Sarah’s Top Three Tips for a Focused Fall
Here are the top 3 ways I am shifting from a summer of celebrations into a fall of greater simplicity and focus. I hope you enjoy experimenting with these three strategies, and I’d love it if you would comment below and share some of your own life hacks for fall focus as well!
1. Look Back
Take a moment to look back over the last few months and celebrate the things you’ve experienced this summer.
This weekend, I heard a missionary from Africa share that she keeps two journals–a wisdom journal and a gratitude journal–to remember what God has shown her and how he’s been faithful. Gratitude and wisdom are two areas of intentional focus that can shape our hearts for openness and intentionality, so the things we plan and goals we create for the fall truly align with the things God has been highlighting in our lives this summer.
Get Moving Questions:
What did a change of pace or a new texture of summer experiences teach you about life, your priorities, your calling, and your
focus for the fall?
What new learning do you want to make sure you carry with you into your fall planning?
What key words or insights will you hold onto and allow to shape your fall goals?
2. Brainstorm
Invest time in brainstorming with a coach or friend who can provide space to identify your top goals for your family, business, leadership, personal life, or ministry.
Then, in a word document, journal, paper calendar, or calendar application, break your SMART goals up into daily tasks that fit into each of the next seven days.
Make sure you space your goals out over the week so anything that is highly deadline sensitive will be accomplished before the pressure builds. Mix in a few easy goals that are highly satisfying on a day that you will also be working on those larger, more arduous goals.
Get Moving Questions:
What are my goals for the fall? Make each of those a SMART goal: write out or talk through each goal, making it specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-specific.
How can I plan for and achieve small steps in each of the next 7 days that will put me on pace to achieve my SMART goals for the fall?
3. Engage
Participate in something life-giving and community-based that will give you fresh motivation to engage the sphere or your leadership and provide fresh exposure to leadership models and experiences outside your norm.
As an example in my own life, I’ll be supporting the Underground Summit portion of the Global Leadership Summit this month by hosting a coffee talk on leadership with a group of Summit attendees. Even though I’m expecting a baby in the next few weeks, this kind of small, community-building commitment is life-giving for me and makes the cut on my list of priorities!
Get Moving Question:
What is something small you can say yes to that will use your strengths and help others flourish?
Okay, it’s your turn. Sarah has shared some powerful and effective ways to set our focus toward fall. What are your aha’s or take-aways? In what ways are you already preparing to move with focus into these next months? Share your ideas!
Brainstorm with a Voice of Courage Coach
What would it be like to step into your fall season
with greater simplicity and focus?
And in life-giving ways?
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Great ideas Sarah! It’s so good for us to realize that we have purpose even in seasons of our lives that being the most change, like having a baby. Low commitment goals that include the people and needs right on our doorstep are a great place to start.
Shelby, that is so true! Instead of feeling like we either need to do everything or resign to doing nothing in these seasons of more limited resources, we can choose to do for those right in front of us what we wish we could do for everyone. I enjoy incorporating my son in those door step opportunities to engage and serve, too! It’s constantly an invitation to get creative!