90 Days to a New You
Erik Boemanns
Derisking technology with a lawyer's lens and a technologist's techniques. Governance, Risk, Compliance, and Security Executive supporting businesses focused on their next stage of growth.
Welcome to “New You” November! Throughout the month I’ll be exploring ways we can be better at growing, working, and more.
For many years, I’ve looked for ways to help track all the things happening in life, and make sure I work on the priorities, make time for long term goals, and build new good habits. Defining a goal, breaking it down into tasks, and activities is a recurring theme. The other aspect is the activities of the day, which sometimes never end, distract us from longer term goals. Many of the things we’d like to achieve take a long time – sometimes several years. Weaving together the needs of the day and the goals of tomorrow becomes a significant challenge.
Almost all methods to work through this challenge involve breaking our plans down into smaller time periods. It’s great to have a five-year plan, and I applaud those who do, but I’m sure the last five years weren’t in anyone’s written plan. Life is too unpredictable for us to build a plan for that long, much less even a year. You need to be thinking about things you can reasonably predict and plan. As it turns out, the favorite is around one quarter: three months or 90 days. While we can’t even predict tomorrow, we still can have a decent sense of what needs to be done over 90 days to keep our lives running and goals in sight.
In my search to create better 90-day plans, I began to realize digital plans suffer from a critical flaw. They’re on the same devices I use to do work, to research, pay bills, watch videos, and so on. My point? They have the same distractions I’m trying to avoid. How can I sit down and plan out my next quarter when there’s pop-up notifications, emails, and a whole Internet to explore? Yes, self-discipline is one answer. But I decided to look elsewhere and found something simpler. Something immune from multitasking. Something with no glows, beeps, or bits: something analog.
Day planners are as old as paper, pens, and plans.
There’s a growing market of analog planners built to help us be a better us. Day planners are as old as paper, pens, and plans. But gone are the ones with the month, day, and hour. Instead, they’re being replaced with systems which ask you to think about your big goals, your best work, and how to align it all together. They build in planning, task management, and include a paper accountability partner right on the pages. If you’re able to follow their path, they will build new habits and strengths to helping you get to where you want to go.
As I looked into different analog planners, I gave three different versions a try. I’ll share my thoughts on each and share links to each so you can check them out as well. I’m presenting them in the order which I personally used them, and currently am using the Full Focus Planner. I’ll explain why in the conclusion.
Note, I don’t get any referral bonus from any of them and there’s no sponsor for this article.
Code&Quill - The Habit System Planner
I became a fan of Code&Quill ’s notebooks many years ago. Have a dot notation on one side and grid writing on the other (see their Origin notebook) just made sense to me as a software architect. I have several of their notebooks scattered around the house for analog idea capturing. And the Origin plus a nice pen makes a good team gift. When Code&Quill announced their Habit System back in 2018, they got my attention. At the time, I was exploring good habit formation, and their system check many of the boxes (as you will see, literally).
The Habit System breaks things into a monthly view, weekly view, and a daily view. This three-level perspective lets you track important dates and set the priorities for a month. As you define your monthly goal, you’ll break it down into milestones. Each milestone then gets split into specific actions you’ll need to take throughout the month.
As you move to the Week view, you can carry forward your milestones and map them to a weekly goal. For each week, you’ll also set the priorities on which you need to focus. And, building upon the key word from its name: “habit” you can setup which new habits you’re trying to build. A nice check-grid then lets you track your success in practicing the habit each day. The Habit System also encourages reflection on the weekly level – coming back to see if you completed your habit goals and also note any takeaways.
The Habit System has one of the best daily views of all the books I’ve used. You get two full pages to plan your day. An hourly tracker for meetings, a check-box task list for critical items, and a nice note space take up the first page. The second page is focused on goals and priorities, but then asks you to check back in at the end of the day. This is your accountability partner, measuring how many of your tasks you completed and how you felt about the day. A large section lets you record your takeaways as well to help celebrate your successes and encourage your improvements.
