Like most people, my Q2, 2020 was more turbulent than the first rockets shot into space.
Most of the issues I faced were completely out of my control; a global pandemic and various social issues don’t ask for permission to disrupt your life.
But, still, I must take accountability and evaluate the progress (or lack thereof) that was made during the quarter.
Remember,
It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
If You’d Like To Do Your Own Quarterly Review
Then follow one of these two formats:
Divide your review into three sections, The Overview, The Focuses of The Quarter, The Focuses of Next Quarter:
The Overview: what happened overall? Briefly touch on the major events.
The Focuses: review each task you were focused on throughout the quarter. Talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The Focuses Next Quarter: considering your previous answer, what are you going to focus on next quarter? Be as specific as you can.
Or simply answer the following 4 questions:
- What went well this quarter (and why?)
- What didn’t go so well (and why?)
- How do I feel about the quarter overall?
- What will I focus on next quarter?
For this review I’ll use the latter format.
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Try my Monday Morning Motivation Newsletter and start your week with:
- A motivational quote(s)
- An actionable productivity tip
- The newest research on habits / psychology from experts
1. What Went Well This Quarter (And Why?)
I made significant progress in my video editing businesses, and nearly tripled my monthly expected revenue.
This is probably because I put more time into it than ever before.
Without a “real job” I needed to find some way to make $$$, and video editing just happened to work.
I also completed several projects related to Productive You. Things like page re-designs, speed improvements, and marketing campaign rollouts.
Most of these things were done in April.
Personally, I made a big push at the end of the quarter to stop two bad habits that have been the bane of my existence: eating too many sweets and video games.
These two habits were really exacerbated by the stress of the pandemic. That is, at the start of the quarter they were little more than nuisances, but at the end became more dangerous than the Death Star was to Alderaan.
2. What Didn’t Go So Well (And Why?)
Unfortunately, most things.
During May and June I was hit hard by one of the biggest tsunamis of depression I’ve ever experienced, and it almost washed me away.
The cause?
Likely a mix of the pandemic and disruption of my normal routines, various projects not going as well as I would have hoped, and a gut-wrenching uncertainty about what I’m to do in the future.
So not a lot of progress was made in anything during those two months.
Quite literally, all I was doing was surviving.
Another thing that caused a particularly large amount of stress was Pinterest. After their Q1 earnings call an update was made that completely destroyed traffic for a lot of creators.
I went from nearly 300k monthly viewers on Pinterest to less than 100k in a matter of weeks.
The update seems to be an unintended error on Pinterest’s part, but it has taken months and dozens of emails to get it sorted out.
Only now is my traffic beginning to return to normal.
Overall, the first month of the quarter was ok, but it promptly turned to shit after that. Everything went downhill: physical health and fitness, mental health, Productive You, business, hobbies, and all around joy.
3. How Do I Feel About This Quarter Overall?
Not good, but also relieved that it’s over.
Do you ever have those “bad days” where all you want to do is go to sleep and “start over” tomorrow?
That’s basically how all of the last 3 months have felt.
Now that it’s a new quarter I’m feeling much better and much more optimistic.
It’s a funny thing, though, because many of the things that made the quarter so shitty like the pandemic are still there.
So there’s no logical reason for me to feel any better.
It just goes to show that the way we react to our problems, not necessarily the problems themselves, is what really matters.
4. What Will I Focus On Next Quarter?
Even though Q2 was one of my worst ever I’m determined to make Q3 one of my best.
Something I learned from Q2 is that my mental health has to be a priority. So a big focus of Q3 is simply going to be staying happy and healthy.
This means keeping up with my fitness by practicing yoga, playing basketball, and finding some substitute for lifting weights (perhaps a body-weight exercise program?)
It also means keeping in better contact with my friends, even though we may not be able to see each other face to face right now.
And finally it just means taking some of the pressure off of myself and being ok with doing something purely because it’s fun and makes me happy, even if it’s not productive.
Productive You is a big focus. Last quarter I made a goal to write 2 articles per week.
Even without the hellish circumstances of Q2 I’ve realized that 2 articles isn’t feasible.
I like to write long-form, in-depth pieces so 1 article is the maximum I can handle per week.
I’ve started my M3 (Monday Morning Motivation) Newsletter so that’ll also be a focus.
There are several other nuances here but the main point with Productive You is consistent content creation and content promotion.
And finally perhaps the biggest long-term focus of Q3 is to continue to purge bad habits from my life. Specifically video games and sweets.
Bad habits are like addictions, no less severe than alcohol is to an alcoholic, so I must stay vigilant if I’m serious about leaving them behind forever.
Now It’s Your Turn!
It’s never too late to do your own quarterly review.
Hell, you can even do a monthly or weekly review to start.
Remember, studying the past helps us to understand the present which then allows us to adapt to the future.
So if you want to build a better future for yourself, start by completing your own (quarterly, monthly, weekly, or daily) review now.