04/01/2024
I finished assessing my Q1 results this weekend and blocking out Q2 on my calendar. I treat each Quarter like most people plan out their year. It's challenging, but I get more work done in 3 months than most people tackle in a year. As I was putting it together and assessing my wins and losses, I thought that maybe others would be interested in learning to do what I do without a coach or paying any money. Besides that, it holds me accountable for the next 12 weeks. If you want to get ahead on April 1st, here is what I did. I'm honest about what went well and what didn't – it's long but written from the heart. If you choose to read it, I hope you're inspired! Blessings, Kayla
I accomplished so much in Q1 because I read two excellent books in Q4 of 2023: The 12 Week Year and Plan Your Year Like A Millionaire. These were two of the best books I've ever read, and I listened to them repeatedly on Audible as I fell asleep this winter. I highly recommend them. I tracked over 100 hours in my Audible listening library listening to the books above as well as the following books in the first quarter, surpassing my goal of 100 hours by an extra hour or two:
*The Relational Soul
*ADD Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life
*From To-Do to Done
*Grandma Was Right After All
*The 5 am Club
*Looking Out For #1
*48 Laws of Power
I also read the of Genesis and Exodus. One of my goals for Q2 is to spend more time reading and listening to books of . I downloaded the Bible app and realized I spent less time on my faith than I should have. This is my priority and might be one of my most significant areas to improve. Making time to grow in my faith is now booked into my calendar for 30 minutes per day on the weekdays for Q2.
I adjusted my work hours in Q1 to begin my workday at 4 am. That allowed me to start my day with deep thinking, such as writing blogs and articles, creating PowerPoints and social media posts, and working on strategy. This was a fantastic area of for me. I'm a morning person and did a lot of deep during that time. I'm going to continue the schedule for Q2 with a few tweaks.
I tried but failed to control winding down my at a reasonable time in Q1. I continued to work around "regular" office hours for everyone else, putting me into long 12–16-hour days most days. The weather will be warming up, and I will simply be "booked' in the late afternoons to make room for my .
When I reviewed my Q1 calendar, I noticed that I spent too much time on 30-minute Zoom meetings that could have been 15-minute phone calls. It was an eye-opener! I adjusted my calendar for Q2 to allow 15-minute blocks for calls from 8 a.m. to noon. I think this will be much more efficient. I've tried to bundle my standing calls into 45-minute to 1-hour blocks so I can put on my headset and make those walking calls outside as the weather warms up.
Sitting in front of the computer so much in the winter made my physical fail. On top of that, my smart watch was lost on one of my travel trips. So, I scoped out the best buys at Best Buy and bit the bullet on a new watch. The Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro is being phased out. It's a $600 watch, and I got it for $249. My is a priority and needs to be one of my biggest for Q2. I spent this week checking out the membership costs and joining fees for my local gyms. I'm trying to figure out the best bang for the buck. I already have one free trial and two more to follow. Those are on my calendar with time blocked out to actually go to the gym.
I also planned a simple walking route to a local Panera Bread 2 miles from my house. Walking there for or and walking back will help me get my steps in, and I know that some of my kids will gladly make that walk with me. 🙂I have a fantastic partner who gifted me MyFitnessPal Premium, and I committed myself to tracking Everything for Q2. It will help me see what I must do for Q3 goals. I'll see if I increase my calorie burn and pay attention to my calories. I'm not going to give myself an out here. I can do anything for 12 weeks! I won't hop on the scale, but my goal for Q2 is to drop two sizes in clothing. I have the kind of body that gains and loses weight quickly, too. The scale will make me feel defeated, so I will focus on executing the input (getting my steps in and tracking my food) instead of the outcome (weight loss).
I traveled A LOT in Q1. It's so much fun, and I love it, but it's also stressful. I don't have goals per se, but I do want to track them and figure out how they affect my hitting my 12-week quarterly goals. When I travel, I don't keep the 4 am , and I am inundated with delicious food and many restaurant meals. I also lose a lot of "office hours" and have virtually no schedule whatsoever. Here is my travel log for Q1:
: PGA Golf Exhibitions Show - Four Days
: National Football League Super Bowl 58 - Eleven Days
: NBA All*Star Weekend - Four Days
: Big Ten Conference Women's Basketball Tournament - Five Days
L Angeles: Presenter at the Intl. Assoc. of Communication in Conference on Marketing - Four Days
: Owner's Meetings - Four Days
I combined a family for three children with a work trip to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis for Four Days. That was one of my favorite trips, and I saw how important it is to bring my kids to work. Noticing that I also hired two of my kids to handle some of the work projects I could delegate. This was a huge opportunity. It freed up some of my time, and they learned more about my work, which helped my kids earn extra money.
There were 91 Days in Q1, and I spent 36 of them on the road! That means that 40% of Q1 was travel! HOLY SMOKES!!!
Of course, I already have travel booked for Q2 and look forward to it! One of my goals is to choose salads or fish at restaurants (instead of burgers and pasta) for most of my trips. I don't drink much soda, but I'm sure it would help me to chug some water between the cups of coffee I gulp to keep going. I'll also use protein shakes instead of coffee creamers or milk to flavor my coffee. This simple trick has packed in an extra protein source that I enjoy.
Here is my travel log (so far) for Q2:
: March Madness Men's Basketball Final Four
: Draft (trying to combine this into a Family Vacation and work trip!)
, NY: GRADUATION from Syracuse University for my oldest son! 🙂
: The Aspen Institute Project Play Summit
: Inflcr NIL Summit and Black Sports Business Symposium
Creighton University: Sport at the Service of Humanity
Whatever else pops up!
