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Earlier this week, I talked about my word for the year. In case you missed it, I picked the word simplify for 2018. You can read more about that here. Today, I’m excited to continue the conversation and let you in on the process I use for making goals throughout the year as well as some of the tools that I’ve found to be really helpful along the way.
I am a list person – and by list, I mean old-fashioned pen and paper lists. I write things down in my planner that stays on the desk and on the family calendar that hangs in our kitchen. There are lists for groceries and meals, for family to-do lists and personal things to remember. You get my point.
Being a mom makes having a these lists even more important. They help me know what I need to get done in a given day and keep my mind focused on longer term goals that I need to be chipping away at. Getting them out of my brain and onto paper clears my mental space to actually focus on them and get them done (Simplify, remember?)
So then, let’s get started.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click through and make purchases through those links, I will earn a small commission. For more information, please see full disclosure.Setting Goals That Work – The Foundation
First things first. Every home needs a solid foundation, right? Goals are the same way. Before we get into the HOW of setting goals, I think it’s helpful to lay a little bit of ground-work. These are basic principles that guide my goal-setting.
Goals are not the same as to-do lists.
This is easy to miss, but it’s important. Goals are not the same as to-do lists. Goals are things that I want to accomplish over some set period of time. To-do lists are the daily or weekly action steps that I need to do in order to meet the goal – the everyday, often mundane tasks that yield fruit over time.
Understanding this was pivotal for me. To actually think through all of the action steps to reaching a goal.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”c83g5″ via=”yes” ]Goals are different from to-do lists. To-do lists are the everyday, often mundane tasks that faithfully completed, yield results over time. #goals #productivity #momlife #momblogger[/ctt]So then, the planning process looks like this:
Goal: Create a predictable, routine home cleaning system
To-Do List:
- Identify all the chores that need to be done and how frequently they should be completed.
- Determine how much time each takes.
- Identify areas to increase efficiency or multi-task.
- Based on that information, write down a draft schedule.
- Test it out and adjust as needed.
Make sense? Your goals will be accomplished when the to-do list is well thought out and faithfully completed over time.
Goals Should be Aligned to Your Priorities.
Our priorities and values should be the driving force behind our goals. As much as I don’t always love to admit it, we will find ways to do the things that are important to us. Maybe we won’t find the time immediately, but eventually, if something is important enough to us, we’ll do it. Our priorities might include things like our current roles and responsibilities in any given season of life. They are what we are currently giving weight to. What is important to you right now in this season?
When I think about my priorities in this season, I think of them in four different categories – in relation to my faith, my family, my community, and my work. Of course many of these things overlap in practice and that’s okay. But they each require different things to stay in balance with the others.
So then, priorities and responsibilities (my titles, if you will) in this season of life include:
- Christ-follower
- Wife & Mother/Homemaker
- Daughter/Sister/Neighbor/Friend
- Blogger
When I keep these priorities in check, I can create goals and manage my time in a way that gives appropriate weight to each one.
It Matters How You Choose to Spend Your Time.
This is a sneaky one because it sounds so simple and it so easy to forget. Time, like money, is a valuable resource that needs to be stewarded well. You really do have to understand that EVERY single time you say “yes” to something, you are saying “no” to something else. This is important when it comes to accomplishing your goals.
Each work day, I have 1.5 – 2 hours to myself while Little takes a nap. That means that I have to plan each day such that I can maximize that time to get done the things that I can’t as easily do with a toddler. Often, this is the time that I use to work on the blog or clean the house. Whatever the task is, it can be easy to let that time slip by if I am not intentional and proactive. By being proactive and disciplined with this time, I am able to be more present with Little and Hubs when I am with them.
Embrace The Season You’re In.
Finally, it’s important to understand that life happens in seasons. Some seasons are more constant, while other seasons are full of transition. Your goals and capacity to manage things will look different depending on the season you are in. That’s alright. Recognize the season you are in and make your lists accordingly. There is joy in each season – even the sleepless ones (hello newborn phase…preaching to myself over here) and it’s good to embrace that. Don’t begrudge your current season because you’re busy looking to the next one. You might miss something really good.
Setting Goals that Work – The Process
Now that we’ve laid a solid foundation, let’s dive into the HOW I set goals each year. I’ve broken this down into 6 simple steps.