Price: $35 for one quarter
Pros
Cons
Project EVO Planner
If you’re a fan of psychometric personality tests, Project EVO is interesting. It’s the only personal planner I’ve used which has four different versions, aligned on their analysis of my “brain type.” After you answer a few questions about how you think and work, they’ll align you with Explorer, Alchemist, Architect, or Oracle. Then, the book is geared with words of encouragement and opportunities for reflection just for you. It’s also the only book which is paired with an app to help remind you and track your progress.
Like The Habit System, the book starts with month views, followed by weekly plans, and then the day planner. Project EVO also is more intentional about bringing your whole life into the plan. They encourage goals for health, relationships, professional, fun, and more. Each month, you set a goal and then describe your specific actions to achieve them. There’s room for what you’re working on that month and any specific to-do items you need to check off.
As you move into the weekly plan, you’re given the space to record how you’re supporting your monthly goals that week. Key to-dos in work and in personal life can be noted. The second page for each week is all about reviewing what you did. These may vary by version, but the goal is to capture the good moments (accomplishments, learnings, networking, etc.) and then also rate yourself. The rating uses a bubble-in system which the app can use to track your results over time.
As with The Habit System, Project EVO’s Planner gives you two pages to plan and review your day. Instead of giving you an hourly planner, it instead gives you blocks of time where you can put appointments or tasks. It does allow you to have your top three priorities for the day as well. On the first page of the day, it’s more open format – with blocks for you to write about planned activities. This “pre-gaming” lets you set a positive tone for the day. The daily view also has an app-trackable score as well for how well you did.
It's also worth pointing out the Project EVO Planner is one of the nicest looking of the three I’ve used. The name and logo are an inlaid metallic design, and the edges of the book also share the metallic sheen. If someone sees you pull the book out of your bag, it very well may be a conversation starter just on looks alone. I also chose not to use the app, as it was not particularly helpful to me at the time I used the book. There are likely improvements since then, including an AI-powered “Executive Assistant.”
Price: $69.97 for one quarter
Pros
Cons
Full Focus Planner
A more recent discovery for me is the Full Focus Planner. It’s part of an entire ecosystem of their “Goal Achievement System.” I’ve only used the Full Focus Planner, so can’t speak to any of the other products or services they also offer. The Full Focus Planner is designed for setting goals and understanding what it’s going to take to accomplish them. It doesn’t even begin its main task until page 30. The first 29 pages are focused on helping you define how you’d like to approach each day and what an ideal week looks like. It becomes a quick reference of what matters most to you and how you’d like to get it done.
The biggest difference between this planner and the previous two is it doesn’t break the views into different sections of the book. There’s a section in the beginning the next three months (and a quick 12-month view so you don’t lose sight of the year). But each week begins with a weekly preview (4 pages) and then then the daily view follows. There’s no flipping back and forth every day to track your goals and accomplishments. You just move your way forward, beginning each week with a review of the last and a plan for the next.
The weekly preview is also where the accountability partner lives. You’re asked to measure your progress on your top priorities as well as record what worked and where you can improve. It also has a habit tracker for anything you’re trying to make a regular behavior. As you reflect, you shift to plan, and the last two pages are just a high-level week review so you can see the big events coming up. The Full Focus Planner is also check-list driven – not just for your tasks – but also the behaviors you’re trying to improve. It helps you on each page make sure you’re following through. There’s an eye to your health (mental or physical) as well.
The daily view is two pages, just as the other books. It differs in that the first page is all about daily plans, and the second page is just a wide-open section for notes. I routinely use it on calls rather than a digital note pad, as it’s always open on my desk with a pencil nearby. The planning page gives you space for your “big 3” things you need to make sure you do, and a task list for all the rest. There’s also an hourly section for capturing your meetings or time-based activities. On page 2, after the notes, there’s also a quick spot to capture a daily win, which helps end each day on a positive note.
In some ways, the Full Focus Planner is the simplest to use. There are no apps or scoring systems. Intermixing the weekly and daily planning keeps you just moving forward through the book. It does provide two built-in bookmarks to use as you wish. One for today and the other for one of the earlier sections which you might want to go back and reference. But, like the others, it also has many thoughtful features built in to help you use it effectively.
