4-Year U.

Tag: Getting Things Done

  • This One Idea Changed How I Set Goals Forever

    This One Idea Changed How I Set Goals Forever

    Why Your Goals Keep Failing (And How to Fix It)

    Have you ever set a big goal—something you were excited about—but just a few weeks later and you’re already burned out?

    Yeah, me too.

    We all start strong. We get inspired. We buy the notebook, the app, and the gear.

    We tell ourselves, “This time is different.”

    But then… life hits. Energy fades. And the goal? 

    It slips through our fingers.

    It’s not because we’re lazy or lack willpower. It’s because we’ve never been taught a system that works with time instead of against it.

    That’s what the 4-Year U. is about.

    For me, it started with something simple: trying to lose weight.

    I went hard—every day at the gym, strict diet, tons of motivation. And then… I fizzled out.

    I realized something: I didn’t need to do it all perfectly. I just needed to do

    Something.

    Every.

    Day.

    Because time was going to pass anyway. I might as well be intentional about how I spend it.

    That one thought changed everything and led me to ask myself:

    What if I used time to work for me instead of against me?

    That’s when the idea for the 4-Year U. was born.

    Here’s the real problem:

    We try to sprint our way through a marathon.

    We start a new job, a business, a relationship—and expect instant results. But that’s not how real transformation works.

    You didn’t start off becoming who you are, you worked on it in small, micro steps along the way.

    When you want to become someone different, you need to allow yourself to acclimate. It’s not going to feel good at first because your mind wants to keep you safe.

    That’s why it’s called the “comfort” zone.

    When you start to make changes in your life, think of it like walking out of a warm house into the freezing cold. At first, your body wants to go back inside. But if you give it time, your body will acclimate.

    You don’t just flip a switch and become the person who finishes. You become that person through the process—over time.

    And that’s what most goal systems miss: they don’t give you time to acclimate.

    That’s where the 4-Year U. comes in.

    Think of a stream of water running over a rock. At first, it seems like nothing’s happening. But over time, that consistent flow carves a groove into the stone.

    The 4-Year U. is that stream.

    It’s a structured way to align your long-term goals with the natural flow of time, using consistent effort—to create lasting change.

    It’s about translating micro actions into macro results.

    The foundation of 4-Year U. is the four quadrants:

    • Rest
    • Planning
    • Action
    • Evaluation

    Each quadrant is based on naturally occurring seasons:

    Winter is rest.

    Spring is planning.

    Summer is action.

    And Fall is evaluation.

    You move through each of these quadrants in every area of life. Not once—but continuously.

    And it’s not just yearly. These cycles exist daily, weekly, and monthly too.

    Wake up? That’s spring. Midday is summer. Evening is fall. Sleep is winter.

    Even Agile methodology mirrors this: winter is the backlog, spring is sprint planning, summer is execution, and fall is retrospectives.

    This cycle is everywhere. And we can use these naturally occurring seasons to work for us and help us achieve goals that we never thought possible.

    So how does it work?

    4-Year U. uses the same method for different planning and review cycles, which is what we call the “Seasonal Quadrant”, which is just a “+” sign in the center of a page where each season or quadrant is a different stage and state of where your goals are currently are – and then at each planning and review session you decide whether any of the goals need to be worked or moved.

    Here’s an example:

    • Daily Review: Focus on the seasons of today, which goals do you want to work on in the morning, mid-day, tonight, or while you sleep?
    • Weekly Review: Focus on the days. What did I do? What will I do next?
    • Monthly Review: Focus on the weeks. What patterns are forming?
    • Annual Review: Focus on the quarters. Where did I grow? Where do I need to go?
    • Quadrennial Review: Focus on the whole arc. Who have I become? What’s next?

    Each review zooms out just a little more, helping you see clearly and make better decisions.

    And when these cycles overlap—say, the weekly and annual land on the same day – let the greater cycle lead. Start big, then go small.