Driving the strategic practices that make a 12-week quarter equal to what most people get done in a year takes a lot of planning and commitment to *****on. I have had to establish good habits and nail down a weekly plan. I've scored each week and tracked my progress. One of the best results of this routine was that I hit a couple goals early. For example, my goal for was to gain three new followers daily across any of three platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. I hit that 12-week goal for Q1 on March 27th and have taken a few days off from posting altogether. Social media takes a lot of effort, which I enjoy, but it is a time-sucker. I've really enjoyed the social media break. I know it's a great source of business and building , but I'm so happy to ignore it for now. If you're trying to build your SM, my advice is to be persistent and consistent. You'll have to post every day or more to get ahead. You'll also have to track your each week and adjust every week. My goal for Q2 is to bump up my from 3. 28 followers per day to 4 followers per day.
is the other area I spent a lot of time thinking about for Q2. You usually have to spend money to save money, but I hate wasting it. I'm always chasing the best . I've gone through my closet, and my spring wardrobe is in check. I don't need to make any purchases. I usually handle my own haircare (I cut my hair and color out the grey) and nail care. My 14-year-old daughter does my eyebrows, and I paint her nails. I'll continue that in Q2.
Planning my Q2, I realized I had room in my to upgrade my computer, which had reached capacity. It slowed down to almost a halt. I took it to Geek Squad, maximized cloud storage, and cleaned up my files, but it was useless. Four years of work across multiple businesses had reached the tipping point. Again, I researched and found the best option for me was an HP with a 12th generation Intel Core Processor, 512 GB Drive, 16 GB RAM, and a 15.6" display. I work hard from my , so it is an investment that will pay off for me. I also purchased an HDMI cord from Amazon.com and committed to maximizing my office with two screens when possible. I used 12 months of free financing and got $200 off my purchase. I also sold my old laptop for $300. That means by taking the time to do my research and a bit of bargain hunting, my $800 new computer cost me $300 without interest. That's a significant investment!
I'll have a few planned expenses to budget for Q2.
*My son's graduation from Syracuse University
*A family trip to Baltimore and possibly Detroit for the Draft
*A gym membership since my old one expired in Q4 last year—individual or family?
*Considering a Panera Monthly Membership as an incentive to walk for coffee and tea.
*I'll buy Six Flags Great America/Hurricane Harbor Passes for a few of my kids and me—we love family time! The price adds up for a family my size, but it's worth it. We go a lot and have a lot of fun!
I'm frugal with . I don't splurge unnecessarily. When I looked at my purchases for Q1, my biggest "piggy bank" purchases were spent at Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin & Metro Chicago. Thrift shopping is one of my favorite hobbies, but I bought a few things I didn't need or use. I'm confident in this area because I don't waste much money. But I still want to hold myself accountable. I've decided to put $100 in my wallet on the first day of each month. This is my fun money, and when it's gone, it's gone. I think it will be more than enough, and it will be fun to see how much of it I can keep and not spend. I need to pay more attention to the little things I spend money on, and I think this will be a great way to do it. I'm not a big spender, and I'm sure I can make this area a Big Win!
I haven't slowed down on upping my tithing in years. I missed paying attention to increasing my annual heading into Q1 but realized as I was doing my that I haven't increased my giving yet for 2024. That will be done immediately to round out Q1 and not let that slide into Q2. I'm also continually committed to giving to the causes and charities I'm passionate about. They are part of my bills, not piggy bank spending, and I'm committed to living generously.
I want to set big for myself each quarter. I want to make a lot of money and spend a lot of time with the people I . I work hard, and I want to play hard, too! In reviewing the past quarter and preparing for the next one, I've developed many skills. You'll have to take massive action to complete a year's work in 12 weeks, but it's incredibly worth it!
I have Q2 goals for these areas:
(reading and Audible) is 30 minutes daily, and weekdays are booked into my calendar.
(Proud member of the 4 am club) – it frees me up for afternoons with my kids.
(spending time in the Word for 30 min per day) is built into my weekday calendar.
($300) is budgeted into my spending expenses for Q2.
Social media (4 new followers per day): I have a plan for Q2 that includes weekly metric checking.
I know where I'm going for the most part and what needs to be planned, I don't need to make any apparel purchases, and I have a .
: I am committed to joining a gym and am using the free trials to save money before signing any contract. I upgraded my smart watch and planned a walking route to a Panera two miles away. I also adjusted my calendar into 15-minute blocks for group calls instead of too many 30-minute Zoom meetings in front of my computer. Finally, I added time to my calendar to work out most days of the week and meal prep.
Growth Quarter 1 was filled with conferences and business trips. I'm signed up for the following conferences in Q2, and I'm sure more will be added.
Wisconsin Servant Leadership - WISL Conference
Chicago Women In Innovation
The Art of Connection: Two-Day Community Building Skills Training
NCAA Inclusion Forum/ADID Summit
Medical College of Wisconsin Spring Conference
Experience in Inbound Marketing and Sales Conference
Wisconsin Black Historical Society/Museum Bi-Annual Meeting
Black Sports Business Symposium
Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference
Inflcr NIL Summit
I have Big Goals, Strong Boundaries, and a Great Attitude. I hope this small glimpse into my goals will inspire you and get your wheels spinning on constant and never-ending improvement.
If inspired, read The Twelve-Week Year and Plan Your Year Like a Millionaire. Any week can be your Week One! If I can do it (single with eight kids), so can you!
And if any of this inspired you or you have to share with me, I'd love to read your reply. None of this is easy. It takes a lot of work and , but we as a !
Blessings,
Kayla
PS: Want to book a call to catch up? https://calendly.com/kaylajbradham/15-minute-phone-call
05/26/2024
04/12/2024