So long 2021.
It’s been another long year in many ways: the ups and downs of the ongoing pandemic, political and social conflict, and even more uncertainty about what 2022 might bring. As the year draws to a close, the turning of the calendar won’t automatically make things better. However, for many, the new year brings a glimmer of hope that things can be different.
But before I move into planning for 2022, let’s take a quick look back at the last quarter of 2021.
Final Quarter Countdown
With any goal, there will be times when you realize you either need to adjust the goal, or in some cases, let go of a goal all together. Suffice it to say, this last quarter of 2021 didn’t go as I imagined. I had planned for the things I wanted to accomplish. However, a few weeks into the quarter, my plans shifted. Not because of anything bad or dramatic. I just realized what I thought I wanted wasn’t really what I needed.
I still got projects finished; they just weren’t the original projects I started out with in October.
Shifting Gears
When I set my fourth quarter goals, I wanted to focus on writing projects. I intentionally made my other two goals (professional development and personal) broad in scope. That turned out to be a mistake.
I wanted to use this quarter to complete edits on my novel. After finishing the second draft rewrite at the end of last quarter, I let my excitement about finishing get the better of me. As I began working through the first layer of editing, that excitement waned quickly. I had spent so much energy on the re-write, I kind of got burned out. I still love the story but needed a break.
With November being the month for NaNoWriMo, I decided to shift my focus to working on a different project for NaNo. That meant my original goal to finish the majority of the edits on my current Work-In-Progress got put on hold.
Fourth Quarter Wrap Up
I might not have accomplished my original writing goals, but I’m still happy with what I did get done. During November, I completed the NaNo 50,000 word challenge, although as a NaNo Rebel. I reworked an old project and hope to eventually turn it into the first book of a series. This story is a new genre for me to write so required additional research on both the story and the genre itself. But I absolutely love the main character and the potential storylines for a series.
As for my other goals this quarter, I participated in the inaugural cohort for Jon Acuff’s Full Potential Course. Over the course of 90 days, we were asked to complete three small daily tasks, participate in the six training sessions, and complete weekly homework related to our goals. While I can’t say I hit 100% for the three daily tasks, I enjoyed learning from Acuff during the live sessions and interacting with other group members.
I also completed my reading goal for the year of at least 35 books, finishing seven this quarter.
What I Learned About Planning Future Goals
As I mentioned, I set two goals more broadly this quarter. I thought this would give me the freedom to focus on writing but still make progress towards the others as I was able. This ended up backfiring on me.
Without defining a specific outcome I wanted from these goals, it became too easy to not do anything. These goals included things like reading related books and general activities I would have done anyway (such as attending a concert under the guise of my wellness goal). But with no real concrete outcome or deadlines, I had little incentive to spend much time on these goals. I learned that I need to have more specific outcomes in mind.
As for my writing goal, it’s okay that I switched gears. I learned that I need to take more time in between each round of writing and editing than I thought. As I move forward, I know to plan at least a few extra days in between each round of edits.
What’s Next?
As we head into the new year, I’m in the process of refining my goals for the first quarter of 2022. I’m using this last week of the year to set out my goals and projects, along with setting up the planners and journals I will use.
In my next post, I’ll share those goals and go through my planner lineup.
Until then, wishing you a happy new year!
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