I said I wasn’t going to make goals for this year, but I changed my mind. I’m allowed to do that, right?
I already knew this, but I was reminded recently that my personality thrives on detailed goals. And since I’m really hoping that this is the year we get out of survival mode, I went ahead and wrote out some ideas. The idea is that by writing them out (and making them visible) I’ll make some sort of forward progress, even if I don’t complete everything.
So here are my 2016 goals:
Financial
- Pay off our USAA credit card
- Continue debt snowball
- Make monthly budgets
Home
- Declutter/KonMari the entire house
- Fully decorate & set up the master bedroom
Family
- Have the kids spend the night with grandparents at least once per month
- Write love notes to David
- Start traditions to celebrate small holidays and the entire church year
Health
- Move more (ideas: weekly yoga, daily small challenges, getting 10,000 steps)
- Eat less sweets
- Drink more water
Personal
- Read 45 books
- Have a daily quiet time habit
- Find a mantra to keep me from snapping in times of stress
Not all of these are measurable, I know. I am still in the process of figuring out how I want to go about some of them, but I wanted to write down the ultimate goals anyway. If you have any ideas for me I’d love to hear! And I’ll try my best to update on my progress throughout the year.
From Nora:
I like the love notes for David idea! I leave notes for Knight a few times a week, sometimes reminders (don’t forget your lunch!” with lots of hearts and x’s and o’s), sometimes little schmoopy things. I wasn’t sure if he cared but recently when cleaning I found a stack of them in his drawer, so I guess he does :) My trick is to leave post-its and pens near the table where we keep our keys so that I can jot one in the morning!
From Stephany:
I like your goals! I know avid goal-setters would advise against a goal that can’t be precisely measured (i.e., eat less sweets), but sometimes, goals work better when they are more of a guideline, less of something to be checked off. Some weeks you’ll eat less sweets, others you may not – but ultimately, you’re working toward this goal!
Tips, hmm… I would suggest taking this list and breaking it down into some quarterly goals: what do you want to focus on over the next 3 months? Then, once you’ve figured that out, break it down into actionable, monthly steps. Then you’ll have a plan!
That’s what I’m doing this year, so I can’t tell you if it will help me be more or less successful than previous years. Time will tell!
From Delaney:
I love a good goals list! I’d suggest using the Elise Joy goal tracker for anything daily – there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the dots line up! Kelsey Especially has a great series of posts about her debt repayment methods that you might find helpful! And I’m using the Good Reads app to track my reading goal – I love scanning books in, and marking them as complete and seeing your tally rise is awesome. If you download the app, let me know and we can keep each other accountable! xo
From San:
I like your goals. Would love to hear more about the monthly budget (we’re doing that too!) and I love the idea of the love notes (should implement that!) .
I am impressed with your reading. Between a job, kids, husband and all the crafting, I don’t know how you will fit in 45 books (but I love the idea of it!).
From Melissa:
Great goals Kathleen! I also that the goal of sprucing up on master bedroom. It’s sad and neglected and I just want it to be a visually appealing and welcoming space (a master bedroom retreat!) The spend the night at the grandparents will be so good for you – a break is always helpful!!!