Author Goals – Q1 Review and Q2 Renew

Can you believe it is already April?! 

Whether you are knee deep in the April NanoWriMo right now, or just trying to make it until summer comes, it is always a great idea to take a moment to review your goals from the beginning of the year and adjust as needed to make sure you are continuing (or resetting) to have a strong rest of 2023!

Staying focused in Q2 is one of my biggest struggles, so let’s dive into what I do for a Q1 review and Q2 Renew.

I don’t know about for any of you, but to me, April through June—Q2—always feels a bit like the lost time of the year. For the first three months, you’re focused on the new year—new goals, new start, new journey. But that newness wears off pretty quickly, and as time passes, the focus becomes “just get me to summer!”

Or at least it does for me. After a while, it feels like a countdown to June—warmer weather and longer days!  So instead of using those months to renew my goals or push to new heights, I tend to stall out.

Have you ever felt that way?

If yes, no need to feel alone! It happens to me every year.

So let’s talk about my process, what I do to make sure I take advantage of these lost months and come out on the other side, bigger and better than ever!

This is the Q1 Review and Q2 Renew.

The Q1 Review is relatively self-explanatory.

If you made new years’ resolutions, goals for Q1 or for the year as a whole—how are they going? Have your priorities shifted? Are you making the progress you want? What is coming up in the next few months that might help or hinder those goals?

I tend to start out the new year with huge, optimistic goals, even as I try to keep grounded, so this check in—now that the year is in full swing and showing its true colors—where I can make sure to balance my big dreams with what I know I can actually achieve in the next nine months. 

So now is the perfect time to check in with yourself if you want to keep those goals, revise them as needed, and/or create new ones!

You still have 3/4ths of the year to go! Tons of time. 

Are you overwhelmed by the idea of making new goals? I have a whole video for you.

Then on to step 2 – Q2 Renew.

This time of year for me isn’t just a key to keeping on track with my existing goals, but focusing my mindset and being present for my dreams and my professional track. 

As I mentioned, these months tend to get lost for me in my focus of the future—then I get to the half year mark and wonder how I’m not farther along?!? It is a dangerous cycle. 

So don’t let this time slip you by. 

It's April 13th today -- what do you want for the rest of April, May, and June? What can be special about those months, specifically? How are you going to push yourself?

Take a moment to write out these hopes and dreams. Free write, no restrictions.

Then work backwards.

First, turn all those thoughts into concrete, quantifiable goals, even if they are crazy or big. They may not end up being realistic for this year, but if it comes out, it has clearly been on your mind.

So say you recently had a really amazing idea for a book, even if you are most likely already in the middle of another one,  and you want to add another 60k in the next three months or something.

Then look to see if it is feasible with the time you have.

Your writing schedule, personal schedule, home schedule.

You'll remember from my goals video that making sure you are keeping things real with yourself is vital.

Big dreams are awesome. Setting yourself up to fail is not.

So keep this in mind as you think about these next few months.

Then, see how your wants for this quarter fit into your goals for the rest of the year.

Are they a part of it, broken down? Or is this a brand new goal? 

Once you've sorted this quarter—again, thinking of being present and making these next three months count —make sure to look at the rest of the year as a whole, planning out the smaller steps to make reaching those big goals not only feel possible but exciting and easy -- your unique path forward.

Saying you want to add another 60k on top of the 100k you already need to write for the year? Sounds intimidating as all get out. BUT let’s say you know you are going to write 5 days a week, and that you have the rest of the year to hit that 160k. Doing the math, let’s say you have 35 weeks left in the year. It’s actually more like 37, but this will give you time for holidays and a vacation—no burnout for you! So 35 weeks, 5 days a week, 160k? On average, you need to write about 900 words on your writing days. 

Sounds totally doable! And then your big goals don’t seem as impossible and you can work on them a little bit at a time, and before you know it, you’ve already made it to your 160k!

And then dive in!

Don't be like me. Don’t let these months become a transition phase. Take this time and push yourself—within reason—and I’ll bet you’ll have an even bigger and better 2023 than you could imagine.

I hope this has been helpful! Best of luck as you dive into this new quarter. 

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions! I’d love to hear from you.

If you have a moment, hit that like and subscribe button. It really helps the channel. For the full video, check it out here.

And until next time, keep writing!