The Last Quarter of the Year
Remember back in April when 2020 was feeling like forever? Fast forward to now, where we’re sitting on the eve of quarter 4, the last three months of the year. My life has changed a lot in 2020, both because of the pandemic, and in spite of it.
This year I’ve worked so hard towards some of my goals, and others have fallen a bit to the wayside. I always try to do so much at once because I want to get to the place where I feel like I’m supposed to be. One of the biggest things I’ve had to come to terms with this year is that old adage that the journey is the destination. If I’m constantly trying to get to the level of success or money or “happiness” I want, I’m going to overlook the present. I know that I don’t have an infinite amount of time here, so I want to cherish each moment.
Another huge idea I’ve had to come to terms with is that I can’t do it all. My mom would always tell me “Bri, you can’t do everything.” I took it, and balancing extracurriculars, studying, and part time jobs, as a challenge. I ignored all the literature that says focus on two to three goals because I wanted to get it all done. Now, I’m finally going to try to take it in stride. I know it won’t be easy, and I’ll constantly be thinking of all the other things I want to be doing, but I think this will actually push me towards my goals and help me better achieve them. This quarter, I’m going to focus on three big goals but before that…
Q3 in Review
The end of summer brought so much volatility for me. I drove all the way back from Oregon to GA (with car troubles along the way). I started a new job, and moved into a new city and apartment within the first two weeks of my job. I’ve felt a little homesick somedays, lonely other days, and SUPER pumped in the moments in between. The end of this quarter has set me up well to continue to make my goals. I’ve made my health and routine a priority, and now that I’m back working it’s been a lot easier to be motivated. I haven’t been that great with my free time. I’ve opted a lot of the time to watch TV or play a game on my phone instead of doing things that I think will help me improve myself, but now that I understand more how my work will flow I think I can better find time and balance with both. My worst category is probably craft but with better management of my free time I think I can find time for it as well!
My Big Q4 Goals
Like I mentioned earlier, this quarter I’m going to try what feels like the impossible to me: I’m narrowing my goal focus. If you’ve seen my New Year’s Resolutions, you may begin to imagine why that would be a little difficult for me. I tried my best not to cheat by making my goals broad (though maybe I still did). Without further ado, here are my top three focuses for Q4.
1: Take better care of my body
Improving my health is usually a struggle for me. I think it stems from the fact that I’m not necessarily doing poorly, but I know I could be doing better. In this category, I want to both improve my sleep and increase the amount I exercise (is this cheating? I also wanted to include more intuitive eating and increasing my water intake, but I thought that would definitely be cheating. Just know I’m thinking about it).
I KNOW sleep is important to overall health. Not only do good sleep habits help one be more productive throughout the day, but it can also help reduce chance of disease and reduce stress. Just by getting more sleep! It’s hard to understand how I can know all these things and still shirk on sleeping, but I do.
To improve my sleep, I plan on reducing screen time before bed by unplugging 30 minutes before bed. I will also restart tracking my sleep. My goal is getting at least 7.5 hours of sleep a night. Now, I average about 6-6.5.
Technically, my two part goal is connected because I think exercising more frequently will help me sleep better. I’ve restarted my Couch to 5k program, so I plan to keep up with that. I also want to add one extra day to work on non-cardio exercise.
Health is wealth is a pretty common adage, and I definitely take my health for granted. I want to take steps to improve my health before I actually need to.
2: Advance in my career
I started a new job in August, and I want to be the best at what I do. I want to advance as far as I can as quickly as I can because anything else feels like settling. At the same time, I’m trying to keep in mind that it’s no good to rush through different stages of my life. In this season advancing in my career means learning as much as I can about the industry. I know I really enjoy helping people make plans for their finances, but in the finance world, that can manifest as a lot of different roles. By December, I want to take and pass my first FINRA test, the Series 65. I’ve been studying for it on my own, and I want to see all my work pay off.
While studying, I want to reach out to more people in the industry and learn about their roles. I did a lot of this while looking for a job, but I don’t want to stop. I gained such valuable insight from so many different people, and I want to continue to learn from others.
3: Obliterate Credit Card Debt
In June 2020, all of my credit cards were paid off! It felt so good and so freeing. Then, I moved for my new job and quickly started to rack up debt. I’m pretty frustrated with myself for getting me into this situation, but I can’t erase the past. I’ve amassed about $6,400 in credit cards since June. Some of it has been more tactical, and I’m not as concerned about it. My goal is to pay off the interest-bearing debt (about $5,000) by the end of this quarter.
Luckily, now that I’m settled in, I know that I’ll be less spendy. While I spend less, I’ll also be increasing my income. First, I need to return to my consistent teaching schedule. During the summer, I was cancelling classes left and right and reducing my income a lot more than I should’ve been. Second, I’ll take on extra work at my full-time job as it comes. This combination will help me supplement my main source of income. The most important thing for me here will be to avoid overspending during the holidays; I’ve already got my holiday sinking fund building up, and I think it’ll be the key to me staying away from my credit cards.
Wow, this actually feels like a lot. Picking three goals and typing out succinctly what I plan on doing has definitely made it feel more attainable. By the time, I’m planning for the next quarter, I’ll also be planning for next year (!!!). Here’s hoping the end of 2020 makes up for the hot mess that was the beginning of the year.