Get the Right Tools
I’m pretty simple when it comes to the tools that I actually use for goal setting. The number one thing that is a MUST for me is a great planner. For 2018, I’m using Plum Planner for my primary planner. You can find Plum Paper online and on Etsy. One thing I really like about this planner is that you can customize it to begin any month you wish, include as many months as you need, and there are great add-on sections for almost anything you can think of (meal planning, budget, blogging, etc.) I use a calendar year planner with a blogging planner add-on to keep my personal and blogging things in the same book. *For 10% off your planner, be sure to send me a note and I can send a referral email directly to you!
I also sometimes use a simple journal for brainstorming and pens and pencils. You might choose to use stickers, colored pens, online apps, etc. Whatever you like, use that.
Reflect on the Previous Year
Next, take some time to think about what you accomplished and didn’t in the previous year. Ask yourself what worked and what didn’t. Take some time to identify things you want to do differently this year. Determine which things need to be moved to the new year and which ones can be taken off the list. Just don’t let the previous year go to waste. There’s always something to learn.
Brainstorm
Now is the time to get started on this year. Brainstorm all the things that you’d like to accomplish. These are personal goals, things for your family, vacations you might like to take, financial goals you’d like to reach, home projects that need to be done, a certain health goal. Whatever it is, write it down. Don’t hold anything back in this part. The brainstorm session is like making a wish list. If you could accomplish every single thing you wanted in a year, what would it be? Put it on the list.
Prioritize & Set Time Frames
Once you’ve got your wish list, compare those with your priorities from above. How closely aligned are each of them to your priorities. Are there things that are misaligned? Which things are most important? How long will it take to accomplish these? Organize your list based on your priorities and then set time frames that are reasonable for each goal.
Be realistic here. It’s possible that some things will need to come off of the list. Some things might come off altogether and others might just need to be postponed. That’s alright.
Get Feedback
This next step has to do with accountability. Once you’ve made your list (and written it down where you’ll see it and not forget it), get some feedback. Find a person you trust, whether that’s a spouse, a close friend, another family member to give you some feedback and hold you accountable. For me, that person is Hubs. He supports me and I know he always has my back. He also knows me well and can help me see areas where I might need to adjust things. He’ll also hold me accountable throughout the year to help keep me on track so that I can accomplish the goals.
(We also work together to make goals for our family and marriage that we work on together, so we each hold one another accountable.)
Sharing your goals with others will increase the likelihood that you’ll actually accomplish them. (And you’ll have a cheerleader along the way with whom you can celebrate all the small victories.)
Get to Work
Lastly, it’s time to get to work. You’ve laid a solid foundation. You know what your priorities are. You know what you’d like to accomplish. You’ve prioritized them and set deadlines for yourself. Your to-do list is full of small actionable steps to get you on your way. You’ve shared them with others and you have people to hold you accountable.
Now, you just have to get it done. And you will. Each day that you faithfully do the mundane, you’re one step closer.
Let’s make this year the best year yet.
I’d love to know how you set your goals for the year. Do you make a list of resolutions? What tools are particularly helpful for you?
This post rocks! I love it Mary, and that part where you broke down the goal vs. the to-do list. Well played (pun). Thanks also for the link to plum paper! I’m a lover of all things paper 😉
Thank you so much! I definitely prefer a good pen and paper list!
You’ve really laid out all the steps here! Awesome job! I’m learning about goals and to-do lists too! I’ve heard it called reverse engineering your goals too. Breaking them down into tiny actionable steps to keep you moving. Considering our season of life is so important too. Between homeschool and a toddler, I’m trying to keep that my priority and be ok with saying that goal just isn’t the right time for me now. It can be Hard for sure. Thank you for sharing with us on Live Life Well.
Thank you! I really like what you said about breaking your goals into actionable steps. That is a great way to keep your goals realistic and to help you know where to start so you can get them done!
This is so awesome! I enjoy goal setting and making changes, but you are so right, thinking about your season and your priorities is so important!
Thank you for all the wonderful tips! And for linking up at #LiveLifeWell!
Blessings,
Amy
I always buy planners with the best intent to use them but somehow I end up with blank ones by the end of the year
I need mine to keep up with everything! Some people use their phones more often though. How do you keep up with all that you have going on?
yes I share my goals with my hubby too!
Oh fun! We make goals together, too!
