My Goals…Why do I set them? Why do I share them here?
- Setting goals helps me remain focused.
- Sharing my goals helps to hold me accountable.
- I hope that it may inspire you to set goals for yourself? Give it a try! Start small if it seems overwhelming or like too much work. Or maybe it seems pointless to you? Give it a shot and see what you think.
Are you new to goal setting? Here are a few posts that may help or inspire you:
- How to Set Goals using Short Challenges and Mini Goals
- How Short Challenges and Mini Goals Work for Me
- One Simple Task to Help You Follow Through On Your Goals
Record kiddo bedtime – Goal: 8:00
May: Goal time was 8:15 and she was in bed around 8:15-8:30 for most of May. A few months ago we had been dealing with major 3 year-old meltdowns, partially due to her lack of sleep. I felt responsible to work on this! We have made sleep more of a priority with her and I don’t feel like this is an issue anymore.
June: No goal.
Record my wake-up & bedtimes
May: Why do I even bother?? My wake-up goal was 6 AM and my bedtime goal was 11:30 PM. The girls have still been up way more than usual in the night, but I am also part of the problem. I am just terrible at going to bed at a decent time!!
June: I enjoy the morning time when I am up before my girls, so I really want to get back to the 6 AM wake-up. Creating an early morning wake-up habit was partially my inspiration for starting this blog. (Read my Early Morning Summary here.)
I had always wanted to get up early and enjoy some quiet time before the day starts. I found some of my inspiration to just get it done from Crystal at moneysavingmom.com. She has been committed to how she spends the first two hours of her day since she was eleven. She runs a successful online business and homeschools her three children, but still manages to have time for working out, reading, maintaining her home and close friendships and more. She has great tips for time management and also keeping the important things in life front and center. Many of her blog posts helped me to motivate me to wake up before my girls each day.
She is offering an online course called Make Over Your Mornings and one of my June goals is to complete the course and then set new bedtime and wake-up times.
Bonus: She will be donating 25% of ALL direct purchases on Tuesday to her ministry in South Africa. This is one of reasons I enjoy her site, she uses her talents and money to serve.
Computer shut-down
May: My goal was 11:00. EVERY night. I didn’t do it every night, but May was most definitely my best month by far! I had the computer off most nights by 11.
June: The Make Over Your Mornings course has a section on evening routines, and I have a feeling that this will be a part of it! I’ll shoot for 11, until I decide differently after taking the course.
God’s Word
May: I continued to read from my NIV Mom’s Devotional Bible* or another devotional. My goal was to read my devotion first thing in the morning at least 5 days a week. I did this all weeks but one. It’s the perfect way to get my morning started off right!
June: Read my devotion first thing in the morning at least 5 days a week.
Books
May: I read a few books.
Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches
This book is a gem! I thought that it would be a quick collection of thoughts from a mom of littles. It was much more. It was an encouraging and humorous book (even my husband found humor in a story or two of hers). I had no idea that there would be so much to reflect on. I was convicted in some areas and encouraged in others. I will be reading the book again.
Why Just Survive When You Can Thrive
Read my review here.
The 21-Day Sugar Detox: Bust Sugar & Carb Cravings Naturally
No, I’m not getting rid of sugar. Impossible and unnecessary! I would like to cut back on it though. I used this book and also another book I’m currently reading (I Quit Sugar: Your Complete 8-Week Detox Program and Cookbook
June: Read 2 books
Screen time
May: We have been outside more, so it’s much easier to get rid of my phone and enjoy playing outside with my girls!
June: Continue to focus on extended non-screen time, especially when hanging out at home with my girls. Spending more time outside should make this an easier goal for me.
Exercise
May: I met my goal for every week, but one. We had a family wedding and that week was busier than usual. I also completed The Balanced Life’s Pilates Summer Series. I enjoyed mixing up my workouts using this series of free daily short pilates videos.
June: Cardio (running or elliptical) – 3 days per week at minimum. Burpees, core work, or pilates/yoga video on non-cardio days. Hopefully at least a few of the cardio days will be a run outside.
