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Abstract

divide them up into three-month quarters. So I check my progress and strategize in January, April, July, and October. Usually, I’ll do mini-check-ins at the beginning of each month as well.Four months is a perfect length of time because it does not give you time to procrastinate. You brainstorm your big goals, but then you immediately have to think about how you are actually going to achieve them in three short months.It also gives you the chance to plan out a wide variety of goals for yourself, leading to a well-balanced life. I always try to have some goals in each of the following categories:<ul><li>Health and Fitness</li><li>Personal finances</li><li>Social Relationships</li><li>Professional Development</li><li>Hobbies</li><li>Personal Development/ Spiritual Growth</li><li>Adventure</li></ul>Some quarters, I emphasize certain categories over others. But the magic of the quarter system is that I can look back every three months and take stock. Did I reach my financial goals for the quarter? If not, what can I do to improve? Now that I’ve entered a new relationship, how are my social relationship goals going to shift in the next quarter? Making adjustments quarter-by-quarter is key to being successful using the quarter system. You might even want to consider doing a progress check every month to see if you need to adjust any goals.I got so much better at setting and actually achieving goals when I implemented the quarter system. At the beginning of the year, I made 4 athletic resolutions. I wanted to run a marathon, run a triathlon, learn to box, and conquer my fear of rock climbing. If I tried to tackle all four of those at once, not only would I be overwhelmed, I’d also overtrain, leading to inevitable failure.So, I planned to tackle one goal per quarter. The marathon training is taking longer than expected, but I’ll officially be running one in June. In the meantime, I’ve started cross-training with swimming and biking to prepare for the triathlon in July. As soon as I hit goals, I plan on revisiting the third and fourth goals and mapping out how to accomplish those in the remain

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ing half of 2021.<h1 id="4eaf">Live in the Present.</h1>I know, I know, I know. This one is super cliché. But so is “live everyday like its your last” and people repeat that like a mantra.“Living in the present” is better because it actually captures what “carpe diem” intends to capture. While we often interpret “seize the day” in a hypercapitalistic “achieve as much as you can,” “work harder,” kind of way, if we are always chasing the next big thing, we will never be satisfied with all the stuff we have already done or are currently in the process of doing.While the quarter system is very goal oriented, another reason I love it is because it forces you to rely on optimal time scales for performance. Rather than being too focused on the future, the quarter system makes it feel like you are always close to the finish line, in terms of achieving your goals. You are always a few weeks away from the target.That being said, “Live in the present” helps you to not overdo it. In training for this marathon, its always super tempting to think about that length: 26.2 miles. But I can’t run that much today, or tomorrow, without jeopardizing my progress. Stepping back from the goal and focusing on this mile, or this ten minute increment always improves my run time. If I constantly worry about how the next mile is going to feel, I can never relax into the pace of this mile.The ability to relax into the mile you are on in your own marathon is the same thing as the ability to live in the present. Conveniently, it also prevents burn-out and anxiety about the future. It helps you enjoy the process, which is far more important than reaching any particular goal. What’s the point of reaching a goal if you hate every second of it?So there you have it. Rather than the vague notion of living like you are dying, or living every day as if its your last, the quarter system and living in the present helps you enjoy each day while also helping you set and achieve goals. Have you tried this system or systems like it? What are the most effective goals setting techniques for you?</article></body>

Why You Shouldn’t Live Like You’re Dying

“Carpe Diem” is an overrated mantra.

I’m a sucker for self-help. Addicted to it. But there’s one piece of advice that has never made sense to me. “Live every day as though it were your last.”

Maybe you are nobler than me, but when I hear that “wow, 24 hours of absolutely no consequences for my actions! I’m going to spend all my money, drink too much, get laid, and commit some crimes!” If I actually did that (and that is absolutely how I would spend the apocalypse, by the way), I’d wake up broke, hungover, and full of regret.

Even the more responsible phrase “Carpe diem” makes little sense to me, and not just because I’m looking for an excuse to go on a drunken rampage.

