Ready to set personal, financial, health, career or other goals for your family for the new year? Try this method, proven to help you succeed + free Family Goal Planning template to get you started!
I don’t know about you, but I never end up keeping my new year’s resolutions. I get all excited about them and really get into whatever my new “thing” is going to be, but by the time February and March roll around, it’s back to the way things were. Old habits die hard I guess!
So instead of making broad new year’s resolutions, I’ve started working on developing specific goals for myself, and my family, to work towards over the entire year. For example, in the past, my goal may have been to “Start working out.” But with my new method of setting goals, it now looks like this:
Goal: “Create a Healthier Lifestyle”
Deadline: Ongoing
Action plan:
- Create weekly meal plan before grocery shopping
- Incorporate a fruit/veggie into every meal
- Take family walk once per week
- Do one workout video/workout class each week (increase over time)
- Take daily vitamin
- Find “me time”
Most people will write down a goal but they don’t necessarily think about what it’s going to take to reach that goal. And it’s been shown that you are more likely to achieve something when you create an action plan, even if it’s flexible and will be changed as needed. It will still provide you with a great foundation!
Another great way to hold yourself accountable is to give yourself a deadline. Now, the scenario above may not be the best example since it’s an ongoing goal, but if I wanted to, I could break the action plan up into separate goals for “Eating Better” and “Working Out” and then set specific deadlines within each of those (i.e. Do a trial Yoga class by January 31, Sign up for new workout class by February 28, etc.)
As we start the new year, I’d encourage you to sit down and work out some goals you have for the next year. Get your family involved too! I’ve created a simple, easy to use Family Goal Planning Worksheet, complete with instructions and an example!
Visit the Printables Library, available exclusively to Messy & Mine subscribers, where you can download the template.
I hope you find this helpful as you create new goals and set yourself up for success in 2018!
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