After reading "The 12 Week Year" by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington, I had a revelation about goal-setting. Like many of us, I used to struggle with yearly goals - they felt distant and abstract. Then I had a lightbulb moment - what if I combined their 12-week approach with a gamified progression system? While they taught me to think in quarters, I broke it down even further - week by week. That's how my personal achievement framework was born. ## The Mental Setup Growing up watching Liverpool FC, I'd often hear captains say after a tough loss, "We start fresh next week." That mentality always stuck with me. If elite athletes approach their development in weekly blocks, why do we trap ourselves in rigid yearly planning cycles? Why wait for January 1st when you can reset and improve every week? Every quarter becomes a new "mini-season," just like the phases of a football (soccer if you're in North America 😉) campaign. Long enough to build form and achieve meaningful results, but short enough to maintain that match-day intensity and urgency. I have: - Career Development: 2 main targets in my tech stack - Fitness Goals: At least 4 solid workouts per week - Daily Actions: Exercise snacks (quick movement breaks throughout the day) - Achievement Points: Weekly metrics in my tracking sheet that gamify my progress (those 🚀 and ❌ keep me honest!) ## Why This Works Our brains love measurable progress, but they also need quick feedback loops. By creating clear metrics and regular checkpoints, I've tricked my mind into staying motivated. So can you. The goal isn't perfection; it's consistent progress. ## Currently In Play Right now, I'm in Season Q1 2025. Think of it like checking the league table - I'm currently at 97% of my tech learning target and 57% on my fitness goals (my wife is crushing it with her fitness scores - I need to step up my game 😅). Just like how teams track points against the season target, my Excel sheet calculates where I stand in my quarterly marathon. On the career front, I'm focusing on mastering two key technologies in my stack. Every single hour I spend learning gets logged meticulously - just like tracking minutes played in a season. Each hour contributes to my quarterly goal, and my Excel sheet automatically calculates my progress percentage. For fitness, I've gamified my movement goals. I do at least 3 exercise snacks each day (think quick bursts of movement), aiming for 12+ per week alongside my regular workouts. Every workout, every exercise snack gets tracked. At the end of each week, my score updates automatically - get enough movement in and I see "🚀 - You are crushing it!" Fall short and I get "❌ - Need to pick up your game!" Simple? Yes. Effective? Absolutely. Ready to level up your own development? Remember, you're not just checking boxes - you're deliberately designing your growth story. ------------- Disclaimer: Inspired by others. 💡 Thoughts are my own. 🧠 Some words may be borrowed. 🤖 Date: February 21, 2025