🥇Winning the Year
Making progress towards creative projects and life goals, one quarter at a time.
Happy Sunday Friends,
The best part about being creative is that one wants to explore 10 things at the same time and forgets that they are human after all.
The same happened to me earlier this year. I took on too many projects thanks to my ambitious goal-setting and some new opportunities.
I started my PhD, started teaching again, attempted to grow a YouTube channel, started academic publishing with the aim of at least publishing/ presenting 3 times a year and tried to stay fit by playing sports and staying consistent in the gym (4-5x a week).
You can tell things got unsustainable and went out of my hands too quickly.
Since I identify as a prolific multitasker, It was hard for me to zoom out and grasp why I was not able to be consistent at everything.
So, I opened my journal and did a project review similar to my weekly reviews (which completely changed my life, btw). I asked myself: Why is this goal/ project important to me right now?
I could see one pattern emerging in everything I was trying to do: I was trying to get to the finish lines too quickly and not having any fun in the process.
All of these projects and lifestyle changes were linked to my long-term work and fitness goals. There was no point in doing things half-heartedly to check a box in my calendar.
So, I paused most projects and used the rule of quarters to divide my time.
I took one personal and one work-related challenge each quarter and decided to give it my best shot to make it sustainable and enjoyable. It has worked quite well for most of the year.
Below is a breakdown of a few breakthroughs I was able to achieve,
Q1 (January to March) :
Realised I could realistically take on fewer things with my teaching, design work and a full-time PhD.
Started doing a weekly review to evaluate my priorities, progress and commitments.
Q2 (April - June) :
Made a commitment to writing 1000 words daily, joined a writing course and found out my best writing hours. (This one is still wobbly but I try to write from 5-7 am 2-3 times each week).
Started a habit of regular journaling and scheduling long walks to clear my thinking
Q3 (July - September):
Decided to learn a new sport from my bucket list and took tennis lessons. Best decision ever!!!
Wrote and presented two academic papers and co-authored a book chapter.
Shared my work more on the internet and redesigned my website. The surprising result from that is a surge of speaking opportunities and an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.
Q4 (October - December)
Went all in to explore the opportunities generative AI can provide for my research.
Made a commitment to improve my fitness and mobility and went to serious lengths to find a gym with a good atmosphere and coaches. The gains from this single action have been massive because of my inconsistent history with gym memberships.
More on this next week as I try to maintain a streak of working out 4-5 times a week while travelling (something that has never happened).
As I look back at this year, dividing my personal goals and creative projects between quarters is the best hack I have discovered to sustain goals that matter to me and not just get things done.
Hit reply or leave a comment if something else works for you.
Have an amazing week.
Love,
Wajiha