I love Christmas, but as soon as the day is past, I am ready to get organized for the new year. In the past, I would wait until New Year's Day to put away the Christmas ornaments. This year, by the Monday following Christmas I had put away my decorations, organized the school baskets and painted a new-used table for our school area.
The downside of all this productivity was that by New Year's Eve, instead of feeling all festive, I cuddled up in a cozy sweater, hardly bothered to apply makeup and showed up at a party for just a couple hours before heading back home to bed. I was even a little taken aback when I arrived at my fellow homeschool mom's house for the party and saw her looking beautiful and bedazzled, complete with lipstick and a sparkly sweater. I think the premature start on New Years productivity completely sapped my party spirit. Note to self, give yourself a little time for fun.
I am still loving the system taught by Colleen Adams which you can find explained in detail here. The short story is that, instead of trying to make A, B and C goals, or just a big list of general goals for the year, Colleen's method has you break down your goal setting into eight different areas. Also, instead of making goals for the whole year, these goals are meant to be for a shorter time period, such as three months.
The goals I set don't always turn into habits; I may have to keep rewording some of the ones that are the most difficult for me to become consistent in. Exercise, for instance, is just so easy to relegate to a low place after laundry and social media. That is why it keeps getting put back on the list. The upside is that bed making and closet organization are becoming consistent so that they can be dropped from the list.
Making goals and working towards them, while remaining flexible to the Holy Spirit, is one small step towards an orderly life and a civilized world.
As a starting point for your 2015 goal setting, I have included my goals for the first three months of the year, in each of eight areas.
1. Self Care
Exercise 5 days a week
Drink 6 glasses of water per day
2. Spiritual Life
Daily Bible copy-work
Spend first 30 minutes of the day in prayer and Bible study
3. Intellect/Emotions
(for me right now, these are some goals with my kids)
Weekly nature walk and journaling
Teach chore consistency with children
4. Relationships
Weekly date with my honey
Work on eye contact with my children
(I do a lot of listening while working, but kids need eye contact)
5. Time Management
No phone/computer until priorities 1, 2 and 3 are done
Family Bible time by 8:30 a:m
6. Nest Management
Monthly deep cleaning
Library redo (tile, flooring, window)
7. Uniquely You
(This might mean weekly pedicures, or more time spent on self care,
but those aren't my top priorities right now)
Weekly blog post
Improve photography
8. Financial Stewardship
Make a list of accounts
Make some money
God has plans and purposes for each one of us, and as we seek His face, He will give us inspiration about those priorities that He wants us to focus on.
After you write down your purposes for the year, be sure and find some friends to share them with so that you can encourage each other to pursue the dreams that God has put in your hearts.
The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord: and he delighteth in his way
Psalm 37:23
A few other resources for goal setting-
and linking up here for many more goal setting resources.
