I do a quarterly review and planning session each quarter. I thoroughly review the prior quarter and plan for the next near the beginning of every quarter. I follow the system described by David Sparks in his Productivity Field Guide. I use a template (provided by David Sparks in the Productivity Field Guide) with questions that guide me through the process.
My purpose in performing quarterly reviews is to plan my work for the next quarter. By “work,” I don’t mean my employment (I’m retired) but all the different areas of my life. My objective is to make progress each quarter on my Arete “best possible behavior” statements for each of my life roles and become a better person in the process.
1. Document Action Items
As I work through the questions in the template, I think of practical ways to improve my behavior in each life role. I document them by recording them under Question 8, “What action will I take to improve on that role in the next quarter?”
For example, as a part of my Husband role, I decided to plan an overnight trip with my wife Lanette at least once each month. She loves spending a night away from home, and this is a way I can show my love and support for her by listening to her desires and acting on them.
However, I often think of actions before I get to question 8 as I’m going through my roles, so I’ll skip down to it and write them when I think of them. Sometimes, I think of an action item for a role when working on a different role. It’s not a linear process.
After working through my planning for the next quarter and documenting my intended actions, I consolidate them in a separate document in Craft called Quarterly Reviews Action List, with checkboxes in front of each item.
This is a working document, not something I plan on keeping forever. When I’m done assigning each of them, the document has served its purpose, and I delete it.
I’ve used Obsidian for this purpose before, but Craft’s block structure makes it much easier to select and drag actions to the bottom of the list when I’ve checked them as done. In Obsidian, I had to select the sentence, cut it, place the pointer at the location I wanted to move it to, and then paste it. There was too much friction compared to a simple click and drag.
2. Process Action Items
I use the consolidated list to work through all my action items and decide how to handle each. I work through the list of items to determine the best way to take action on them. When I decide how to deal with it and transfer it to my system, I check it as completed and move the item to the bottom of the list.
I want to be sure I remember to implement what I’ve planned. To ensure that happens, I have to add them to my system of reminders.
There’s no value in having a list of actions if nothing is done about it. Sometimes, tasks are small enough to do when working through the list, like sending a short email.
• Some action items are added to my task manager, Things. They include recurring items that I want to be reminded of, such as household tasks or a reminder on Monday to prepare a blog for publishing on Tuesday morning.
I also often include habits, such as when I want to be reminded weekly to contact a friend or a child. I tried using the habit app Streaks for a time, but it didn’t stick with me. I find it simpler to use my task manager for that purpose.
• If a specific date and time is involved, an action item often becomes a calendar entry. This is true for events like meetings, webinars I want to attend, or programs I want to attend.
• Some items become projects and go into my projects list in Craft. I used to use Obsidian for this function but found it’s much easier to move items in Craft. My project list is divided into three categories: active projects, projects on hold, and completed projects.
My goal to plan an overnight with my wife once a month went into the “ongoing” section of my projects list. This reminds me every month of my intention to arrange an overnight trip.
I also list my action items (projects, tasks, and habits) under each role to which they apply. Below each role title and the Arete “best behavior” statements, I’ve added two categories: habits and projects. I list my habits and projects related to each role in these sections.
Every time I review my roles, which is weekly, I’m reminded of the actions I’m taking under each of them to improve in that area. I also have any habits or tasks in the Things app categorized by the roles they serve. This is a constant reminder and motivation for why I’m doing the actions I’ve assigned myself.
3. Turn Action Items Into Actions
Every morning, I review my active projects, task manager, and calendar as part of my morning routine. I have a shortcut to the projects list on my morning routine custom page on my iPad. Every morning, I take a quick look at it. It reminds me of what projects I’m working on this quarter before I make my daily plan. This helps me to decide what projects I want to work on that day.
In response to some prompts in a custom template in the Day One journaling app, I choose several items to work on that day and designate one as the priority. When I’m ready to start working, I transfer that list to an Ugmonk daily card and use it as a basis for the Anchor Technique.
Using the Anchor Technique, I’ll review the items on my card and select and circle one to visit. When I’m done spending time on that item, I’ll cross it out and choose and circle another item.
In the past, I used a time-blocking system where I assigned specific tasks to blocks of time on my calendar. I felt too constrained and that my mental attitude was often not a good fit for the task at the appointed time. Using the Anchor Technique gives me more agency and flexibility, making my work more relaxed and enjoyable. I don’t feel like I’m following someone else’s assignments.
I’m implementing the action items I selected during my quarterly review and planning session by working through my daily list of tasks, habits, or projects. This is where the planning gets practical.
So, as an example, at some point early in each month, I’ll see my ongoing project to take my wife on an overnight trip. I’ll list this on my list of “things to do today” and select it at some point during the day to develop. I’ll consider and research appropriate options and make a reservation. I’ll tell my wife about it so she can enjoy looking forward to it.
Take Action!
Taking action is crucial for making progress in all areas of life. By documenting, processing, and reviewing action items regularly, we can ensure that we move closer to our Arete “best possible behavior” statements.
“This is where the rubber meets the road. It’s not enough just to plan to do better. You need to turn that into action.”
David Sparks, The Productivity Field Guide
I encourage you to try the system described in this blog post and adapt it to fit your needs and preferences. This is how I do this, but it’s certainly not the only way or best for you. Perhaps this will give you some ideas of what will work for you.
Take action today and start working towards becoming the best version of yourself. Let’s make each quarter count!