Quarterly Planning for Q3: What I’m Prioritizing in the Remaining 60 Days
There are ~60 days left in Q3.
I’m setting goals now for this final stretch. Anyone want to join me? I hope this article inspires you. I found that while writing, I was SO clear on things like motherhood, but when I started writing my goals for creativity, I was murky. I wrote and rewrote. I had to get way clearer. This forced me to set actionable, achievable goals.
Here goes!
My priorities in order:
Motherhood
Health
Finances
Creativity
Home
#1 Motherhood: I spend the majority of my time with our baby
I’m a full-time stay-at-home mom, which means it’s my JOB (and my privilege!) to be with my baby. I never knew just how much purpose I would find in staying home.
I do have one goal or change within this priority over the next 60 days, which I believe I accidentally accomplished yesterday:
Independent naps!
My baby has been sleeping on me or in the carrier for months now, and it’s overall been a joy. I’ve had a hard time giving it up. But having a few clear hours each day to be on my laptop, or rest, will continue to be a game-changer.
#2 Health: follow my functional health protocol
My protocol for the next 60 days:
Daily supplements - it’s a LOT of supplements. I’ll get into my whole protocol in a blog coming soon
Lots of water
At least 5k steps per day; ideal is 7k; stretch goal is 10k
3x per week strength workouts (I’m a big fan of Align pilates)
Daily breathwork and/or lying down to rest more frequently throughout the day
Keep up the good work with my nutrition: no processed foods, gluten, dairy, corn, peanuts, or refined sugar
Bake and cook weekly to support our meal plan alongside Trace
Repeat bloodwork to hopefully hit some of my bloodwork goals by mid-October (will get into these more in an upcoming blog)
Get back to 7+ hours of sleep soon. Lately, I’m getting 6-6.5 hours of sleep. I’ve been really liking my Oura ring — get 10% off with my referral link
#3 Finances: Stick to our more strict budget in August + September
We moved into a new house in January, and so began house projects: encapsulating our crawl space, renovating the basement, fresh paint, new shades, new kitchen faucet, some furniture, new rugs…) but Trace and I decided this month the house is finally in a state of not needing intense updates. Not everything is perfect or done. But we no longer need to put as much money into it. Without home projects, our budget is so much more reasonable. I manage our budget with Rocket Money. I log in every Wednesday and categorize our transactions.
Since we’re getting back into strict mode, we’re going to try the following over the next 60 days:
Print out the budget and put it on the kitchen wall so there’s easier access without having to log into Rocket Money. This sets a clear intention, too.
Map out our expenses ahead of time. There are two buckets for this:
Our regular expenses, like our house, groceries, etc.
The expenses we know are happening this month, such as lunch with friends, and Remy has her annual vet appointment
After that, we have a list of “wants.” For example, we want to purchase an under-the-sink water filter. We’ll wait until the end of the month to make sure we have space for the wants and prioritize them. Then hit purchase.
We’ll calculate our savings and move them out of checking.
I’m curious how this goes for the next 60 days. I have a feeling it will make us feel really clear, accomplished, and in control.
#4 Creativity: substack + children’s book
My big picture vision for my career right now is to self-publish books. I want to start with a children’s book this year. And I want to grow my newsletter audience so I get to keep writing regularly + build an audience who eventually wants to buy my book.
With that vision in my mind, over the next 60 days, I will:
Publish here weekly on Wednesdays
Experiment with 3 marketing ideas: Substack Notes + Pinterest + Referrals. I’m 32 readers away from 1k!
Publish on Notes a few times a week
Create a few pins for every new blog and look at analytics monthly
Audit and clean up my Pinterest profile
Revamp my referral program and send it out; ask a few family/friends
Narrow down the illustration style I have in mind for my children’s book and reach out for quotes. I’d love to find an illustrator to work with over the long term. If you know of someone, let me know!
Experiment with Affinity (made by Canva) to lay out the pages of the book
Plan a photo shoot in October for a new headshot that will go in the book
Create a project timeline; figure out when I can hit publish (is by Thanksgiving possible?)
#5 Home: a few low lift projects if we have time
Trace and I decided to focus on the following for the next 60 days:
Water filters
Childproofing
Clarity on our patio situation
Basement: trim, closet door painted, built-in shelving
I’m intentionally downshifting the importance of our home projects over the next 60 days (and probably for the next few years). For one, our house is in pretty good shape. Yes, there are always improvements in mind: we haven’t finished the basement, we want to renovate our garage and turn it into a workshop for Trace, and Trace is endlessly doing yardwork and gardening. Homes are never-ending projects. I’m finding now that we have a baby, I don’t love focusing on it as much. I’ rather:
Move the money into an account for the baby.
Spend time and energy on the baby.
Since my husband does most of our projects himself, it also pulls him away from childcare. I much prefer us focusing on quality time together, health, happiness, and leisure.
Summary of my priorities → goals → actions
Motherhood
Goal: Independent naps
Keep doing what I found to work yesterday…
Health
Goal: shift certain metrics in my bloodwork being done in October (will publish more in-depth on this soon)
Supplements
Hydration
7k steps per day
Strength workouts 3x per week
Daily breathwork and/or more frequent rest breaks
No processed foods, gluten, dairy, corn, peanuts, or refined sugar
7+ hours of sleep ideally
Finance
Goal: save more
Follow our budget plan for Sep + Aug
Creativity
Goal: Stay creatively engaged in a way that feels nourishing and just for me—no timelines, no pressure, just presence.
Publish regularly, experiment with marketing to learn, make progress toward children's book publication
Home
Goal: intentionally downshifting this as a focus, but would like a few wins:
Water filters
Childproofing
Clarity on our patio situation
Stretch goal: Basement: trim, closet door painted, built-in shelving
Final thoughts
Goals keep me focused and feeling good, but I’m not willing to hustle, overwork, or lose time with my baby to chase them. Family and health are always the top priorities. Everything else is simply enjoyable to work on when life allows.
I’ve noticed that when I set goals, I can slip into urgency—wanting things off the list, done fast, done now. But speed doesn’t change the outcome or shrink the list. It’s just…speed. There’s no real rush. I have decades for things to unfold, and I trust that timing.
I remind myself (and anyone reading) that goals can be playful. They offer clarity and direction, not pressure. Life throws curveballs, creativity shifts, and plans evolve. That’s not failure—that’s information. Some days, I work on a project simply because I feel like it. If my priorities change, that’s part of the process.
What would feel good to focus on over the next 60 days?
What do you want to be true on October 1st?
What actions or habits between now and then will get you there?
Is there anything you can delete or lower as a priority to make room for what actually matters to you?
Who do you need to share these priorities with to help make it happen? Your spouse? Parents? Children? A friend?
