100 days on Project Mindset: an archived post, originally published in 2021. Dates and roles reflect the original publication.
Episode 18: A 100-Day Check-In on Your Goals
Reviewing New Year’s resolutions and working backwards from the outcome you want.
Introduction
Around 100 days after New Year is a useful opportunity to take honest stock. What have I actually done towards my goals? Reza focuses on consistent daily effort, not only milestones. He discusses daily progress and reverse engineering, applying them to applications, fitness, mindset and family time.
Summary
One sentence: Review your daily effort honestly after 100 days, then work backwards from your goals to plan the next 100.
Three sentences: Reza uses 10 April, described in the recording as 100 days after New Year’s Eve, to review his resolutions. Planning needs consistent action, however small. Reverse engineering turns a desired outcome into concrete daily steps.
Five sentences: A 100-day milestone prompts reflection. Planning alone is insufficient. Even 20 focused minutes daily can accumulate into visible progress. Imagine the outcome you want after another 100 days and identify the steps backwards. Daily action produces progress, while visualisation clarifies the route.
Context
Who: Reza Mehman, sharing personal lessons about goals and growth.
What: A review of resolutions, consistent action and reverse engineering.
Why: Resolutions often lose momentum. Regular reviews reveal where things stand and what to change.
Three questions: did I work towards my goals daily? What could 20 focused minutes achieve? How can reverse engineering guide the next 100 days?
Contents
Introduction; summary; context; themes; takeaways; FAQ; quotes; transcript; keywords; names; passage to share.
Themes
Reviewing resolutions
Use periodic checkpoints rather than waiting until year-end. Keywords: resolutions, review, evaluation.
Consistency and daily progress
Reza argues that small daily efforts, for example 20 minutes, accumulate. Keywords: consistency, progress, habits.
Reverse engineering
Visualise an outcome and identify the steps leading to it. Keywords: reverse engineering, visualisation, goals.
Execution beyond planning
Plans require action to become results. Keywords: execution, implementation, action.
Different life areas
The approach can apply to work, health, mindset and relationships. Keywords: life goals, development, balance.
Key takeaways
- A 100-day review can make resolutions concrete.
- Daily execution and progress matter beyond plans.
- Twenty focused minutes can be a useful starting point.
- Small, consistent steps accumulate.
- Work backwards from a clear desired outcome.
- Saving, CV work and family plans benefit from repeated action.
- Ask honestly whether you made the effort.
- Reza noticed an unsettling number of days without goal-directed work.
- Progress comes through doing, not one burst of motivation.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 100-day check-in?
An honest assessment after roughly 100 days of pursuing a goal.
Why are resolutions insufficient?
They remain intentions without implementation.
How much time is needed daily?
Reza suggests even 20 focused minutes can make a difference. The effort needed depends on the goal.
What is reverse engineering?
Picture the destination, then identify the actions needed from your current position.
Which areas can it support?
Careers, applications, health, fitness, mindset, saving and quality time.
What if the review is disappointing?
Treat it as a prompt to acknowledge gaps and plan the next period more deliberately.
Why consistency rather than motivation?
Motivation fluctuates; repeated action accumulates over time.
Memorable quotes — translated
Planning alone never gets us closer to our goals. Daily execution and progress are what count.
After 100 days, look yourself in the eye and ask whether you worked towards your goals.
Often, 20 minutes of thought or work daily is enough to see progress after 100 days.
There were an unsettling number of days when I did not work on my goals. No wonder I am not where I want to be.
Progress comes through doing something daily.
Reverse engineering your life makes the steps towards your goals clearer.
Mindset is everything.
Full transcript
Hi everyone, Reza Mehman here. You are listening to episode 18 of Project Mindset. Today is 10 April, and in the recording I describe New Year’s Eve as 100 days ago. This is not a headline or a special personal milestone. It is an opportunity for a regular review: what have I done over the last 100 days to move towards my goals, wishes and ideas?
I like making New Year’s resolutions and planning the year and life generally. But we all know planning alone is never enough. Daily execution and progress are what count and eventually become visible.
Goals differ. Someone wants to apply for a new job, another to lose five kilograms, another to become calmer or more patient through mindset work. Everyone has their own aims.
Looking honestly at your effort
After 100 days, look yourself in the eye and ask: have I done everything I could to move closer? By now, it becomes clear whether you did at least a little each day.
If you had consistently committed, perhaps you would already have sent ten applications, lost weight, practised relaxation or mindset exercises, or saved money through a more economical lifestyle.
Whatever the goal, daily work could have moved you closer. That is today’s point. Often, even 20 minutes of thought or effort daily can produce progress over 100 days.
Putting work into something usually produces progress or some result. My first message is to invest time, thought and work consistently, even on apparently insignificant days, however small the steps. Had I saved a few euros daily or weekly, I would have more money now.
Small steps in important areas
If I had worked on my CV and sent applications, perhaps I would already have interviews. Another example: many want more quality time with family.
If you had planned ten enjoyable evenings with family or friends over those 100 days, you could have done it. Arrange concrete dates: on 5 March, I want to meet you for a lovely evening.
The second message concerns visualisation and reverse engineering. I can picture where I was 100 days ago and what I planned. I can measure the difference: did I achieve it or not?
Likewise, I can picture where I want to be in another 100 days. Visualise it concretely. From that ideal outcome, work backwards. Then identify what to do each week or day to arrive there.
It is simple, but often forgotten: picture the destination.
Working backwards from the goal
Then identify the seven, eight, nine or ten steps needed. That helps avoid what happened during one of my own reviews.
I asked what I had done over the last 100 days and realised there were an unsettling number of days when I had not worked on my goals. No wonder I was not where I wanted to be.
Daily progress and a clear plan
Remember two messages: progress comes from daily action. And to identify those daily steps, try reverse engineering your life. It clarifies what you need to do.
I hope you enjoyed this short episode. Getting to the point matters more to me than talking at length. I hope the next 100 days bring you closer to your goals. Until next time, remember: mindset is everything.
The source transcript was generated automatically with Whisper AI and may contain occasional errors. Clear repetitions and transcription errors were smoothed. Numerical examples describe the speaker’s expectations rather than guaranteed results.
Keywords
100-day review, resolutions, reverse engineering goals, daily progress, consistency, execution, mindset, goals, visualisation, Project Mindset, Reza Mehman, personal development, habits, reflection.
Names and terms
Reza Mehman, Project Mindset, resolutions, check-in, reverse engineering, execution, progress, visualisation, mindset training, quality time, consistency, personal development, goals, CV.
Passage to share
Progress comes from daily action, not planning alone. Twenty focused minutes can accumulate. Picture where you want to be in 100 days and work backwards. Then ask honestly whether you have made the effort.
More in the Project Mindset archive (German) and the Reza Mehman Podcast.
