Strategic Timing: How to Win the Year in October

In the latest episode of Before Breakfast, host Laura Vandercam introduces a powerful psychological insight: the concept of "winning the year in October." While the podcast also features promotional snippets for other programs like Las Culturistas and Basket Case, the core takeaway focuses on professional and personal performance management through the lens of cognitive bias.

The Recency Bias Advantage

Laura highlights a fundamental human tendency known as recency bias. People naturally "best remember what happened recently," which significantly impacts how we evaluate performance. She notes that while annual reviews are theoretically intended to cover the entire year, in practice, managers and individuals alike struggle to recall events from early in the year, such as February, by the time November or December arrives. Unless one has kept "meticulous notes," the achievements from the start of the year often fade, while the "project you just finished is fresh in your mind."

Crafting Your Professional Narrative

Because of this, Laura suggests that to "shine in this year's annual review," one must strategically time a "big win" to occur shortly before the evaluation period. She emphasizes that you should actively consider: "What story can you tell about yourself and your contributions?"

To reinforce this narrative, she provides specific tactical examples:

• The "Big Game Hunter" Strategy: If you secured a major client early in the year, don't just rely on that past success. Instead, use October to reach out to "similarly large potential clients." This provides "multiple points of evidence" that you are not a one-hit wonder, but rather the "kind of person who will kill another mastodon too."
• Proactive Leadership: If your team faced turnover in September, mitigate the negative narrative by launching a "new initiative" in October to help your team members "shape their careers." By doing so, you ensure that the story your team tells your evaluator is one of proactivity rather than instability.

Personal Success and Self-Reflection

This strategy is not limited to the corporate world. Laura points out that you can "win the year on the personal front too." If you had New Year's resolutions that were neglected, you can still reclaim the year by taking a significant action in Q4—such as "working out with a trainer twice a week in October." By doing this, you allow yourself to look back and remember this as the year you "took a major step for your physical health."

Conclusion

Ultimately, the podcast argues that time is subjective in our memory. By executing meaningful, high-impact tasks in October, you can influence both your employer's perception and your own self-assessment. As Laura concludes, "everything else just seems far in the past," so focusing your energy in the final quarter is the most effective way to ensure the year is viewed as a success.