How Can You Make The Best Out of The Last 90 Days of 2018?

Last Updated on May 2, 2022 by Chin Yi Xuan

“Great, the last 3 months of 2018 and I have barely achieved much.”

I was a little frustrated looking at the calendar knowing that September 2018 is coming to an end. Early this year, I had so many plans.

According to plan, I was supposed to finish the design and launch No Money Lah back in March/April 2018. Yet, I only managed to launch and get everything done by late September.

According to plan, I was supposed to achieve a certain return for my trades by August/September 2018. Yet, I am still far away from my target by September.

According to plan, I was supposed to speak fluently in my Toastmasters speeches by now. Yet, I still trembled and went blank when I was out on the stage last week.

According to plan…kononnya.

The thing is, it is not just me that feels the same way

In fact, many lost their direction towards the end of the year. Typically, the only thing that many would be looking forward instead is their long vacation when they clear their annual leaves.

I refuse to submit.

For those who have yet to give in and refuse to settle for 2018, this one is for you

And you know what? It is totally fine if you messed up the past 9 months of 2018 – as long as you are keen to do something from now on. There is still time to make 2018 your best year ever.

If you feel that you can achieve and do so much more for the remaining 90 days, keep reading. This is my game plan for the next 90 days and here are what I am going to do:

(1) Focus on specific goals. Be concise.

For the remaining 90 days of 2018, set a specific goal for important parts of your life – career/studies, health, relationship, and finance. Write down your 90-Day Goals, and scope it down to Monthly Goals and a Weekly Action Plan.

The key here is to be extremely specific with the goals. Start small and move on from there. If your plan is to get more rest by sleeping before 12:00 am everyday, and you’ve been sleeping at 2:00 am all these while, it is only rational to have a marginal progress instead of a sudden change of your sleeping routine so your body can adapt better.

As such, here is how one of my 90-Day Goal (Habit & Health) looks like:

• 90-Day Goal – Sleep by 12:30 am everyday. (I’ve been sleeping around 1:30 am for quite some time)
• Monthly Goal (October) – Sleep by 1:00 am for the month of October. (Marginal progress: 30 minutes earlier from the initial 1:30 am)
• Weekly Action Plan (1/10/2018 – 7/10/2018) – No more social media by 12:30 am to ensure better sleep quality.

Be concise with when and what you are going to do. If you are to sleep by 12:30 am, then be sure that you are already at bed by the time specified.

(2) Start journaling. Plan ahead and end your day with gratitude.

Ever had a long day filled with unproductive work, meetings, and meaningless networking, only to feel overwhelmed and exhausted at the end of the day?

Start the habit of journaling. Wake up 10 minutes earlier everyday (yes, even weekends!) and plan your day ahead. In fact, there’re only 90 days left in 2018 and we do not want to waste any moment on unfulfilling and unproductive tasks that do not contribute to our goals.

Again, be specific. Write down what you are doing to do for the day at each session (morning, afternoon, evening) and tackle the hardest task in the morning. With that, you will feel more productive and efficient, and the day would be less daunting and overwhelming.

At the end of the day, before you sleep, take some personal moment to reflect on the day and write down things around you that you are grateful for. With time, the practice of gratitude will boost your happiness without you realizing as you will start to see things with gratitude and appreciation.

The best thing about journaling? It is a super effective way to boost the day and the habit only takes up 15 minutes of your day (10 mins in the morning, 5 mins at night)!

(3) Weekly & Monthly Goals Review is a must.

The reason why people tend to divert away from their goals is the fact that many do not look back and review on their progress once the goals are set. Hence, many lost their way while pursuing the goals.

It is super important to keep track of our progress as we pursue our goals. Keeping track of our progress on a weekly and monthly basis keep ourselves in check and make sure that we have a clear macro view on this 90-Day journey.

Every end of the week and month, take note of what has been done and not done. What could be done better? Celebrate progress, even the little ones. Embrace mistakes and failures along the way. Own your mistakes and set an action plan to do better next week/month!

(4) Commitment & Consistency are the (open) secrets.

Ultimately, plans and goals will always remain on paper unless we are committed in executing them.

In this last 90 days of 2018, strive to commit to the cause that you’ve planned to pursue and let nothing diverts your precious attention. Be committed to strike consistency in what you are doing. One of my 90-Day Goal is to not use social media for entertainment before 12:00 pm on weekdays. Wouldn’t it be meaningless if I do it only when I feel like doing so?

The 90-Day Game Plan starts today!

The best time to invest was 30 years ago. The second best moment is now! I believe the similar message applies to not just money, but ourselves as well.

Look, we might have made mistakes in the early part of 2018. We might have procrastinated for the past few months. But let’s not have our past judge and decide our moves for the remaining 90 days of 2018.

Start with the believe and desire that you will make the last 90 days of the year the best days ever, and kickstart your 90-Day Game Plan now! Be patient, stay committed, strive for consistency.

Potentially, this might be our turning point for an amazing year ahead, and I cannot wait to see the best from us all!

Stay awesome!

Yi Xuan.