    This process is similar to David Allen’s Weekly Review in his book, Getting Things Done and of the contextual nature of work which the book espouses. It’s about doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right season of the day, week, month, or year.

    It only takes a few minutes to complete and it helps you see incremental progress every day.

    Remember: time will pass anyway. The question is—will you have something to show for it?

    If you want a digital version that guides you through this process, download the free 4-Year U. Guide at 4yearu.com/free.

    It walks you through all the review cycles and has templates for each planning and review cycle. Just fill out the form below:

    Sign up for emails from 4 Year U.

    New email subscribers get our free, Seasonal Quadrant planner, which contains printable guides and review sheets to help you with each stage of the 4-Year U.

  • Riding the Waves of Time: The Fractal Nature of Productivity in 4-Year U.

    Riding the Waves of Time: The Fractal Nature of Productivity in 4-Year U.

    Time is not just linear—it moves in cycles. Just as the seasons shift in a predictable rhythm, so too do the patterns of our days, months, years, and even multi-year arcs. In 4-Year U., this understanding is woven into the fabric of long-term goal setting and daily productivity, creating a system that aligns human effort with the natural rhythms of time.

    But what if the best way to manage productivity wasn’t simply about willpower, but about timing? What if the key to working with yourself, instead of against yourself, was aligning tasks with the right season—whether it’s the season of the day, the month, or even a four-year cycle?

    The Fractal, Repeating Nature of Time

    At the heart of 4-Year U. is the realization that time moves in repeating cycles, like fractals. Each day has a morning (spring), a midday (summer), an afternoon/evening (fall), and a night (winter). The same pattern unfolds across the months, the years, and even the full four-year arc.

    • Day: Morning (spring), midday (summer), evening (fall), night (winter)
    • Month: Week 1 (spring), week 2 (summer), week 3 (fall), week 4 (winter)
    • Year: Q1 (spring), Q2 (summer), Q3 (fall), Q4 (winter)
    • Four-Year Cycle: Year 1 (spring), Year 2 (summer), Year 3 (fall), Year 4 (winter)

    This pattern repeats across different scales, just like a fractal. Recognizing this rhythm allows us to sync our work, rest, and creativity with the natural ebb and flow of energy.

    Wave Harmonics: When Time Cycles Align

    Just as ocean waves can align to create massive swells, time cycles sometimes overlap in a way that creates significant moments of pressure or release. One key example of this happens when the “fall” of a year (Q3) coincides with the “fall” of a month (week 3) or the “fall” of a day (late afternoon/evening). These moments tend to be high-pressure, deadline-driven times when we push to complete tasks before a natural release.

    Consider how this plays out in the cultural calendar:

    • The fall of the year (Q4) includes major holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas—times of peak social and financial activity.
    • The fall of the month (week 3) often brings deadlines and a push toward project completion before things slow down.
    • The fall of the day (evening) is when work wraps up, and social engagements or family obligations begin.

    When these cycles align, the pressure builds. But once we pass through the peak, there’s a natural release—a moment of exhale. Just like pulse driving (accelerate, release, repeat), the rhythm of work and rest allows for sustained progress without burnout.

    David Allen’s Getting Things Done and Contextual Task Timing

    David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology emphasizes completing tasks based on context—that is, doing what makes sense based on your location, tools, and energy. This aligns perfectly with the seasonal structure of 4-Year U. If we recognize that different times of the day, month, or year lend themselves to different types of work, we can plan accordingly.

    • Spring (Morning, Week 1, Q1, Year 1): A time for new beginnings, deep thinking, and ideation. This is when brainstorming, learning, and vision-setting should take place.
    • Summer (Midday, Week 2, Q2, Year 2): A time for growth and action. This is when you should be executing on ideas, pushing forward with projects, and staying in motion.
    • Fall (Evening, Week 3, Q3, Year 3): A time for harvesting results, finishing projects, and making decisions. This is when deadlines intensify, energy peaks, and major progress happens.
    • Winter (Night, Week 4, Q4, Year 4): A time for rest, reflection, and recovery. This is when you consolidate gains, reflect on lessons, and prepare for the next cycle.

    By aligning GTD tasks with this rhythm, productivity becomes an act of synchronization rather than force.

    Chronotypes and Personal Timing

    Of course, not everyone operates on the same internal clock. Chronotypes (your natural biological rhythm) influence whether you do your best work in the morning, afternoon, or evening. Some people are morning larks, while others are night owls.

    Rather than rigidly following someone else’s schedule, the key is to recognize your own rhythms. If your “spring” (peak energy) happens at night, then your deep work should be done in the evening rather than the morning. The fractal pattern remains the same, but the timing is adjusted for each individual.

    Zooming Out: Each Year as a Season in 4-Year U.

    The 4-Year U. system takes this structure and applies it to long-term personal development. Each year of a four-year arc represents one season:

    • Year 1 (Spring): Start new projects, set vision, experiment.
    • Year 2 (Summer): Build, expand, take action.
    • Year 3 (Fall): Optimize, refine, bring things to completion.
    • Year 4 (Winter): Rest, reflect, prepare for the next arc.

    Just as the body needs rest at night, the mind and spirit need seasons of recovery between periods of intense growth. Understanding this prevents burnout and allows for sustainable success over the long haul.

    Flowing with Time

    The beauty of this approach is that it transforms productivity from a battle against time into a dance with it. By recognizing the natural rhythm of work and rest—on a daily, monthly, yearly, and four-year scale—you create a life that is both productive and sustainable.

    Whether you’re structuring your Getting Things Done workflow, planning major life projects, or simply deciding when to tackle a creative challenge, the key lies in timing. Work with your seasons, ride the harmonics of time, and trust that each cycle brings its own gifts.

    What season are you in today? And how will you align your work to its rhythm?

  • Getting Things Done: A New Practice for a New Reality

    Today, I want to dive into one of the foundational influences behind my own productivity system: David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) book. If you’re unfamiliar with GTD, it’s a methodology for organizing and managing your tasks and commitments in a way that reduces stress and creates clarity. While Allen himself refers to it as “just a book with ideas you can take or leave,” the core concepts have deeply resonated with many—including myself—and inspired elements of my own 4-Year U framework.

    A New Reality Demands a New Practice

    The first chapter of Getting Things Done is titled “A New Practice for a New Reality,” and it addresses the challenges of living in a hyper-connected world. From constant emails, texts, and Slack messages to the ever-growing list of obligations, the need for a system to triage this chaos is more vital than ever.

    Allen emphasizes managing actions rather than vague intentions, advocating for a contextual approach to work. His system is rooted in identifying the “next action” for any project or commitment, ensuring progress isn’t stalled by overwhelm. By focusing on actionable steps, you can break through inertia and consistently move toward your goals.

    The Macro is Made of Micro

    One of the standout ideas in GTD is that the macro is always built on the micro. Your big, long-term goals are only achievable when broken down into actionable steps. This mirrors the structure of my 4-Year U program. While GTD focuses on daily and weekly actions, 4-Year U takes that same principle and expands it to longer arcs, aligning short-term efforts with broader, life-defining outcomes. Whether it’s paying off debt, publishing creative works, or achieving fitness milestones, the key is consistently managing the small actions that pave the way for big results.

    Building on GTD Principles

    As I explore more of GTD in this series, I’ll highlight key takeaways and how they integrate with other systems I’ve studied, like Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog. If you’re curious about practical, actionable strategies for tackling procrastination or managing priorities, stay tuned for links and insights in upcoming posts.

    At its heart, Getting Things Done is about creating clarity and reducing overwhelm by focusing on the next step, which perfectly complements the ethos of 4-Year U. Just as GTD breaks life into manageable micro-actions, 4-Year U applies this principle at a macro scale, breaking four years of ambition into semesters and milestones. The magic lies in recognizing that every small action matters. By committing to consistent, intentional steps, you transform long-term goals into a reality—whether you’re conquering your inbox or building a life you love.