领英推荐
Price $41.99 for one quarter (least expensive version)
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
I’ve used paper planners (all three reviewed) on and off over the last several years. I recently resumed using them as I needed a single source of truth for my calendar. Between personal, work, and client calendars, I was quickly losing track of when I had offered to people to meet. By going analog, I forced myself to make sure I have a single place to check. And I can literally “pencil” something into my calendar if I’ve offered several choices.
For what I’m doing now, my current go-to for daily planners is the Full Focus Planner. While I was a big fan of The Habit System, its size made it difficult to keep with me all the time. This limits the value and pushes me to rely back on the electronic systems, which fit in my pocket. The Project EVO Planner is great looking and fun to use. It’s also the most portable. But its price is hard to justify, especially since I wasn’t using the app. The Full Focus Planner includes many of my favorite features from The Habit System, but in a smaller form factor. And it gives me lots of room for daily notes.
In terms of pricing, all of them offer bulk pricing. If you order the years’ worth (four books), you’ll get a discount. If you’re buying in bulk for a team, there’s even more discount options. Full Focus sells their book in many different finishes, colors, and bindings. The other two just offer the one style. All are available (as of this writing) on Amazon as well.
Each product has its strengths. None of them are a bad choice. What works for me may not be as important to you. And you might prefer digital systems over analog. And there are other versions – from the traditional day planner to other methods. I’ve even shared a PDF one-pager version I created for myself in the past (DM me if you’d like a copy).
As the saying goes, plans are worthless, but planning is priceless.
What ultimately matters is thinking about what you want to accomplish and breaking it down into the steps you need to take to get there. As the saying goes, plans are worthless, but planning is priceless. Each of these products helps you create a plan in their own way.
And that plan is what can lead you to a new you – 90 days at a time.
What are some other planner products you’ve had success with? Do you prefer analog over digital? Do you do 90-day, 1-year, or 5-year plans (or something else)? I’m looking forward to your thoughts as well!
Week In Review
Welcome to November. There's only two months left in 2024 - are you ready to wrap it up and see what 2025 brings us? As we wrap up Cybersecurity Awareness Month, I'll be shifting to a "New You" November theme. Today's feature is an article I've been planning on writing for a long time, and seemed like the perfect way to kick the theme off!
Here's what else was on the mind this past week:
I am going to dive into details on the first poll - "Who can stop software vulnerabilities?" at a later point. What's interesting is the titles of who voted. For example, people with the CISO title didn't vote for the CISO choice. So, there's an interesting dynamic of people tending not to vote for themselves. Be sure to follow Mirability, LLC as I'll publish the results as an article there!
Take a look at the posts from the week. There's still time to vote in the polls, share in the comments, and join in the conversation!
In Conclusion
Most of my "New You" November newsletters won't be as long as today's. But they will focus on how we can be our better selves. Stay tuned for much more!
On the theme of "new you", if you are looking for a new job and want to be in the job seeker spotlight, the You Just Found ME?? job seeker spotlight is free to all jobseekers! Send me a note!
As I'm growing my business, I'm looking at how to engage with private equity firms, law firms, and start-ups facing their next challenge - so if you're connected to any of these worlds, let's chat soon! I also offer referral bonuses to any work you bring me through Mirability, LLC - if you're interested. If there's anything I can help you with, I'd love to hear about it.
I hope this coming week is exactly what you need it to be!
Thanks, as always!
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About Erik
Erik Boemanns is a technology executive and lawyer. His background covers many aspects of technology, from infrastructure to software development. He combines this with a "second career" as a lawyer into a world of cybersecurity, governance, risk, compliance, and privacy (GRC-P). His time in a variety of companies, industries, and careers brings a unique perspective on leadership, helping, technology problem solving and implementing compliance.
He's available to help you with any of this now too!
Mediocre developer, Software Engineering Manager, Entrepreneur, & Independent filmmaker
1 周I personally use JIRA and an old-fashioned spiral bound notebook. Don't have to pay a month fee.