What?! Third quarter already?! The year has barely started… or at least, we’re only halfway through it. True: quarter three begins right when half the year is officially over.
Feeling the teensiest bit stressed now? I can relate. And I’m really putting myself out there with this one. Because honestly? I really hate to-do lists. That’s why this is a To-Want List – my very first. Not “I have to,” but “I want to.”
The idea of dividing the year into quarters isn’t new. Companies do it all the time. But privately? I hardly know anyone who’s ever tried it. Except for my blog mentor Judith, who got the idea from a book. So I thought: why not try my own very personal 12-week rhythm?
I’ve been circling around this idea and the act of writing this list for a while now because for the past two years, I haven’t even made New Year’s resolutions. Except one: This year, no resolutions. I don’t have to want anything. I’m allowed to exist. A human being, not a human doing.
That said: productivity isn’t inherently a bad thing. As long as it’s not being used to plug emotional holes or feed that old belief that love and care must be earned through achievement.
For me, this list is about two things that have nothing to do with pressure to perform:
- Making things visible. So much gets lost in everyday life: tiny steps, quiet progress, inner projects. Things no one sees. Not even yourself.
- Sorting and clearing out the mental chaos every three months, so my poor brain doesn’t keep tripping over itself with excitement. (I’ve mentioned before that I imagine my mind as a racehorse that bolts off with the red thread in its mouth the moment it senses even the faintest invitation to go.)
Disclaimer: if you find spelling errors then take it as a sign of authenticity and proof that I am not an AI 😛 (but I do use an LLM to help me translate my bilingual blog articles so don’t be the em—dash police (oops)).
My Business Goals for Q3 2025
- On average, I want to publish one blog post per week this quarter (12 total).
✅ ✅ ✅ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ - Fill each of my six blog categories with three posts.
⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ - Set up my newsletter. ✅ (done July 21)
- Gain at least 50 new subscribers (shooting for 100. No pressure, but your inbox could be part of the magic 👇).
- Finish my yoga teacher training.
- Theory test ✅ (passed July 15)
- Live training hours: 25/30
- Class plans: 1/8
- Teach my first yoga class. ✅ (July 23)
- Start teaching yoga regularly.
- I want to complete the exams for the first semester of my nutritional science degree.
I actually started in the middle of the summer semester, but if I manage this, I’ll be in sync with the regular semester schedule.- Chemistry & Physics
- Microbiology
- Biochemistry
- Statistics
- Scientific Methods
- Anatomy & Physiology
My Movement Goals for Q3 2025
I want to feel more anchored in my body again driven purely by the joy of mobility, strength, and self-awareness
- Join the annual ‘Alles op de Velo’ bike tour with my kids (car-free route Mersch-Mamer) ✅ July 20
- Go to the sauna every two weeks.
- Cold water dips every two weeks.
- I want to be able to do a wheel again aka full backbend on the ground. Something I could easily do as a teenager. These days, my lower back isn’t so keen, and I’d love to bring some balance back there.
- Forearm stand: my shoulders are currently protesting. Didn’t expect that, honestly.
- Back walkover (that’s a step up from a static wheel pose and I doubt this will happen in the next three months, but hey).
- One tour on my road bike.
My Travel Goals for Q3 2025
Getting out, clearing my head. Small adventures with the kids or on my own.
I love traveling especially to places I’ve never been before.
- Two trips with the kids to visit the grandparents.
- A camping holiday in France.
- Do a multi-day hike.
My Personal To-Wants for Q3 2025
Interesting how little ended up here but most of my goals are already covered in the other categories.
- Duolingo French: keep learning for 30 minutes a day and finish section 7 (25/36 lessons done so far)
- Sleep outside for one night
- Draw a picture
My Non-SMART To-Wants
In case you’ve never heard of SMART goals:
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Oh, and congratulations on never having stepped into a corporate environment. Kidding, it’s a useful concept in general. Wait, here goes:
Slightly vague Mostly meaningful Absolutely not about hustle Realistic-ish Timeless
Which probably makes them the most important ones. Do I need to list them out? Yes, I think I do. Besides- it’s my list, I can do what I want with it. So there. 😌
- Maybe the most important one: not to get stressed out by all these goals. Keep listening to my body. Take lots of breaks. Perfectionism can kiss my wrinkly butt.
- Control less, trust more (not my usual modus operandi).
- Focus solely on my actions and take full responsibility for those and detach from the outcome (think about it: what actually happens is entirely out of your scope unless you run the universe (I don’t)).
- Spread more love in the world. How cheesy… and yet. The trick lies in giving the harshness you encounter a big cuddle. Yes, it’s aspirational (see the missing A in the original SMART).
- Lose my patience less often (which, admittedly, is closely linked to item 22: “take more breaks”).
Of course, I know I won’t accomplish all of this. I might even scrap a few things along the way. But that’s okay. This list isn’t a contract. It’s not proof of my discipline. It’s an invitation to myself to make visible what matters to me.
A kind of inner compass for the next three months with room for surprises, detours, and whatever else life throws in.
If you’re in a season of reshuffling, or just curious to see what emerges when you write things down: Maybe a To-Want List could work for you.
And if not: Thanks for reading mine.
Congratulations, you made it to the end. Here is my free gift: a tick mark just for you ✅. Go ahead and copy it straight to your own list. And if, for whatever reason, you found this oddly insightful, you can get more where that came from: