The 5 S’s of My Q1 Blueprint

As a teenager, I used to spend hours playing Tetris online. This was before social media, save the advent of MySpace. 

I was addicted to organizing the little Tetris blocks into geometric perfection. It starts easy and slow as you begin building a foundation. Then, the blocks start flying down, and you must scramble to survive. You go from neat arrangements to chaotic formations.

This may be a stretch, but I bring up Tetris because goal setting works similarly. You must lay down your goals brick by brick to create a beautifully satisfying blueprint that will sustain you and make your habits and routines feel easier.

Although I have long-term goals and aspirations, I’ve decided to organize my goals/tasks by quarter. Of course, I love something that’s sticky (by the way, I love the song) and memorable.

Hence, my 5 S’s of Q1 are:

• Sleep

• Sweat

• Slow productivity

• Stacks (finances)

• Social

Let’s get into it.

Sleep: A non-negotiable 

This quarter, I’m focusing on the holy grail of wellness: 8 glorious hours of sleep. 

Why sleep, why now? Sleep is one of the most important things you can do for your health. After all, adequate sleep is essential for cognitive functioning, mood, performance, and overall health. 

I am sick and tired of being sick and tired (lol). My running joke is that I am always tired—more of a harsh reality than a joke. At work, this is my Slack profile picture:

But this goal will be the hardest to achieve consistently, given the combination of revenge scrolling at night, a brain that runs faster than Usain Bolt, and difficulties staying asleep (cue the semi-regular 3-4 a.m. wake-up call).

I’m incorporating new routines to help me get high-quality sleep:

• Nightly sleep cocktail consisting of liquid magnesium + cherry juice—it’s basically a health tonic in disguise 🍒

• Hatch light alarm with gentle wind-down and wake-up routines

• WHOOP gives me analytics that will help me balance my strain and recovery

  Sweat: A love letter to my muscles 💌

  2024 was my worst fitness year. So, sweating more is essential in 2025. I have a home gym (squat rack, treadmill, and the works), but I have taken it for granted. 

  I’m turning this around with a crisp, invigorating, and motivating goal: Run a 10k this year. 🏃🏻‍♀️

  I’ve run casually on and off for the last 10+ years. But now, I’m determined to make running part of my personality. I have never run a 10k, so I think this is an achievable goal to work toward.

  The sweat plan is simple, but not easy. Each week, I am focusing on:

  • 2-3 run sessions (treadmill or outdoors)

  • One weight training session

  • One Pilates class

  • One wild card day (yoga, extra weights, HIIT)

Slow productivity: Less but better

I’ve been learning German for over a year, and I love how “less, but better” sounds in German: weniger aber besser.

Say it with me: Less 👏 but 👏 better 👏

This is the season of focused effort, not frantic multitasking and pulling many threads that keep me running on a hamster wheel instead of moving forward. Doing too much often creates a facade of productivity—but mindfulness can help you reduce mind-wandering and help you stick with your current task.

Forward is forward— I’d rather go forward with clarity and confidence than go in a million directions and not get anywhere.

How am I doing this at work? The goal is to prevent tomorrow-me from having an existential crisis by:

• Spending time at the end of my work day to plan for tomorrow

• Focusing on the 10% of projects and work tasks, the rest is primarily non-essential

• Chilling out and slowing down with mini check-ins throughout the day (not everything is urgent!)

Stacks: Finances, but make it fun

This quarter—this year, rather, is all about financial glow-ups. ✨💸

I’m notoriously bad at facing my finances. 

Not only do I want to avoid over-consumption and stop buying clothes and other things I don’t need, but I also want to work toward some lifestyle goals that would require me to know my finances inside and out and have a solid plan in place.

I want to know my finances as good as those contestants on Shark Tank that have to stand up in front of the sharks, pitch their business, and get grilled with the most meticulous questions about the state of their business.

My plan again is simple but not easy. I am:

• Putting together a financial plan with the help of ChatGPT

• Scheduling weekly “money dates” with myself where I can work on my budget, look at financial statements, etc.

• Setting up a reward system (non-monetary) for sticking to it (because stickers work for adults too)

Social: Filling my cup with good company

I am entering my hosting era and cultivating a Martha Stewart and Nancy Meyers aesthetic and lifestyle. I have been working toward this for years, but now that I’ve bought my first home, I can go to town as I grow roots in my community.

I’m saying yes to cozy date nights this quarter, including (and almost exclusively) date nights in my house. I look forward to hosting themed dinner parties and a potential book club. 📚

Take care, and see you next week.

Erika