Can you believe it’s almost July?!? It seems like the older I get, the faster time goes. Is that true for you, too? I’m super excited though because the end of June means it’s time to set new 90 day goals! I started doing this in January, and I’ve seen some amazing progress in my own personal growth, and in my business, by focusing in on just a few tasks. That’s one of the secrets of 90 day goals, but we’ll get to that.
First, why 90 days?
This chart pretty much sums it up, but 90 days is the ideal time frame to focus on a goal. You all know the feeling of being excited about something new. You’re focused and dedicated and those feelings translate into working hard. Hard work inevitably builds momentum and brings desired growth.
After 90 days have passed, you’ve probably run into some road blocks, your goals might need tweaking. You generally start to lose focus and enthusiasm and get frustrated when growth slows down.
If you last 180 days, you’re probably past ready to move onto something new.
Now, please don’t think I’m telling you not to have long-term goals–quite the opposite, in fact. Even when I plan my 90 day goals, I have a long-term focus and outcome I’m shooting for.
Step One – Decide on your Outcome
An outcome goal is similar to the S.M.A.R.T goals you’ve probably read about before. It should be Specific, something you can Measure, Achievable, Realistic, and Time Bound.
It needs to be concrete enough that someone looking from the outside in could determine whether or not you achieved the desired outcome.
I set one personal outcome goal and one business outcome goal every 90 days.
My personal outcome goal is to lose 20 pounds.
My business outcome goal is to validate a business idea by increasing revenue by 25% each month.
You can see how I outlined my personal and business 90 Day Goal in my Bullet Journal below. Step 1, the outcome goal, is the pink box. The other boxes are steps 2 and 3, so keep reading!
By the way, I’ve made some free printables for you, so you can outline your own goals before you put them in your Bullet Journal, so check that out near the bottom of this post.
Step Two – Identify 3 Projects
Once you know the outcome you’d like to achieve, come up with three projects (or focus areas if projects don’t make sense for your goal) that will help you reach that goal. When selecting projects, keep in mind your 90 day time frame.
Let’s look at my goals again as they relate to my three projects. [Blue boxes in the photo above]
Personal goal: Lose 20 pounds
Three projects:
- Intentional Eating
- Exercise
- Mindset
Business Goal: Validate a business idea by increasing revenue by 25% each month.
Three projects:
- Grow a new targeted section of my email list to 3000 subscribers by the end of September
- Launch a new digital product on September 19th (I’m super excited about this one and can’t wait to tell you more about it!!)
- Open an online shop (Excited about this too!)
Another way to setup your 90 Day Goals in your Bullet Journal is using a mindmap like the photo below.
Step Three – Brainstorm Tasks for Each Project
This process will be ongoing throughout the 90 days, but it’s good to have a brainstorming session to get as many ideas down as possible.
One important thing to mention here–just writing the tasks down does not get them done. That’s where this system trumps regular S.M.A.R.T goals. The next key step is to schedule when you’re going to do each task. This is where the Bullet Journal becomes super helpful!
There are several ways you could do this:
- You can list your tasks in the order they need to be done and schedule them all on your calendar. I personally use Google Calendar and add a list of priority tasks to my weekly Bullet Journal spread on Sunday evenings when I’m looking at the week ahead. I list them as M.I.T (most important tasks) on my weekly layout.
- If you’re the type of person who gets overwhelmed by a long list of tasks, you could create a Next Steps page in your Bullet Journal. You can write down the very first task you need to accomplish, then check it off when it’s done and come up with task #2. This can keep your momentum high, without bringing on feelings of overwhelm.
- I’ve tried both the above methods, but my favorite way to schedule tasks is to assign specific hours of my day to working on my 90 Day Goals. Right now I’m spending one hour, right after I’ve finished my morning routine. [8:00 – 9:00 color coded in green on the picture below.] This gives it a place of priority in my day so it doesn’t get overlooked or pushed off until later. Every week I make a list of tasks related to my 90 Day Goals that I’d like to accomplish that week. Every evening when I plan, I review what I got accomplished that day, look at my weekly list, and decide my task(s) for the next day. You’ll be surprised how much you get accomplished toward a goal with one hour of FOCUSED time spent on it each day.
Planning Sheets
If you’re like me, you like to plan things out before you put them in your Bullet Journal, so I’ve created some 90 Day Goal planning sheets for you!
Ideas for using the printables:
- Print these out and write in your ideas before you add them to your Bullet Journal.
- Hang the completed sheets up in your office so you always have your goals where you can see them.
- Print them out at A5 size (or whatever size of Journal you have) and tape them in your journal. If you need help figuring out how to print them at a different size, check out this super simple resizing tutorial from Clean Mama.
If you’d like a copy of the planning sheets, please leave your email address in the form below.
