There is something I have been meaning to do for months now.
I planned to start in Q1. Told myself: this is the quarter. No more delays.
And then Q1 ended.
I wrote earlier this month where it went. Three months vanished.
But here is what I did not say:
Q1 did not just disappear because time moves fast.
It disappeared because I kept putting off the one thing I said I would do.
The Real Problem
I set seven goals for Q1.
All important. All worth doing.
And that was the problem.
The thing I actually cared about most got buried under six other priorities.
Every week, I would tackle the easier ones first. The ones with clear steps. The ones other people were waiting for.
And the thing I actually wanted to do? Next week. Always next week.
Not because I did not care.
Because it was a goal for the year. Not the quarter.
So there was always time. Always later.
Until Q1 ended.
And it was still sitting there.
What Changed
I just finished reading a book called Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman.
Four thousand weeks. That is roughly how long we live. If we are lucky.
The book hit me hard. Especially one section about deciding what you will fail at.
Not what you will succeed at. What you will deliberately not do.
Because you cannot do everything. And pretending you can just means you do nothing well.
So I sat down to plan Q2.
And instead of listing seven goals again, I asked a different question:
What if I only focused on one thing this quarter?
The thing I have been putting off.
Not as one of seven goals. As the goal.
Why This Quarter
A year is too long.
When something is a goal for the year, it never feels urgent in April. Because you still have eight months left.
So you prioritize everything else. The urgent things. The deadlines this week.
And the thing that matters most? It can wait.
Except it cannot.
A quarter forces the decision.
Ninety days. That is it.
Either I do it. Or I do not.
No “I will get to it later.” And no hiding behind six other priorities.
Just: did I start or not?
What This Looks Like
So here is my Q2.
One thing.
The thing I have been putting off for months.
Not because I will finish it in ninety days. I might not.
But I will start.
And that is what I have been avoiding. Starting.
Because as long as it stays in “someday,” it is safe. It cannot fail.
But it also cannot happen.
What I Am Sitting With
I do not know if this will work.
I do not know if focusing on one thing is the right approach.
But I know seven goals did not work. The thing I cared about most got crowded out.
So I am trying something different.
One thing. This quarter. Starting this week.
Not perfectly. Not with everything figured out.
Just starting.
The Question
So here is what I am asking myself.
And maybe it is worth asking yourself too.
What is the thing you keep putting off?
The thing that has been on your list for months. Maybe years.
The thing you keep saying you will start. Next week. Next quarter. Next year. Someday.
What if you made it the only thing for this quarter?
Not one of seven goals. The goal.
Maybe you finish it. Maybe you do not.
But at least you start.
Because Q2 will disappear just like Q1.
And at the end of it, you will either have started.
Or you will still be planning to.
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