no? Where can you or should you have said no. And this gives us a bit of insight into the previous quarter. So we have some information moving into now. next quarter. And yes, the assessment part is also included in this planner. I know, I told you, it’s so much fun. And I want you as you’re doing this assessment work to wear the cap of curiosity, as opposed to that robe of judgment that so many of us tend to put on for ourselves, right Curiosity will allow you to find so many more answers, versus going through this activity, just judging yourself every step of the way, that is just not useful. Now, now that we know what last quarter seemed to bring us, I want you to think about your next quarter goal. So at the time of this recording, again, it would most likely be q4, write the goal down, you have to write it down. Again, there is a spot on the planner for this. And you have to write it down so that you can remind your brain of it. And I like to remind my brain daily of what that goal is. And then each day, there’s a little bonus for you each day, ask yourself, what is the energy I need to show up in in order to accomplish and then insert your goal? That’s just a little extra fun for you. Okay, what is the energy that you need to show up in an order to accomplish that goal? Now, let’s get back to the guide. What is the goal? And why are you setting that goal? What is your reason? Why? Write that down? And now write down why you want that goal? And then one more time? Why do you want that goal? So why, why why. And as you go deeper, the reason becomes much more compelling. And that reason is what will keep you going when things are not so much maybe going your way on any particular day. Now, the next set of questions for you to consider when prioritizing and planning and strategizing, I want you to take a look back at your answers to what worked, what didn’t work. And I want you to ask yourself, what are the things that you want to continue doing? Write down all of those actions that you think that you will need to take in order to get to your new goal? Just do a brain dump? So you can look back, especially at the what worked? What do you want to continue working there, and then add on what are some more inspired actions that you would have to take in order to get to your goal for the next quarter. So look at it from the quarter perspective, and we’ll break it down into months. So it’s not so overwhelming. And then of course, you can make weekly plans from the monthly goal list. And by actions, again, when I’m saying make your list of actions. I want inspired action inspired action that gets you closer to your goal, not some BS busy work that makes you maybe feel well busy, right? But is it productive? There is a difference. So what is the goal? What is your why? What actions must be done, and now prioritize the actions. So take a look at that list. But we are not going to keep it as a to do list. That is the way we used to do things that often leads to some of the stress and overwhelm. So we are going to prioritize the actions. And then these are going to be your due goals. They are going to be the smaller goals for you in order to reach your overall quarterly goal. So for example, one of my goals in the coaching business is to grow my email list for the quarter. And the Duke goal is something like creating the free planner for people like you who will find it helpful and join the email list in order to get more free tools in order to in fact feel better in life. Right. And now once you have your priorities set, so those are going to come from your list of inspired actions, you will prioritize them, and then you will put them on your calendar. Now. You get to make up a system that works for you. I like to usually take Sunday morning and write out my weekly goals. And then based off of those goals that I set for the week, each day A, I will take time in the morning and write down my daily plan. And again, remember, we know that your monthly goals filtered down from your quarterly goals, right. So it’s a very focused process that we have, we look at the quarterly goal, we break it down into monthly goals, we break it down into weekly goals, and then we put it on our daily plan. It’s super easy this way. And the guide will walk you through step by step. And this allows you to stay on top of your plans, your strategies, so that you aren’t getting so overwhelmed and then just giving up. Okay, so again, write down your quarterly goal,

Michelle Bourque 15:45 what all needs to be done for that? What are the top 123 goals that you will implement and month 123. And then repeat weekly from your list of inspired actions, making sure to prioritize them and putting them on your calendar each and every single day. Now, it seems like a lot I am going to maybe guess for some when you’re listening, but I am telling you get that planner, Michellebourquecoaching.com/mytime.  I don’t want you to let this just go to the wayside. It’s going to be a new habit for you to implement, so that you find time that works for you. Maybe you already read on Sundays, I’m just going to throw out some ideas here. Perhaps you already read on Sunday mornings, plan to stack planning for the week on top of that habit, or maybe it’s just that you have 1015 minutes as you drink your coffee each day or after a workout. Take that habit that you already have, and start implementing this habit of planning on top of it. You create your life and you have the option to create it by just letting things happen or prioritizing planning and being strategic with your life. I assure you, the latter will get you more of what you want. Now, get to work. Be sure to get the pitcher time free planner MichelleBourquecoaching.com/mytime. And always feel free to either reach out to me on the socials through DMS. If you have questions at Michelle Bourque coaching on Instagram and Facebook or send me an email contact at Michellebourquecoaching.com And if you are already on my email list, I am just going to send this to you no need to sign up and any one who is ever on my email list you know you can just reply directly and I will personally respond. Okay friends, that’s all I have for you today. Let’s circle back next week but for now, make it a great day take care Michelle Bourque

18:08 Did you know you can take this work to a deeper level with me one on one. Go to Michelle Bourquecoaching.com and click on get started to begin