Quarterly Reset: A 5-step process to a more present life

I’ve been a planner for a long time.

Setting goals, making lists, and planning ahead always gets me excited. In fact, I’ve been bullet journaling since 2015.
And even after discovering Notion in 2019, the core of what I do remains the same.
I like thinking ahead.

But lately, I’ve realised that getting ahead does not need to be the main focus of a quarterly plan and review all the time.

You’ll see what I mean, as I share my quarterly reset process. So keep reading.

Let this be a gentle invitation for you to do a quarterly reset too.

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Why I come back to this every quarter?

I personally do not like the SMART goal-setting method, and I’m definitely not a fan of annual planning.
I don’t see anything wrong with them, they just don’t work for me.
What I love is setting intentions and focusing on what I can control.

After planning annually for a long time, I found that a quarterly plan is long enough to make progress, but short enough to notice when something is off. And so when I started quarterly planning, around 2023, I never went back to yearly planning.

Here is why:

• Quarterly reset keeps things from drifting too far.
• It makes room for grace, not just goals.
• Quarterly planning, reflection and reset brings me back to the present.

Life can get too loud, and it can make us forget what we want, what we feel, and what’s no longer working.
And a 90-day period gives that space to refresh and make a do-over if needed.

The image above was my last yearly plan. From 2023, I switched to yearly intentions instead where I kept the core values check-in, and what I want to focus on.
And top three goals were moved to quarterly reset.

A gentle invitation to do a reset

Remember what I said at the beginning? Getting ahead does not need to be the main focus all the time.

Being present is.

I have done maybe 12 or 13 quarterly resets so far.
And while reflecting on the past quarter is always part of it, I noticed that I have often focused too much on what is ahead.

When I got sick suddenly last year, I started questioning the point of always trying to get ahead and planning everything.
We can only prepare so much and plan for the next week or so. But we can’t predict the next 90 days, right?

I shared how to get your life back on track here, helpful for when you fall off track or slightly detoured for whatever reason.

So in the last seven months, I slowed down even more, spent more time with family and my closest friends.
In the days, weeks, and months that followed, I practiced pulling myself back into the present, where I can.

I still drifted sometimes.
But what matters is that, at the end of every three months, I pull myself back in.

A quarterly reset has been my ritual to reflect on the past and plan the next 90 days.
Lately, it has been the lever that pulled me back to the present.
And stay there for a little bit longer if I need to.

My life is not in the past, and it is not in the future either. It’s right here, in the middle of this season, while I am still going through health challenges after two surgeries.

There’s a third surgery that’s happening in the next few weeks.

And I honestly do not know when this is going to end.

And I’m not waiting. This is where I am now, and this is all I can do.

Quarterly Reset in 5 steps

From 2023, I’ve done so many versions of quarterly resets.

I’ve even had different names for it.
Some seasons, I call it quarterly planning and review.
Sometimes I call it Quarter 1, 2, 3, or 4.

But none of that matters much.
What matters is that I found the cleanest (just for me), and most sensible steps to reset each quarter.
I can tell because my results now are so much better compared to a few years ago.
And I’m sharing this hoping I can inspire you to do your own quarterly reset.

It’s only three steps, well, five if you include prep and wrap up.

1. Prep
2. Reflect
3. Focus
4. Manage
5. Wrap up

Step One Prep

This part is all about setting your space and your mood.
It’s important because eventually, this quarterly planning process and reset may become your planning ritual.
You may change what you do in this part, but the key is to prepare your space and get yourself in the right mood.

This is how I prepare:

1. Clear my desk
2. Get everything I need within arm’s reach, like my favorite drink, notebook / journal, physical calendar, and phone
3. Light my favorite candle

Step Two: Reflect

Now that you’re ready, take a few minutes to reflect on the past three months.
Try to be honest but also gentle.

To me, this is simply about describing how the last three months went in terms of the things that matter in the season of life I’m in.
Over time, I found a way to keep it easy and simple.
I make sure I take a few moments, less than two minutes, to reflect every day.
Then I spend about 30 minutes at the end of each week and month.

So when I get to my quarterly reset, all I need to do is go through my journal and use the following guide questions.

• GOALS Which goals still feel meaningful, and which ones no longer fit this season?
• PROJECTS What projects did I complete, pause, or struggle to move forward with, and why?
• HIGHS What felt good this quarter, and what life moments do I want to remember?
• LOWS What felt hard this quarter, what challenges came up, and what kept getting in the way?
• TAKEAWAYS What life lessons and insights do I want to take with me into the next quarter?

Here’s my Q1 Reset for 2026. I’m not able to write like I did before (but my hands are getting fixed soon), so I’ve started doing Quarterly Reset in Notion.

Step Three: Focus

After reflecting, it becomes a little easier to see what really matters for the next quarter.
This is the part where you slow down, get intentional, and choose the priorities you want to carry forward.
Then pick your top 3 big things you want to focus on next quarter.

What life categories need your attention in the next three months?
Just pick three. Everything else can wait.

Examples of life categories are:

• Health
• Finance
• Career
• Relationships
• Passion, or big life projects

For me, asking what needs the most attention helps me prioritize
I have a young family, a day job, and a blog plus online shop, so getting clear on what needs the most of me helps.

Step Four: Manage

By now, you have your priority list.
I’ll share how I manage my priority list.

My project list has 5 buckets:

1. Priority 1
2. Priority 2
3. Priority 3
4. Next in line
5. Archive

Only one can be in first place, and the other two take second and third place.
Everything else can wait and goes to the “Next in line” bucket.
Any project that is completed, put on hold, or becomes a someday-maybe thing goes to Archive.
I review this list every quarter.

Okay, so now that the priority list is sorted, you manage it by paying attention to your capacity.
Because you have to remember that aside from this priority list, there are other things that will need your time and attention too.

What’s capacity in this context?
Capacity is how much time, energy, and mental space you actually have right now, and for the next 90 days or so.

In my case, this changes a lot depending on what is going on in my life.

So I always keep three things in mind when managing my capacity:

• Attention
• Energy
• Time

I clear my mind with a brain dump, look at what I need to get ahead on, and think about how I want to manage my time.

• Do a brain dump
• Practice intentional planning
• Manage your tasks using a task manager

Step Five: Wrap up

You are almost done.

You have your priority list.
And you know what is on your calendar, such as events, appointments, and other commitments in the next three months.

You can end the process now with notes.
Write down whatever you want to remember for your next quarterly review.

But you can also copy how I wrap up my quarterly reset process.

I do a a few more things, without doing more.
In my bullet journal, I look at my daily log, weekly reviews, and monthly plans.
Then I collect what ever I think is worth noting and place them in my Quarterly Reset Notes.
Doing this helps my future self. I can track important things without going through my whole bullet journal.

I also gather other notes such as finance summary, a screenshot of my daily gratitude and my Done List.

The last thing is writing a short commitment for the next three months.

And when I’m in the mood to write longer, I journal too. And when it comes to journaling ideas, The Happy Journals is my one go to place.