The three-goal rule that saved my sanity (again)

Happy first day of Q3! The third quarter is a fun one because it's not just the beginning of the quarter, but also the second half ot the year. This is an ideal time to pause, reflect, and set some goals.

As you tap into your inner Janus (the Roman god with two faces, one that looks back at the past and one that looks forward to the future), you might be tempted to remedy every shortfall, while concurrently amping yourself up for every opportunity.

Before you roll up your sleeves and nail down the 15 things you hope to accomplish, I'd like to encourage you to use this time at the precipice to make some hard choices.

Instead of chasing everything at once, try this: Set just three goals.

One stretch goal, one support goal, and one sanity goal.

Stretch Goals: Big Courage Takes Big Bandwidth

Stretch goals ask a lot of you: more creativity, more risk, more belief.

That kind of courage takes up a lot of energy. You need space to puzzle through it while you’re on a walk or doing the dishes. You need emotional room to fail, regroup, and try again.

Stretch goals don’t thrive when crammed between ten other priorities. They need breathing room. Trying to stretch in too many directions at once will actually slow you down.

When I tried to record the audiobook while rebuilding my entire website after an unexpected crash in January, I convinced myself I could do it.

"Recording an audiobook could be a support goal, right?" I negotiated with myself.

"Not if you've never done it before, Amanda!" I discovered.

Before long, I was running on fumes and questioning my life choices.

I pivoted. I acknowledged that the audiobook was actually a stretch goal, and I put it in the parking lot. I finished the site rebuild in Q1. Then, I recorded the audiobook in Q2.

As counterintuitive as it sounds, having just one stretch at a time means everything gets done faster, and (critically) with far less misery.

Support Goals: Systems That Keep You Steady

Support goals make it easier to stretch yourself by creating a solid foundation and preventing unexpected crises and pivots. They keep things steady.

Think: systems, processes, routines.

My content creation process was causing me a lot of stress last year. I was always rushing to finish things at the last minute, and I didn't have any help. As a result, things kept falling off the radar, creating a lack of consistency that wasn't working.

In the first half of this year, I've been shoring up my content-creation systems:

• I batched videos and started using ChatGPT for the supporting text (show notes, captions, descriptions)

• Brought on a virtual assistant to help keep things on track

• Committed to focusing on growing one platform (hi, LinkedIn!)

• Focused on growing my email list with ads for a free course

The key to effective support goals is to make them measurable.

Not “post more regularly,” but “post 3 times per week.”

Not “grow my list,” but “reach 2,500 subscribers.”

Otherwise, you’ll never feel done, which is a recipe for dissatisfaction and burnout.

Sanity Goals: Protect What Keeps You Resilient

Sanity goals keep you resourced and resilient. You might be tempted to try to shoehorn in something "productive" into this space (with only three goals, who can blame you?), but I urge you to resist this temptation.

Sanity goals are mission-critical.

You must choose something that makes you feel AMAZING right away.

This year, mine has focused on financial health. I’ve been paying down credit cards, and I love it. Every time I send a payment, I feel like I’m thumbing my nose at the 29% interest rate.

However, keep in mind that last year, when I was trying to stabilize our finances after a tough season, this same goal was my stretch goal.

It did NOT feel amazing to look at my credit card statements and send in my payments. Forcing myself to think of this as a sanity goal before it was one would have been the worst kind of sabotage.

Don't do that. Pick one that excites you or calms you or makes you feel like the luckiest person in town, and then make time for it.

This Is Where the Magic Happens

If this 3-S goal structure feels like a relief, good. That’s the point. You don’t need 15 goals! You need three that matter.

If you want help figuring out what those goals should be and how to stick with them without burning out, both Great Work and the Great Work Journal are here for you.

Both walk you through the 3-S model with real examples.

Grab a copy and let’s make this quarter count!

Great Work Gets Better with Others

The second edition of Great Work is all about expanding your impact through collaboration, and I brought that conversation to the podcast with four brilliant guests:

🎧 AJ Harper on trust, humility, and why your Great Work isn’t a solo sport. Anjanette “AJ” Harper

🎧 Dr. Gena Cox on power, belonging, and what inclusive leadership really looks like. Gena Cox, PhD

🎧 Dr. Catherine Franssen on the neuroscience of belonging and collaborative motivation. Catherine Franssen, Ph.D.

🎧 Julie Ellis on Big Gorgeous Goals and building a dream team that makes them happen. Julie Ellis (she/her)

Catch one. Catch them all! You’ll see collaboration in a whole new light.