Quarterly: A Simple Meeting for Success

By: Tiffany Ricci, RDN

September is such a beautiful month. The leaves are changing, the weather has a slight crisp to it, and we're making the clothing swap to cozy sweaters and scarves (or at least we're ready to, even if the weather isn't so fall-ish where you are).

As we emerge from the summer season, September can be a great month to conduct a Quarterly Check-In. It's the last month in Q3 of the year, and the unofficial pivot point from savory summer to the celebratory fall/winter season.

What should you include in a Quarterly Check-In? Well, that's really up to you. What goals would YOU like to measure, track, and follow-up on? Finances, fitness, sleep routines, meals at home, water consumption...it's really up to you!

You don't have to wait to the beginning of the year to start checking in with yourself and your goals. You can start today. Here are a few helpful tips to get you going:

• Create and/or refine your goals so they are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. As Mother Athletes, we experience different seasons of motherhood that limit resources like time, quality sleep, schedule flexibility. Be honest with yourself about what you can achieve in this season. You'll be more successful if you do!
• After setting your goal, find a way to measure and track your progress. Habit Trackers are great for this. If you're trying to build your savings account, you may only be tracking this habit once a month when you make your monthly deposit. However, if you're trying to improve your evening routine to help with sleep, you'd be tracking this on the daily.
• Schedule a time with yourself to hold your Quarterly Check-In meeting. Review what has worked for you over the past quarter along with what barriers you've encountered. Create a game plan to work toward over the next quarter.
• Decide if you want to keep tracking the same goals. Have these goals become habits? Or, does this goal no longer apply? It's good to evaluate where you are so you know what you want to be tracking. 
• And, just in case this "Quarterly" concept seems foreign, many businesses (including ours) breaks the calendar year into four quarters, each with three months. Q1 is January through March, Q2 is April through June, Q3 is July through September, and Q4 takes the end of the year with October through December.

A Quarterly Check-In meeting with yourself can help you achieve bigger goals you had your mind set on, but weren't sure how to get there. It can also help you connect to the goals and habits you really want to be incorporating regularly. Three months allows time for change and the check-in gives you feedback on how to proceed for the next three months. 

Let us know if you give this a shot! We'd love to hear your feedback!