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3 Tips for Creating Balanced Goals

It’s a brand new year and we moms are oftentimes considering how we can jump start our year with newer (and sometimes shinier) goals. With all we have to do to balance- kids and family, school, work, and all the extras we do to make it all happen- it can be pretty intimidating to come up with some resolutions and goals for the new year that we know we can keep. If you’re anything like me, you might make a few resolutions in January that fade into the distance come March.

goals for the new year
photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One thing I’ve learned through many years of failed resolutions is that SOME of my resolutions actually do work for me- and those are the ones that were:

  1. easily attainable
  2. short term goals, and
  3. easily measurable

If I can’t put a measurement on it (like “I will learn three new crockpot recipes by the end of February” or “I’ll create 1 blog printable by the end of each month”), then it just won’t be as likely to get done.

Here are some extra tips I’ve been using to help me stay on task with my upcoming goals for the new year.

1.) Reflect on the past. By that I mean I am considering many things I’ve done in the past year that need to be changed or things that I need to stop doing.  Anything that feels like too much of a struggle or just plain old bad timing gets thrown out for the new so I can focus on new goals.

2.) Set your goals in place.  This tip is an absolute must for me.  Writing down my goals sets my creativity into motion and makes it more concrete.  I can easily come up with new goals, and in my excitement I think those goals might be doable.  But once I start to write them down, I start to see right away which goals I’ve aspired to that are reasonable and which are not. Writing them down also gives me the extra push I need to start making action-based steps in setting my goals into motion.  Our families need us in so many ways, and being just a little bit prepared with a goal or two can help us succeed in changes that need to be made.

3.) Secure accountability. I always like to either ask a friend to check in on me to see how my goals are going or to place my goals in a visible location (like the fridge or in my family notebook) so others can see what I’m trying to accomplish.  Hearing an occasional “How’s it going with your online business goals?” or “How’s that weekly menu planning coming along?” always motivates me to stay on task, plus it gives me a chance to vent a little to compassionate ears.

From planning our housekeeping or creating a new meal planning system, to setting homeschool goals, we moms definitely have a task ahead of us to keep it all in balance.  The good news is that with a little pre-planning, we’ll start to see progress.  And hopefully by mid-March we’ll still be able to see our resolutions take some shape.

How about you?  What are some of your goals for the new year and how do you plan to stay motivated?

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