Weekly “date” night with hubby
May: A weekly movie, game or date night was not realistic in May. My goal is once in May. Fail.
June: We will try again in June.
Organize, Declutter, Simplify
May: We have a spare bedroom that goes back and forth between a guest bedroom and a dumping ground for stuff without a home. It’s time consuming to constantly be shuffling the same items around the house. I set a simple, very low goal around this one. 5 items per day: Move item to a real home, throw away or donate.
I did this until the room got fairly clean and uncluttered. More random items are slowly creeping back in…I need to figure out how to stay on top of this.
12 weeks and 12 baby steps to your decluttered home – Join Uncluttered
June: Pack up & drop off at least 2 bags of clothing and such at Goodwill. List 5 more items on ebay or sell clothing with Twice.
New June Goals
- Garden: Our garden didn’t thrive last summer, so I want to stay on top of it this year. Gardening is still fairly new to me so I want to take the time to research how best to tend the garden.
- Make Over Your Mornings Course
Onto the blogging goals…
Blog Goals
- Getting better at planning ahead and scheduling out posts: I did much better in May! Continue in June.
- Improve categorization and improve site navigation: Work in progress.
- Prioritize blog tasks so I’m spending my time wisely.
- I was recently invited to be a part of the Tuesday Talk Link Party. I am excited to join this great community of bloggers. I would like to help the group grow the Link Party. {If you are a blogger, stop by my site Tuesday morning at 7 AM central to link up!}
Do you make monthly goals? Feel free to link to your June goals in a comment. I enjoy reading goal lists. I find encouragement hearing what others are desiring to focus on.
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Tayrina says
Nice!!! I do this too! Thanks for sharing. Blessigns
W/Love
Tayrina from TGAWrites
Jill Foley says
I loved having goals to work towards this month…I’ll be updating my progress later this week, with new goals for June. Thanks for the inspiration.
admin says
Feel free to add your link here once you have posted your goals!
Cynthia says
I love this!
Suzie says
I think setting Goals are so very important. I have never shared them at my blog before I will say. Found you today at Proverbs 31!
admin says
I feel more accountable once they are published here. :)
Stacey says
Great goals! I’ve started listing out my goals to because being specific helps me stay focused, but I realize by looking at yours that I’m not quite there yet. I’ve been saying, I want to get rid of the stuff we don’t use in this area, instead of spelling out how.
admin says
Do whatever works for you!
Deborah says
Thank you for sharing your goals–my favorite part is where you give the status update of your goals for last month. I think it’s so important to find real people (who don’t always hit the mark) out in blog land. Appreciate you “keeping it real.”
Blessings,
admin says
Maybe someday I will actually meet my bedtime goal and get to bed at a decent hour. I think I will always be “keeping it real” with continuously missing the mark on that one. :) Thanks for stopping by, Deborah!
Beth says
Great job! As long as I can mark off at least half of my goals I am thrilled.
I still say I hate burpees, lol.
I bet recording bed times is pretty interesting. The kids are pretty consistent around here. Me… not so much.
admin says
I am with you. Well, recording my bedtime is actually pretty consistent. It’s always about 30 minutes to an hour after I would really like to be in bed. :)
You would not believe how proud I am when I go to bed before 11.
Lisa Kniebe says
This is a really inspiring post, I like the way you have reviewed how the goals went! Do you break this down any further? For example the Date Night goal didn’t work out in May, do you reflect on what the barrier is to achieving this and then modify the goal to make it more achievable? I am going to take your goal setting format on board on a monthly basis as I think it’s a great way to take stock and see what’s working and what’s not. Thanks for sharing #wineddown
admin says
Yes, some goals I reflect on and modify. Some goals I just keep trying though…
Thanks for stopping by!
Stasia says
I always love setting goals and it seems like you have great ones!!!
Heather Creekmore says
Very inspiringI was just posting on social media about how important it is to have goals for our summers that are beyond “look better in a bathing suit!”
