The 3-Step Q4 Blueprint to Actually Hit Your Goals (TPS587)

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Nov 17, 2025

As the year winds down, the hosts share a 3-step framework to maximize Q4 productivity. They discuss a reflective process for evaluating past performance and uncovering overlooked opportunities. Tips on prioritizing goals ensure a focused effort, while strategies to combat recency bias through journaling highlight genuine progress. The conversation also covers optimizing existing practices and anticipating obstacles to maintain momentum. Finally, they emphasize the importance of energy management and accountability in achieving a successful year-end.

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Episode notes

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ADVICE

Run A Short Quarterly Retrospective

Spend 10–15 minutes each answering: what went well, what didn't, and what to improve.
Use this 45-minute retrospective to produce clear insights for the next quarter.

insights

INSIGHT

Guard Against Recency Bias

Recency bias makes recent low points feel like the whole year.
A quarter-by-quarter view prevents short-term mood from defining your year.

volunteer_activism

ADVICE

Review Your Journal Quarterly

Review your journal each quarter to remove recency bias and reveal real progress.
Use entries to spot recurring problems and growth you otherwise overlook.

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Top 3 Productivity Resources

02:25 • 2min

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Review: How to Retrospect Your Quarter

04:29 • 3min

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Overcoming Recency Bias with Journals

Opportunities: Choosing What to Pursue Next

18:30 • 2min

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Killing or Keeping Goals Thoughtfully

20:05 • 5min

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Limit Goals: Focus on One Priority

25:05 • 8min

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Habits and Chains: Making Reading Stick

Optimize What Worked: Improve Existing Practices

35:06 • 3min

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Team Process Improvements for Content

38:30 • 5min

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Execution: Plan for What Derails You

43:46 • 10min

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Rapid Tips: Resources, Accountability, Energy

• Mentioned in 30 episodes

The 12 Week Year challenges the traditional annual goal-setting approach, which is often ineffective for many individuals and organizations. The book introduces a 12-week execution cycle that captures the energy and urgency of year-end goals, avoiding the pitfalls of low productivity associated with annualized thinking. It provides a step-by-step system to improve execution effectiveness, creating focus, clarity, and a sense of urgency to achieve more in a shorter period.

#787

• Mentioned in 34 episodes

Scaling Up

How a Few Companies Make It… and Why the Rest Don’t

Verne Harnish

This book, written by Verne Harnish, provides a comprehensive framework for scaling businesses. It focuses on the four major decision areas every company must get right: People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash. The book includes the updated One-Page Strategic Plan and the Rockefeller Habits Checklist, which have been used by over 40,000 firms to scale successfully. Harnish draws on decades of experience advising CEOs and executives, emphasizing the importance of routines, effective meetings, and clear communication to drive business growth and maintain organizational health.

#1642

• Mentioned in 20 episodes

30 lessons for living

Karl Pillemer

In this book, Karl Pillemer compiles 30 key lessons for living a fulfilling life, derived from his five-year project of interviewing more than 1,000 Americans over the age of 65. The book covers a wide range of topics including marriage, parenting, career, aging, and living without regrets. It weaves together personal recollections and hard-won advice from these 'wisest Americans,' providing practical and inspirational guidance for readers. The lessons are categorized into areas such as happy marriages, successful careers, effective parenting, and aging fearlessly, offering a comprehensive guide to living well.

#16540

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

• Mentioned in 34 episodes

Ultralearning

Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career

Scott Young

James Clear

In 'Ultralearning,' Scott H. Young presents a strategy for acquiring skills and knowledge in a self-directed and intense manner. The book incorporates the latest research on effective learning methods and includes stories of other ultralearners such as Benjamin Franklin, Judit Polgár, and Richard Feynman. Young outlines nine key principles for successful ultralearning projects, including metalearning, focus, directness, drilling, testing, retrieval, intuition, and experimentation. These principles help readers learn efficiently, concentrate on their goals, and convert knowledge into practical skills. The book is designed to help anyone improve their career, studies, and life by mastering new skills quickly and effectively.

Have you noticed how the final quarter of the year has a way of sneaking up on you? Either motivating you to sprint or reminding you of everything you didn’t get done? Q4 is a powerful reset point, and with the right approach, it can become the most satisfying, high-momentum stretch of your entire year.

That’s why we’re sharing a simple but surprisingly effective 3-step framework to help you review what’s happened, uncover new opportunities, and set yourself up for a strong, confident finish.

Whether your year’s been smooth, messy, or somewhere in between, this encore episode gives you a practical roadmap for turning the final weeks into meaningful progress. You’ll learn how to cut through overwhelm, identify what truly matters, and execute with clarity, so you enter the holidays feeling accomplished instead of stressed or disappointed. If you’re ready to close out the year on your terms, this is your blueprint.

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Masterclass.com/TPS for an additional 15% off any annual membership.

Get Notion, now with Notion Agent at notion.com/tps.

Visit asianefficiency.com for more productivity tips and tactics.

Cheat Sheet:

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Top 3 Productivity Resources [02:25]
The simple reflection process that reveals what really happened last quarter [03:48]
How to spot hidden opportunities you may have overlooked all year [18:28]
Why the “best” workout time might not be what you expect [28:23]
A small reading habit shift that removes all friction [31:46]
Tweaks that turn everyday routines into smoother systems [35:06]
The behind-the-scenes change that made our content process way easier [38:47]
The execution mindset that makes big goals actually achievable [43:56]
Quick tips and go-to resources to power up your productivity [53:26]

Links:

Indeed
Masterclass
Notion Agent
25X Productivity Coaching
Leatherman Style PS Keychain Multitool
Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career
The Summer Juggle — Can You Be Productive When The Kids Are On Summer Break? (TPS251)
Here’s A Quick Way To Stay On Track With Your Goals All Year (TPS254)
30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans
Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t (Rockefeller Habits 2.0)
Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel
Become Productive Again: 6 Ways To Get Back On Track (TPS255)
12 Week Year
Fatigue, Procrastination and Being Unproductive…These Are Some of the Penalties of Ignoring This One Thing (TPS237)
Productivity Academy
The Productivity Show on Youtube
The Productivity Show Youtube Clips
Become a member of TPS+
Take the Productivity Quiz

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