The Quarterly Reset: Your Guide to Q2 Success

"You have a responsibility to share where you've been."

That's what my old boss would remind us whenever someone returned from a work trip. 

It wasn't about reporting back - it was about sharing the journey. 

The experiences. The insights. The takeaways that could benefit everyone.

Six years ago, when I flew to Chicago and L.A. to open new Whole Foods Market stores…

I'd return to Austin HQ with more than just a trip report.

I brought back stories of ribbon cuttings, brand owners seeing their products on shelves for the first time, and customers flooding through the doors.

Now, I realize this principle extends beyond work trips.

The past six months have been a masterclass in resilience for me. 

Surgery. Family deaths. Job loss. A bank account that kept shrinking while my anxiety kept growing.

But here's what I discovered: crisis creates clarity.

When everything falls away, you see what truly matters. 

• The systems I built out of necessity. 

• The insights gained from introspection. 

• The hard-won lessons from running marketing operations for 8-figure companies.

That's what I want to share with you now…

starting with how to make this next quarter your best one yet.

The Q2 Rescue Plan

We’re days away from April, and you know what that means. 

Those January goals you set? They've either become part of your routine or quietly slipped to the bottom of your to-do list.

That's why Q2 is so valuable – it offers the perfect moment for a thoughtful reset.

Before mapping out my Q2, I did something that might help you: I reread my old journals.

Since 2016, I've kept a record of daily wins, monthly reviews, and quarterly recaps (more on my exact system in the next newsletter). 

This archive became a mirror, reflecting what worked, what didn't, and which ideas remain important but unaddressed.

And it revealed a pattern that changed everything.

The 12-Week Revolution

Knowing what to do isn't the same as doing it.

Last summer, facing a particularly challenging project, I implemented a planning framework called "The 12 Week Year" (based on the book you can get here).

The results were so immediate and transformative, I’ve been using it ever since.

Here's why it works: 

When you compress your annual goals into 12-week sprints, everything changes. 

That vague December deadline no longer lulls you into complacency. Instead, every week matters. Every day counts.

Think about it. How many January goals have you abandoned by March, telling yourself "I still have nine months to figure it out"?

With 12-week planning, procrastination isn't an option. 

Your timeline is condensed, creating natural urgency. Yet when unexpected challenges arise (and they will), you still have room to adjust without abandoning your targets.

5 Questions That Change Everything

Here are the five questions I use to guide my quarterly planning – the same ones that helped me lead my team (and myself) through uncertainty and into high achievement:

1. What do you want? Not what should you want or what others expect. What's the specific outcome you're after?

2. What matters most? Break your goal into 12 weekly milestones. What's the one thing you must accomplish each week?

3. Are you doing it? Find accountability – a person, an app, a system – something that keeps you honest when motivation fades.

4. Is it working? Track your daily activities to measure progress. Data doesn't lie, even when we lie to ourselves.

5. When will you do it? If it's not in your calendar, it's just a wish. Schedule the necessary activities like you would any important meeting.

This framework creates a daily and weekly roadmap to your quarterly goals. 

Each month becomes a checkpoint to celebrate progress and adjust as needed.

Take some time over the next few days to think about 3 outcomes you’d like to be true by June 30th. Then, start mapping it out!   

AI: Your New Planning Partner

Want to supercharge this process and hit the next quarter running? 

Here's a ChatGPT prompt I've refined over several planning sessions:

Act as my strategic advisor. What is the most efficient, cost-effective way to achieve [insert goal] over the next 12 weeks? Then, create a 12 week roadmap that tells me what milestones to complete each week. I also want a scorecard that tracks all the necessary activities needed to achieve [insert goal]. Format this as a table that I can turn into an excel sheet to manually fill in as I complete activities. Finally, give me a sample schedule of how to structure my day to complete these activities between the hours of [x] and [y].

BONUS PROMPT: After getting your plan, ask ChatGPT:

"What obstacles might I encounter in executing this plan?"

This preemptive troubleshooting helps you identify potential roadblocks before they derail your progress, allowing you to build contingencies into your plan from day one.

Putting It All Together

As we enter Q2, remember this:

The difference between where you are and where you want to be isn't knowledge – it's execution.

With the right framework, the right timeline, and the right accountability, you can make the next 12 weeks more productive than your entire previous year. (No joke!)

If you want my complete Q2 planning template, [download it for free here].

You’ll be able to take the plan you get from ChatGPT and put it into a roadmap that keeps you accountable and motivated to hit your goals this quarter.  

Here's to your next 12 weeks,

Annabel

P.S. If you want a walk-through of the template and how it can be personalized for your team, book a call with me.