Have you seen these challenges before? About the last 90 days of the year? There are roughly 90 days between October 1 and December 31, which makes this a good touchpoint to check in on our goals or maybe even commit to finishing something new that’s come up recently. It’s the final quarter of the year, the weather is changing, and there’s a renewed sense of possibility in the air.

A few years ago, I tried participating in a 90 day challenge issued by a podcast I listened to at the time. It involved adding five new daily habits, including 30 minutes of cardio every single day, drinking half my bodyweight in water every day, and also getting up earlier to increase productivity. 

At the time, I was working as a wine and spirits rep for a local distributor which meant I spent most of my day working out of my car, so I could not afford to be even a little bit tired behind the wheel and bathrooms were not readily accessible. I made it ten days before I washed out. And that’s how it felt — like failing! There was no grace for a missed day or modifications suggested for those of us who couldn’t take a bathroom break every 30 minutes.

And let’s save the discussion about getting up earlier in order to produce more for another day. I’ve got A LOT to say about that! 

This year, a group I belong to decided to do a similar challenge. I say similar because it’s based on the last 90 days of the year. But instead of a fixed list of five challenges, our group has been challenged with the following:

1. Reevaluate your January goals.
2. Let go of any that no longer serve you.
3. Pick a project, could be recommitting to a January goal or maybe something new, something that can be completed in the next 90 days.
4. Write out all the steps it will take to finish this project. Get them in order, list how much time each one will take, and then put them on the calendar. 
5. Do the dang work! 

Now that the focused task has scheduled steps throughout the next 90 days, it’s more likely that you will successfully complete the goal and finish the year strong. 

I was a little unsure about participating considering how well things had gone for me before. And start dates for goals feel so arbitrary to me anyway. But I jumped in and figured, if nothing else, I would learn a little bit about myself along the way. 

It’s early days, but so far, so good. I think I’m doing well with my project, in part because my goals/steps to those goals are realistic and resonate with my WHY. Instead of flushing my kidneys with water several times a day because some scientist somewhere said it was a good idea, I’ve picked a project that matters to what I’m doing personally and professionally and helps me reach my goals for how and where I finish out the year. 

Whether or not I complete my project on time, this time, I will give myself grace in the process. I am learning through doing, and I will judge my success my way.

What about you? Are you marking the last 90 days of the year? And also, how do you judge success?