Thanks for sharing yours!
admin says
Yes. I agree!
Thanks for stopping by.
Lvoe says
This is so inspiring! I need to start writing my goals out!
Brita Long says
Gardening isn’t one of my specific goals, but I did start a small container garden last week! I’m starting small, with plants that supposedly hard to kill. My houseplants are aloe and chrysanthemums, both of which should help with indoor air quality. My outdoor plants are bell peppers, two types of basil, peppermint, and a citronella plant to help with the bugs at night.
admin says
Have you had luck with citronella keeping the bugs away? I bought a lemon grass plant for the same purpose, but I have no idea if it will work!
Terri Presser says
Thank you for sharing your goals with us at Good Morning Mondays.I too enjoy reading how you have gone. I have had a 5:15 wake up time and it was going well but I have been so tired the last couple of weeks that I have really lost the plot, working to get it all together again. Thanks for the encouragement. Blessings
admin says
5:15 is impressive! I would love to get to 5:30 someday…but probably never earlier.
Jennifer A says
I loved your list of goals! I also just had to comment on the book Loving the Little Years, it really is a gem. I have quoted that book so many times, especially the line “I was such a good Christian when I was single.” So much truth there! And grace for us to be imperfect while we are being transformed. Love that little book!
admin says
Ha! Yes. And her story about trying to wake her husband when nursing the twins was just hilarious!
Jessi Fearon (@TheBudgetMama) says
I love Crystal’s Make Over Your Mornings course! It has definitely helped me get back into my early morning routine. :) I love following along with your progress Emily and I already love the tweaks that you’ve made to your site! :)
admin says
Thanks for your encouragement Jessi!!
Janeen says
I’ve been wondering about that Loving the Little years book. She has a newer one out now too! I’ll have to check it out.
admin says
I have the new one on my bookshelf also. I’m excited to read it!
Roz K. Walker @ Goodbye Boss Hello Kids says
Stopping by from Mom Blog Party. I love setting goals. It keeps me motivated. Wishing you the best on reaching your goals for the month!
Cathy says
LOVE this! My goals almost look like a reflection of yours! Exercise, God’s Word, shutting off the computer at 11 every night, date nights, yep I sure am right there with you! :-) Thank you so much for sharing this on Making Memories Mondays! :-)
Cathy
admin says
I hope you are better at shutting the computer off. I’m getting better though…
Thanks for stopping by!
Debbie Rodrigues says
I like the idea of setting a time to turn off the computer. I need that too.
#SundaySmallVictories
admin says
It’s a good idea. I am not always good at it though! I hope you have better luck than I do some nights. :)
Liz says
I like your goals! I find writing my goals down as well is an excellent motivator. I am good at setting goals for blog and myself but not my family. I am hoping start with some goal setting for my girls when school starts up in August.
admin says
Good luck getting your girls to set goals. Get them started early! :)
SMD @ Life According to Steph says
Thanks for linking up!
Great job with your goals. I’d also like to reset my go to sleep / wake up clock.
Stephanie says
I am so not a morning person, even though everyone says it’s beneficial! I just can’t seem to do it.
the 21 day sugar fix book is on my list, how did you like it? Is it worth it to read, even if you don’t plan on totally cutting sugar?
Good luck in June!
admin says
It took me a long time to finally become a morning person, but now I love the morning time to myself! I don’t think I’ll be going back anytime soon.
I think it’s worth the read, as there are recipes and other tips. I probably wouldn’t purchase it though. I just got it from the library.
Jennifer @ A Divine Encounter says
Being organized with goals is a great way to maintain proper focus on our true priorities. Thank you for linking with us at Grace & Truth!
admin says
Very true. Thanks for stopping by!
Tammy @ creativekkids says
I bought the make over mornings course–and still have to finish it! I’ve been staying up way too late as it has been a crazy few weeks for me! I would like to get to bed earlier and wake up earlier. You sound like you are doing great!