5 Steps to Help You Set Goals as a Busy Mom

I love the fresh start of new years. I told my husband that the week after Christmas is one of my favorite weeks of the year. I love the coziness of it all. I love the family time we have at home while the Christmas decorations are still up. I love reflecting on the previous year and dreaming about the possibilities of the new year. I love setting my mom goals for the new year.

Here is something I have noticed. Many moms are nervous about setting big goals for themselves. Why is that? I think we get so wrapped up in our family that we often forget to focus on ourselves. It’s easier to dream about what we want and focus on the day to day realities of life. Every mom is a busy mom! I get that. Yet, we are so much happier when we have dreams of our own. Just because you are a mom doesn’t mean you have to trade in all your own dreams!

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This is my reminder that we shouldn’t be afraid to dream big. Moms need to dream just like everyone else! Sometimes our lives are so wrapped up in the busy day to day of raising children and running a household that we can lose sight of our dreams. It’s never too late to claim a dream of your own.

As we begin a new year, here are 5 steps to help you clarify your Mom goals.

1. Make a list of everything you would like to achieve this year.

Go ahead and list anything and everything. No goal is off limits when you are brainstorming! Losing the baby weight, paying off debt, saving cash for a new car, going on a family vacation, getting caught up on photo books, having a cash Christmas, reading a certain number of books…anything at all is allowed in the brainstorm process.

This is your time to really dream big. Areas to consider include personal, family, work, home, financial and child related. If it is a dream or goal of yours, now is the time to write it down.

Set aside a half hour of uninterrupted time, grab a piece of chocolate, get a blank sheet of paper or open a blank document on your phone and start your list. Don’t edit yourself at this point. If it is in your head, write it down.

2. Narrow down your big dreams into the most important goals. 

After you have a list of all your big dreams, now is the time to turn those dreams into clear goals. All the wishes in the world mean nothing if we don’t set a goal to reach our dreams. 

Moms have so much demanding our time, I recommend choosing only 3 to 5 goals to focus on. Look through your list and pick the most important ones as your goals for the year. What will produce the most change if you tackle them this year?

Also, I believe it is important to choose goals you are actually excited about achieving. Yes, there are many things we should do but if we’re not excited and motivated to work towards that goal it won’t happen. I can make running 3 times a week a goal of mine every year and it will never happen because I just don’t like running. Instead, I choose to focus on goals that excite me – goals that I am eager to achieve.

To further focus, I like to break my goals into 3 categories – personal (family related), financial (often saving more for a big goal) and professional (blogging). Within each of those categories, I chose 1 or 2 goals for the year. I tend to be overly ambitious when it comes to setting goals so this helps me focus on the most important goals. (More on my own goals to come later this week.)

3. Set specific goals and include the steps you will take to get there.

Think of it as making an outline. Once you have your big goal, start listing ways you will get there. How are you going to get there? When are you going to work on this goal?

For example, if you are going to save cash for a new car, how much do you want to save? By what date? How are you going to save that money? Are you earning more or spending less? Big goals will fail if you don’t have actions to accompany them. 

If you have a big goal for the entire year, consider breaking it down into smaller monthly goals – or even weekly ones. These smaller steps can serve as check points to keep you on track.

4. Write it down.

Putting your goals in writing gives you accountability. 

I like to record everything in my bullet journal (and here’s a glimpse inside). Actually, I do all of my goal setting in my bullet journal. I brainstorm and then narrow it down. I set goals and give myself benchmarks on those goals. I actually start each year with a specific goals page. This keeps me focused throughout the year.

You may have heard me say this before but my bullet journal has proven to be a great motivator in helping me reach my goals. Why? I think it’s because I finally have one place to record everything. Everything that is related to my goals, finances, family and daily life is all in one place – my bullet journal.

I seriously think every busy mom needs a bullet journal. This is, without a doubt, the best planner I have ever found.

5. Take action now.

Now that you have done the work of setting your big goals, it is time to take action. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Start now.

Do something every day to make progress towards your goals. 

Baby steps are okay. You won’t make huge strides towards your goals every day. Just keeping moving forward and don’t give up. It is easy to get discouraged. If you have an off day (or week), give yourself permission to start fresh. Look back at your original goals and start again. This is your year to do big things!

Bonus Step: Remember your why. 

Knowing the why of your goals gives you purpose. It motivates you.

Why is it so important to hustle at that side job? So you can keep staying home with your kids and don’t have to go back to an away from home job.

Why is it important to pay off your credit card debt? So you can actually save for future big goals and not max out your credit card again.

Why do you want to earn enough to pay cash for a car? So you don’t have to go into debt and stress an already tight budget.

There is a why to every question. Take the time to define your why and remember it – especially on the tough days. 

Are you ready to dream big? Are you excited to tackle some of your mom goals this year? You are amazing and I know you will do great things! Feel free to share one of your goals in the comments below. I’d love to hear!