Great post! This is very useful and love your tips! I actually just came up with a list of my priorities and place one goal in each while writing down the things to do to get there. Like you I am old fashioned in that I love to write things down. I think being able to write something down also makes me accountable. It’s not easy to forget and it’s staring me right in the face! 😀 Bring it on 2018!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Oh, good! I love to write things down and keep it accessible to me – it helps me stay focused, for sure! Wishing you all the best in 2018!
I believe that you make several excellent points here. One of my favorites is making sure that your goal is aligned with your priorities.
Thank you! I think that one is so important to keep your priorities straight and help you focus on the things most important to you!
I lovelovelove that you focus on your priorities and on the season of life that you’re in when creating goals. Such a helpful post!
It’s so important and easy to miss! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Sounds like you’re doing goals the right way! Good luck with your 2018 goals!
Thank you so much! Here’s to making 2018 the best, right?!
Time frames for goals are so important so they don’t get away from you and you can keep track.
Loved this post! Definitely needed to read and I really need to work on my goals for this new year!
Oh, I’m glad you liked it!! It’s not too late to make some goals for this year!
Great post about setting goals just in time for the new year!
Really love these goals and this planner!
Thanks!! I have really enjoyed using this planner so much! I definitely recommend it!
This was so detailed and helpful! Thank you! I adore making lists, schedules, and plans, but often I do it in a random fashion so it’s not a focused as it should be…lol
I totally get that! I make my fair share of simple brain dump lists over here, too!
I love how thought out and detailed this post is! I will definitely refer back to this post again! I really like how you stated that it’s important to be proactive and disciplined with our time – so true!
Thank you so much! I hope you’ll find it helpful when you are working on your goals this year!
This is so spot on! I’ve always set goals that were more like to-do lists and last year was probably the first year that I separated the two and saw so much return! Cute planner too! 🙂
So many people do this. I’m glad you saw some real return in differentiating between the two! It makes such a difference!
Setting goals is so important, and a great way to start the year off! Thank you for sharing all of this helpful information on how to set goals! I shared on twitter and pinned this post. Thank you!
Thank you so much; I agree! I appreciate you sharing this post for others as well!
I love your word for this year! I also have been trying to get priorities/goal in check and invested in a physical planner – I have been using my phone and I think having them written down someplace will help! Cheers to accomplishing all your dreams this year! XO
https://www.theweekenderafashionfieldguide.com
Thank you! I love having a planner to write everything down in – it’s really helpful!
I really love that. When my kids were little, I only used their nap time as my work time. I even blogged right next to my sleeping baby. Haha!
Hi, Mary Leigh.
First of all, I want to greet you a Happy New Year! With all the tech stuff in this generation, I still really prefer the old fashion pen and paper for a planner. You have a great planner! So cute. Great tips!
Thanks for a good look-see into goals that do work. It’s looking to see where you are spending your time and realizing that a lot may be to do’s. I wonder how many to do’s can wait? Thanks for the post – a good one.
This is a real good point to consider what things on our list can wait to be sure we can get to the most important things.
#Goals! I definitely plan to be more goal oriented when it comes to my blog this year. I want to make things happen! Thanks for sharing.
Yes! This is the year! I actually thought of your blog today when I walked past a local restaurant I’ve seen you review!
I love how you’ve broken this down and differentiated between goals and to-do lists. I am totally a paper planner lover myself and I always have notebooks of lists for different things: gratitude journal, scripture journal, blog planner, regular planner, etc. It just makes more sense to me to do it that way.
I have my fair share of notebooks and journals around here, too! Although, I’m trying to keep my regular planner a little more organized this year! So far so good! But, I also have journals for all the other things, too! Makes complete sense!
Great suggestions. You really put things in perspective when you talked about understanding your priorities and where you want your time to be allocated. I’ll be checking out these two books too!
Love those books!! It’s so important to align your goals with your priorities! Really helps create more balance and increase the likelihood of getting your goals accomplished!
Nice article – I find that Goal setting is one of my least favorite yet MOST essential parts of January! Liked it so much I Pinned it too!
It is really important. It feels like a fresh start to me to be able to sit down and make new goals for the year!
This is all wonderful advice. I know I need to focus on using my time wisely. I am definitely a people pleaser. I tend to say yes WAY more than I should, even when I don’t always want to. I think it will help to think about what I will be saying “no” to when I formulation my answers. Thank you for sharing!
