And just like that the first ¼ of the 2019 is behind us!  Wow! What a month! What a first quarter! How are you tracking toward your big goals?

I’ll tell you what… this first quarter of 2019 has been surprising and unexpected. I would imagine like me, you’ve had your own unexpected twists and turns. What I love about monthly planning and quarterly reviews is the chance to sit down, reflect on what is working, adjust what isn’t, and to intentionally celebrate the progress made so far.

I set out with 9 big outcomes for the year. These outcomes articulate the “desired end state” I hope to achieve by December 31st. Each month I set action steps that move me closer to those desired outcomes. Sometimes I hit those actions, sometimes I make progress, and sometimes I just completely miss the mark. But each month as long as I set my eyes on that outcome, I find ways to make progress towards those goals.

While each month I conduct a monthly review, each quarter I sit down for an extended period of time and do a more thorough “quarterly review”. One of the steps I take during this time is to  “remind and recommit” to those 9 big outcomes. Using My Blueprint Year planner I actually sit down and rewrite my nine outcomes in order to refocus my actions toward the destination I want to reach. It’s a way to course-correct throughout the year instead of totally missing the mark due to lack of clear direction.

Here is an example of my Quarter One review for three of my big 9 outcomes :

1.

The outcome = Wellness : to be mentally and physically well.

This hasn’t always been easy with all the changes this quarter, whacky schedules and complete lack of rhythm and routine! I’m so glad to report I consistently worked out with a trainer 3xs a week until we moved in March, while not always easy to make time for, it made all  the difference in staying consistent. Now that I don’t have someone waiting on me at the gym in Minnesota it’s been easier to slack, so I’ve recommited in April to working out 6xs a week and now that the weather is warming up I’ll be able to run outside (which I love!)

2.

The outcome = Six months ahead in content : To put out quality work and show up consistently for our community.

I am so proud of how we’re doing content-wise. While we are only ahead about a month right now, I’m really proud of the way the team was able to pull together to keep content consistent throughout the month of March even while I literally moved halfway across the country! I’m especially loving our new audio blog series highlighting really incredible entrepreneurs and their “the best thing I’ve learned about money” stories as well as our student highlights sharing actual student case studies in the “my blueprint story” series. By consistently showing up with new content we’ve almost doubled our monthly website users in three months and grown our Pinterest views to over 3 million a month! In April I’m focusing on this particular outcome by finishing Q2 content. I’m a big believer in quality over quantity so I find myself often pushing things back if they aren’t done in advance.  Getting ahead on content means I’m not rushing to finish things on time and therefore makes me feel confident we won’t have to push back our production, launch or content goals.

3.

The outcome = Don’t work weekends.

This year during my annual planning trip with Kyle, I had a big “come to Jesus” about Sabbath and sabbath rest. In 2018 my team and I produced six mini-classes as well as two new courses and a 350-page physical planner, not to mention multiple speaking events and 100+ attendees at Blueprint Summit. It was a busy year and my “time bank” got way out of balance. I found myself working most weekends to keep up with the production schedules I set at the beginning of 2018. I had let working weekends become a habit and not one I wanted to keep around. While yes, I believe there are seasons when the load is heavier than others, I also believe seasons can quickly become habits. This was a habit I wanted to break so I reset at the start of 2019 to not working weekends. With the help of my team and re-evaluating realistic production outcomes, I’m back to a non-weekend work schedule! And on my way to dropping Fridays by the end of Q2!  Here’s a tip for actually “turning off” during non-work hours : I actually delete my Instagram app on the weekends, I don’t have FB app on my phone and 1xs a month I do a tech-free weekend. I also do not have email on my phone. I have found that seeing anything work-related turns my brain back on to work stuff. I even have a secret personal pinterest board that is only full of pretty quotes and interior design pictures! This allows me to “turn off” when I’m off!

I won’t recap progress on all 9 of my outcomes here,  but this gives you an idea of how I recommit to my big 9 outcomes during my quarterly review sessions and then how I set my action steps moving forward to continue progress towards my big dreams.

Ok, on to March progress & April goals!

March Progress :

Personal :

• Move! | Yes! We made it safely to Minnesota and have been tucked into a hotel for the past three weeks waiting on house negotiations to finally settle! I am beyond thrilled to report we are getting a house!!! Yay! We still have a couple more weeks to wait before closing (you know those times in life when time seems to tick more slowly, this is definitely one of them!) so I’m practicing patience and counting my hotel blessings in the messy middle!