Days are a horrible unit of measurement for your life. Trust me, you don’t want to live every day like it’s your last. In fact, if your goal is self-improvement, you don’t want to live any day like it’s your last.

Think back to your greatest accomplishments in life, or the biggest things you want to accomplish. Having a baby. Running a marathon. Falling in love. Getting that college degree. These aren’t weekend DIY projects. These are long-term commitments.

You will never accomplish any of these things if the day is your measuring stick.

So “Carpe diem” is bunk. Now what? There are two pieces of advice that are far superior.

Measure Your Life in Quarters and Weeks.

New Year’s Resolutions fail because people are too ambitious, and a year seems like a long time. Which means you can procrastinate on your goals. Which means you won’t reach your goals.

Instead of setting goals once per year, I set yearly goals and then divide them up into three-month quarters. So I check my progress and strategize in January, April, July, and October. Usually, I’ll do mini-check-ins at the beginning of each month as well.

Four months is a perfect length of time because it does not give you time to procrastinate. You brainstorm your big goals, but then you immediately have to think about how you are actually going to achieve them in three short months.

It also gives you the chance to plan out a wide variety of goals for yourself, leading to a well-balanced life. I always try to have some goals in each of the following categories:

Health and Fitness
Personal finances
Social Relationships
Professional Development
Hobbies
Personal Development/ Spiritual Growth
Adventure

Some quarters, I emphasize certain categories over others. But the magic of the quarter system is that I can look back every three months and take stock. Did I reach my financial goals for the quarter? If not, what can I do to improve? Now that I’ve entered a new relationship, how are my social relationship goals going to shift in the next quarter? Making adjustments quarter-by-quarter is key to being successful using the quarter system. You might even want to consider doing a progress check every month to see if you need to adjust any goals.

I got so much better at setting and actually achieving goals when I implemented the quarter system. At the beginning of the year, I made 4 athletic resolutions. I wanted to run a marathon, run a triathlon, learn to box, and conquer my fear of rock climbing. If I tried to tackle all four of those at once, not only would I be overwhelmed, I’d also overtrain, leading to inevitable failure.

So, I planned to tackle one goal per quarter. The marathon training is taking longer than expected, but I’ll officially be running one in June. In the meantime, I’ve started cross-training with swimming and biking to prepare for the triathlon in July. As soon as I hit goals, I plan on revisiting the third and fourth goals and mapping out how to accomplish those in the remaining half of 2021.

Live in the Present.

I know, I know, I know. This one is super cliché. But so is “live everyday like its your last” and people repeat that like a mantra.

“Living in the present” is better because it actually captures what “carpe diem” intends to capture. While we often interpret “seize the day” in a hypercapitalistic “achieve as much as you can,” “work harder,” kind of way, if we are always chasing the next big thing, we will never be satisfied with all the stuff we have already done or are currently in the process of doing.

While the quarter system is very goal oriented, another reason I love it is because it forces you to rely on optimal time scales for performance. Rather than being too focused on the future, the quarter system makes it feel like you are always close to the finish line, in terms of achieving your goals. You are always a few weeks away from the target.

That being said, “Live in the present” helps you to not overdo it. In training for this marathon, its always super tempting to think about that length: 26.2 miles. But I can’t run that much today, or tomorrow, without jeopardizing my progress. Stepping back from the goal and focusing on this mile, or this ten minute increment always improves my run time. If I constantly worry about how the next mile is going to feel, I can never relax into the pace of this mile.

The ability to relax into the mile you are on in your own marathon is the same thing as the ability to live in the present. Conveniently, it also prevents burn-out and anxiety about the future. It helps you enjoy the process, which is far more important than reaching any particular goal. What’s the point of reaching a goal if you hate every second of it?

So there you have it. Rather than the vague notion of living like you are dying, or living every day as if its your last, the quarter system and living in the present helps you enjoy each day while also helping you set and achieve goals. Have you tried this system or systems like it? What are the most effective goals setting techniques for you?