Saying no can be such a tough thing to learn, but man, how freeing it can be to identify the things in our life we want to say yes to and no to.
I’m a list maker myself, and I have to write things on paper. Actual paper, not notes in my phone. I think I’ve just tuned out too many phone reminders. I think your point about making goals and then listing the steps to meet those is crucial. I also do much better with firm deadlines.
Yes! I love pen and paper! Setting hard deadlines is a great idea that I am trying to incorporate – especially with my blogging work!
Great tips- I need them! I’m also a pen and paper kinda gal! <3
I’m a pen and paper planner kinda person too 🙂 There’s just something about the paper planner that feels so good about going back to it over and over and doodling out ideas. You make a great point about goals and to-do lists: yes, to-do lists aren’t goals, but they’re definitely a way to help you achieve goals 🙂 Great post!
(PS I like the succulent in your flatlays! 😉 I had a succulent just like that…but I killed it, ha)
I totally agree! And getting to mark things off, add things you didn’t think of before – ah, so much to love about pen & paper! To-do lists are crucial for me over here!
Loved this post, and I love your word for the year. Simplify is one of the best ones I’ve heard yet.
Thank you!! I think it will be so important to us as we transition to a bigger family! Excited for 2018!
I really enjoyed your post. I too like to write things down and I keep a planner that i try to have with me all the time.I also keep a notebook handy and write everything in it too. Not a very organized way to remember things especially when you need to find something from a year ago!
I’m a wife, farmer, blogger and a mom to a 31 year old Autistic son so keeping my planner near by sometimes is a challenge ( he loves to write and draw) lol . I am working on using the online calendar system that I set up last year. I can have it with me all the time that can’t get written in and all the boxes colored in. I did all the hard work of setting it up last year so hopefully this year I can have a successful year using my calendar system. I did a series of posts last year on switching to a computer based calendar system. I still have my planner on my desk and filled in with tasks and goals. It’s not easy changing the way you organize your day.
Love, love, love this! The part at the beginning about differentiating goals and your to do list is crucial – and I sometimes forget it! A well-thought out to do list really is the ticket to accomplishing your goal. And ironically, one of my biggest goals is exactly the same as your example here for setting cleaning routine, so thanks for the ready-made list of action steps! 🙂 So helpful!
I totally agree! Having a good, well thought out to-do list is a great first step! And it’s good to clear out mental clutter too, so you can focus on your tasks – just dump everything on the list and out of your head!
Great post! I love goal making too! I love how you make to do lists to accomplish your goals! I will remember that and may use that strategy with some of them! We sit down as a family and write and talk about our goals for the year in different areas: spiritual, physical, academic/work, and relationships. My kids our only 5 and 8, but we want them to start thinking about this at an early age. 🙂
That is awesome that you involve your kids in making your family goals! They will learn a lot from that, I’m sure as they continue to grow themselves – and what a good way to emphasize to them that family is a team!
I love this!! I too am a pen and paper person. I just started looking into bullet journaling and I am hooked. I’m going to see how I can make it work for my blog planner. But I totally agree your to -do lists should help you accomplish your goals. 🙂
I haven’t even tried bullet journaling, but I’ve heard awesome things about it. Let me know how you like it for blog planning!
What a great explanation! Sometimes it’s easy to make a list but not break it down and make it realistic.
Yes! We need to know exactly what steps we need to take to get our things done – otherwise even the list can be overwhelming!
I’ll be working these next few week on goal setting and this was really helpful! Thanks so much!!
Very good advice. I like that you share that goals aren’t a to-do list. You have to figure out those items you can cross off to reach your specific goal. I do think accountability is a big one for me!
-Lauren
Yes! The action steps on the to-do list are so important to actually accomplishing your goals!
This is a great post as I often have ideas and things I want to achieve but actually sitting down and DOING it is a completely different story. I often haven’t set the foundations down. Great post and thanks for sharing with #bloggersbest xx
These are awesome! I shared it on my social media.
Love this so simple process! I will definitely be applying it to my New Years Resolution!!
I consider myself a decent goal-writer and achiever however, I’ve never really thought about aligning them to my priorities (or titles as you say). I feel like that must really help in streamlining and including a goal in each facet of life.
I think it makes a big difference. Especially because you just can do every single thing. Aligning goals with your priorities helps you identify which things are most important so you can focus there.