The Summer Check-In: 3 Questions to Reset Your Goals

How to design seasonal success when yearly objectives don't feel right

Jun 24, 2025

Before We Start, I wanted to share something I Keep Noticing In The Interviews but also when talking to other Women...

Many struggle with the same core challenges. And honestly? I see myself in every single one of their stories.

We're all trying to figure this out as we go, and I keep thinking: what if we had simple tools to help navigate these moments instead of just talking about them?

I want to create a practical tool, but I need to know what would help you the most.

"What's most important right now? What's possible, with grace, not pressure?" - Sheliza

Last week was tough.

Sick toddler, no nanny (yes, very much aware of my privilege) and 45 degrees in Dubai.

Which meant: stuck at home, little sleep, attached toddler to me in everything I did. And very little me time.

So Sheliza's quote came at the right time.

What's most important right now.
And what's possible with grace not pressure.

I managed to get her Real Talk Interview out, get food on the table, and get packed for 2 months in Europe.

There were a lot of other things I didn't manage.

And that's ok.

But sitting here in Germany at my mom's house now, with some breathing space, I couldn’t help but wonder: maybe my frustration isn't about what I didn't accomplish. Maybe it's about the goals themselves.

So I decided to do a proper mid-year audit of my January objectives. And maybe this might be something for you as well.

So here it goes.

What I Discovered When I Actually Audited My Goals

I went through my January objectives systematically, asking myself the basic questions: What still matters? What feels off? What's changed?

My biggest insights:

Reality Check: There's a lot of actual push needed on the business side. I've been dabbling, not really committing. Some goals sounded good in January but I haven't been willing to do the work they require.

Action Check: What will I actually do to make it happen? I realized I had goals without real plans. "Grow newsletter" sounds nice, but what does that mean on Tuesday at 10am?

The frustrating part?
I haven't achieved many goals yet - also but not only because they were all meant for the end of the year.

The problem might not be my progress in all aspects. But the timeline and the longterm vs short term goals.

And honestly also: the actions behind.

The Seasonal Solution

I decided to create a seasonal objective overview. Less objectives. Because success during the summer season looks differently.

My next season: 2 months in Europe.

That feels manageable. That feels intentional.

Here's what seasonal success looks like for me:

Track 1: Business Focus (concrete this time)

Launch the questionnaire (more soon) and analyze results
Get 30 more subscribers over summer (come on, this should be doable)
Do one Mindvalley class (ideally on AI)
Create one product to sell on Substack
Create one email marketing track to market it

Track 1.5: Private Organization (because this matters too)

all kind of financial things I need to work on (and yes, I have more concrete objectives)

Track 2: Just Living (basically all around family, mind & social and health)

Enjoying time with family and friends. Being present with my son. Reading books without deadlines. Laughing more. Being healthy but not obsessing about it.

Some goals need plans. Others just need permission to happen.

The Real Questions You Need to Ask

Looking back at this process, here are the questions that I will use to work on my objectives:

What's the smallest version of this goal I could test in 3 months?
What would success look like if I could only work on this 1 hour per week?
What's the first tiny step I could take this week without pressure?

These questions work for everything - business goals, family goals, health goals.

They force you to get real about capacity and break things down to actually manageable pieces.

❤️ If this landed, tap the heart to give it a Like (even if you’re reading on email) or Restack 🔁 to share with others – it helps more than you know.

Design Your Own Metrics (Not Inherit Them)

This audit made me realize: I've been using inherited metrics for success instead of designing my own.

Traditional metrics would call this summer "unproductive" - no steady income, no clear deliverables, no obvious career advancement.

But what if I measured success differently? What if instead of hours worked or revenue generated, I tracked:

Clarity gained about what I actually want to build
Energy restored for better work when I return
Relationships deepened with family and friends
Creative ideas sparked for future projects
Systems organized (finally understanding my finances!)

This is what I mean by "Work by Design - designing your metrics" - intentionally choosing what success looks like for YOUR season, YOUR circumstances, YOUR life instead of accepting someone else's definition.

What would your summer look like if you designed your own success metrics instead of inheriting the standard productivity measures?

What's Most Important Right Now?

Coming back to Sheliza's question: "What's most important right now?”

I could obsess over not having the job or income I wanted. But I can't change that this summer.

What I can do is find income differently, think Out Of The Box, and recharge.

To be back in Dubai end of August with more energy and grace instead of pressure.

What's most important right now?
Designing this season intentionally. And trusting that clarity and energy create better work than pressure ever could.

Your Turn

Try the 3-question audit on your own goals:

What's become more/less important since you set these goals?
Which goals have / haven’t you actually worked on? Why?
Would you like to adjust your objectives linked to your current season?

Share your thoughts - it’s so much more fun to get your insights.