• Book flights for summer travel & speaking events | Yes! I am sooo excited to be headed to Miami this summer for a girls weekend with some of my business besties as well as speaking at Creative at Heart in June! Travel tip : I use google flights to track and book flights. It’s so helpful to watch flight prices and snag them on days with the best deals. I have come to find that booking on Tuesdays or Wednesdays seems to be the lowest prices. I’m not sure if that’s a myth or not by has held true for me lately!

• Close, transfer and/or open new accounts once we get moved. | Made Progress! I debated giving this a yes or a “made progress”. I have closed out all our old utility accounts and pretty much everything is Chattanooga is down to the final bills. There are a few things we are still working on (like a new bank here in Minnesota) that kept me from checking this one off the list. Will continue working on the transition in April but really proud of the progress so far!

Professional :

• Redesign / Prep My Blueprint Year 2020 (Team to complete) | Yes! Oh my goodness, guys! I am so excited we are already gearing up for My Blueprint Year planners 2020. We learned a lot from our first go around and while most of the design is staying the same, I’ve adjusted a few pages (ahem, money date checklist) to help My Blueprint Year planner users stay on track with their business and personal goals even better! Keep your eyes peeled for our pre-sales & get on the waitlist to secure yours as soon as available!

• Prep Blueprint at Home launch for April (Team to complete) | Made Progress! I’m not sure if you’ve heard but last year I wrote a new course to add to our Blueprint “collection”. For eleven out of the past thirteen years, I’ve been self-employed. During that time I’ve found it can be complicated to manage your personal finances, when your income fluctuates! Can you relate?! With many students asking how Kyle and I have managed to pay off debt and make huge leaps toward our financial goals, I wanted to share exactly how we manage our at-home finances day-to-day. You can learn more, here, or join me for a 1-hour training for free! We are still putting the final touches on our spring 2019 enrollment but are SO close. And guys, I’m PUMPED about this!

• Secure location, dates, & speakers for Summit 2019 | Made Progress! As I mentioned in my February review, we had a hiccup with our Chattanooga Summit venue. Not to mention I no longer live in Chattanooga 😉 so there is nothing holding us to that city anymore! I am excited to share we are super close on securing our 2019 Summit venue and it’s in a new city I’ve never hosted a Blueprint event to date. Any guesses? Think fried chicken, sweet tea, and spanish moss.

Financial :

• Spring Cleaning Class Sale (scheduled & ready) | Yes!

• Close on Chattanooga House | Yes!

• Update Payroll, Licensing, Business Accounts after move | No. I discovered it’s really hard to “relocate” yourself and all your accounts without a permanent address! So this action step has been moved to April once we officially own our new house!

March Book Completed : Nope!

I accidentally packed Scrappy Little Nobody (oops!) and didn’t have the mental capacity to pour into Four Tendencies yet. So I started reading my April book early (Jesus the King by Tim Keller in preparation for Easter) and will double up on a book in an upcoming month (to hit my 12 book goal by the end of the year!)

Memories Made :

• Got a new Spring scented Candle

March Features :

• Mistakes Make Magic Podcast

April Goals :

Personal :

• Get moving! Run 3xs a week and weights 2xs a week!
• Unpack and get settled into Duluth house!
• 30 minutes before-bed reading time

Professional :

• Write, Prep, Film & schedule all Q2 content (through end of June)
• Secure location, dates and budget for Blueprint Summit 2019!
• On-board new support team member

Financial :

• Open Spring enrollment for Blueprint at Home!
• Open early bird ticket sales for Summit 2019
• Transition business to Minnesota (update licensing, addresses, payroll, etc.)

April Read : Jesus the King by Tim Keller in preparation for Easter season

Create Memories April :

• Move into our new house! Yay!
• Dye Easter eggs
• Plant flowers
• Get a new outfit for Easter
• Crate one new Easter tradition
• Get Kyle an Easter basket

LEARN MY EXACT STEP-BY-STEP ANNUAL PLANNING PROCESS : MEET MY BLUEPRINT YEAR

YOUR TURN!

Tell me the ONE APRIL GOAL you are most excited about achieving this month?!

Share in the comments below and I’ll pick one of you to send a special surprise box of goodies from past live events! Snail mail is my favorite! And so is staying accountable to our goals!