🗓️ LifeOS w/ Ali Abdaal, Part 4

A boy sitting on a floating piece of earth reading a book called "LifeOS". In the background there are clouds, a lake and some hills and mountains.

Hello Friend 👋

This is my fourth newsletter where I discuss my experience with Ali Abdaal's LifeOS course. Click here to read the first newsletter of the four-part-series, ⭐ Life OS w/ Ali Abdaal - Day 1.

Last December, I reviewed my annual planning document. I felt overwhelmed by my long list of goals for the year. Twelve months seemed both too far away to feel urgent and too close to achieve everything. Does this sound familiar?

Many of us struggle with this.

We often set vague yearly goals that lack urgency, or create endless to-do lists that overwhelm us daily. Both lead to disappointment and abandoned goals.

But there's a better way.

Quarterly goals or as Ali calls them in LifeOS—Quaterly Quests—offer the right timeframe for real achievement. Think back to what you were doing 90 days ago. I hadn’t yet run my productivity workshop, planned my AI course, or applied for my Master's program.

Yet here I am, having accomplished all three.

This quarterly timeframe works because it balances both focus and momentum. It's long enough for meaningful goals, but short enough to keep you on track. The key is limitation—set just one professional and one personal goal each quarter.

I use the GPS Framework:

Goal: What do I want to achieve and why?
Plan: What milestones will show my progress?
System: What daily and weekly actions will ensure success?

This method takes only one hour of planning for three months of focused action. During my weekly reviews, I check these goals to stay aligned and adjust as needed.

The results are transformative. Instead of constantly shifting priorities or feeling overwhelmed, you gain clarity and confidence. You can focus beyond immediate tasks without losing sight of the future.

Start Before You're Ready: The Power of Version 1.0

Here's a radical idea: Set a quarterly goal that excites you right now—even if it's not perfect.

Aim for your personal "Version 1.0" every three months and give yourself permission to iterate as you go.

Too often, we get stuck in the planning phase, waiting for the "perfect" quarterly goal to reveal itself. But here's the truth: That perfect goal doesn't exist. What matters is choosing something you genuinely want to achieve (not what you think you should achieve) and starting to work on it.

The Kindergarten Advantage

This reminds me of the famous Marshmallow Challenge, where teams compete to build the tallest free-standing structure using spaghetti, tape, string, and a marshmallow that must sit on top. When business school graduates and CEOs compete against kindergarteners, guess who consistently wins?

The five-year-olds.

Why?

The executives spend precious time strategizing, debating, and crafting the "perfect" plan.

Meanwhile, the kids just start building. Their tower falls?

They build again.

It wobbles?

They adjust.

Through rapid iteration, they discover what actually works—not what should work in theory.

Your Quarterly Quest Awaits

This is exactly how to approach your quarterly goals. Don't wait for clarity—create it through action. Choose a goal that makes you feel something, commit to it for a few weeks, and adjust as you learn. If it's not quite right, pivot. The magic isn't in finding the perfect goal; it's in the momentum you build by starting.

Remember: A good goal acted upon beats a perfect goal contemplated forever.

Your challenge this week:

Take one hour this week to define your most important quarterly goal. Watch how this focused approach boosts your productivity and outcomes.

Have a great week,
Lukas 🥳

Key Takeaways:

The 90-day timeframe balances short-term focus with long-term vision.
Limiting yourself to 1-2 quarterly goals greatly increases your chances of success.
Regular weekly reviews keep you aligned and adaptable.