Can you believe it? The first quarter is almost over. How are you doing with your New Years Resolutions? That is okay. I do not do well with those either. This is why I do a Quarterly Offsite to refocus, rest and set goals. Now is a great time to plan your Quarterly Offsite. If possible, get away for a night. Spend some time evaluating the previous quarter. Then focus on the next one. What do you want to accomplish? Who is going to be a priority for you? What is really important? Do not forget to have fun, rest and relax as well. The goal should be for your…
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Prepare For Your Quarterly Offsite
It is mid June. Time to take a final look at your goals from the second quarter and start preparing for your Quarterly Offsite. Let the fun begin! Why Quarterly Offsite I do a personal retreat every quarter to help me rest, rejuvenate, set goals and prepare for the next 90 days. For me, annual goals are a bit too much. So many things happen in the course of a year to change them. So quarterly goals work better for me. The Basics Typically I set aside two days for my Offsite. Usually it includes the following: Getting away from home. Turning off interruptions, including devices, email, texting, etc. Spending the…
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2016 Q2 Quarterly Offsite
Last week I did my Q2 Offsite. It was fabulous! I sent this text to my wife after the first day. Day 1: Create, Learn, Serve As mentioned before, I typically look at 3 areas and I categorize them in the following way: Create – What am I going to work on this next 90 days? This then directs my schedule and leads to an Ideal Week. Learn – What books, podcasts, etc am I going to be reading and listening to this quarter? I can’t read it all, but I can do some. Serve – Who are my priority relationships? Who has God brought into my life that needs…
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Questions to Consider as You Head Toward Your Quarterly Offsite
I’m two weeks away from my next Quarterly Offsite! Excited! It is going to be a great time of rest, renewal and refocusing. Here some questions you should consider for a Quarterly Offsite: 1) How am I going to rest on the retreat? Make plans to be offline from email, social media, texts, phone calls, etc. That’s why I call it an “Offsite.” You are not available. Make plans for times of prayer, physical activity and a nap (or two). 2) What will I read, watch or listen to on this Quarterly Offsite? Typically I include content that is inspiring, spiritually refreshing and/or goal focused. There is so much great…
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10 Tips for a Quarterly Offsite!
It is that time again! I am so excited about my Quarterly Offsite coming up in a couple weeks. I have already started preparing for it. In addition to these tips mentioned previously, here are some others: 1) Evernote – Use Evernote to keep all your ideas in one place. I have new ideas regularly, and I put them in Evernote so I can come back to them on my offsite. 2) Create, Learn and Serve – This is kind of a mantra for me. It also helps me get organized for the next 90 days. What do I want to create? What do I want to learn? Who do…
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Monthly Focus
Some people find it helpful, in addition to or in place of a Quarterly Offsite, to create a Monthly Focus. → Select one focus for each month. This allows you to know your priority for each month. Most likely this would be in your work, since that is where you spend most of your time. However, if work were slow, a home project might be your one priority. The hard part is coming up with one focus. The Idea Loop can help. It will take you from ideas to one clear focus for your month. Here is the process: Ideation: What are the options for your monthly priorities? Some may…
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New Year’s Resolution Tips: Start NOW!
Happy New Years! Hope you are ready to have an awesome year. Ready to make some changes? Here is what I recommend: 1) Start Now! As I mentioned previously, now is a great time to start looking at your year. Doing the typical “New Year’s resolution” game is not very helpful for many. Now that you are through the holidays, the gyms are starting to clear out, etc., you can make your changes. 2) Start (or Stop) One Habit. If you could just make one change this year, what would it be? If you could start one habit that would multiply and have an exponential impact on your life, what would…
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What Are Your Strengths?
What are you good at? What are your strengths? If you haven’t heard of the StrengthsFinder book and assessment, check it out. It is one of my favorites and very helpful as an Idea Addict as well as someone who wants to create work that matters. You can grab the book and assessment here. Read the first part of the book, not the actual profiles, then flip to the back, open the envelope and take the online assessment (free with the purchase of the book). You will then get a list of your top 5 strengths, along with a super helpful report. I use my StrengthsFinder results for career decisions…
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Snowpocalypse Plans
Snowpocalypse 2017 is about to hit tonight. What are your plans for the next few days? There is not a wrong answer to this question, but being intentional is key. In addition to playing in the snow with my kids, here are some other options I have considered. What are you thinking? 1) Rest, Play Games and Watch Movies. An excellent option. If one is sick, this is what you should do. 2) Quarterly Offsite. If you haven’t had a chance to set goals for the quarter, now is a great time. Spend your snowpocalypse preparing for the next 90 days. 3) Inside Projects. Get that thing done you have…
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Escape Overwhelm! My TIP for You.
Are you overwhelmed? Making decisions as an Idea Addict is difficult. Whether it be in starting a business, starting your year, or starting your day, I have a TIP for you. TIP stands for time, information and people. It is my method for how I do for one what I wish I could do for all. When it comes to being overwhelmed, normally one or more of these areas of my life have gotten out of control. Have you ever had this happen? Your project load has expanded beyond what is reasonable. You are given more books than you can possibly read. The list of people you “need” to meet…
