If you've flipped ahead a few pages in your PowerSheets®, you know what's coming next: your first quarterly refresh! A signature element of your goal planner, the three quarterly refreshes are opportunities to check in on your big-picture vision, set new goals and action steps, break through what's holding you back, and learn something new that will keep you moving forward. Everything you need is in your PowerSheets, but if you'd like a few extra tips, here you go!
1. Before you dive in, quiet the noise.
When we do this, we have the space to gain a new perspective on the days ahead! A refreshed mind is better able to make good decisions, and better prepared to live them out. This could look like putting your phone in another room, turning off the TV or your computer, taking a quick walk outside, "brain dumping" for 10 minutes, or taking your PowerSheets and a pen to a new part of your home (bring your coffee and call it a mini retreat!).
2. Check in on your Cultivated Life Evaluation.
As you evaluate where you are now and how the last three months have gone, flip back to your original CLE (pages 8-9) to see how you scored yourself at the beginning of the year. This can help you notice where you've made progress, or where a different approach or more effort might be needed.
3. Look ahead at your planner as you fill out the Prep Work Refresh.
Looking at what was actually on deck for myself in April, May, and June made filling out my "yes" and "no" lists much more specific and impactful! Some of the items I put on my yes list for the next three months: after-dinner walks, swim team practice, weekend hikes, read alouds on the go, and soaking up family travel and celebrations.
4. Take immediate action from your Keep Moving Forward page.
Once you identify what's holding you back or what would have to change, do something about it! For me, the goal I felt stuck on was launching The Connected Family's audio course. It's an intimidating project, and it's easy to push it off in favor of more immediate to-dos, like getting the next week's newsletter ready to go. But I know if I never prioritize it, I'll never make progress. My refresh prompted me to decide that my first hour of work every Friday would be set aside to make headway on the course—and then I scheduled it in my calendar!
5. Reset your rhythms and routines.
A new season is a welcome opportunity to refresh your rhythms and routines. Are your morning, evening, and weekend reset routines still serving you well? Wonderful! If not, brainstorm something new on page 72. You have space to do the same for your weekly rhythms on pages 76-77.
If you really want to dig deep, this might be an ideal time to work your way through the Routines Workbook!
6. Use the goal-planning pages however you'd like.
We have 25+ Wildcard pages to choose from on the Cultivate What Matters website! Whether lined sheets for note-taking, a financial check-in, or a decluttering checklist would be helpful for you to move your goals forward, we've got you covered.
We'd love to hear from you, friends! What progress are you celebrating from the first three months of the year? What did you learn from filling out your Quarterly Refresh? Chime in below!
Emily Thomas
This is His Year: our first-of-its-kind workbook to let your faith inform the goals you set for the New Year.
Set, plan, and track progress toward the goals that matter most, big or small, the things you’ve always wanted to do—with PowerSheets!