Are We Still on Track?

Well, here we are.

We are more than two-thirds of the way through January.

And if you are anything like me, you are still catching yourself dating checks with the year 2011.

As a teacher in a school, I have the unique perspective of the New Year being both a new beginning and a continuation. And, if you think about it, isn’t that what life is?

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The calendar page didn’t switch over to 2012 and in doing so eradicate everything that went before.

Thank goodness, right?

We learned some amazing lessons last year, and accomplished some awesome goals!

The benefit of the calendar year being at odds with the school year calendar are the same benefits that we see in participating in 3in30 every month. One month draws to a close, we evaluate and we set new goals.

The things that I have learned in participating in the 3in30 challenges have shed some light on some personality ~~defects~~ quirks that I was previously unaware of…

In setting goals, I have to seriously consider the time of year.

As a mom that works full time outside of the home, I don’t have a lot of time for housework. While this might seem like a perfect place for a 3 in 30 goal, I soon realized that I have to be very careful with how I word these goals.

If it requires action every single day? I am sunk.

Staying on top of parenting my two boys solo in the evenings (did I mention that during the school year my husband and I are on opposite work schedules?) sometimes take every ounce of energy that I have left.

A STRESSFULL DAY © Dreamstime.com Agency | Dreamstime.com

If I then have to try to muster the strength to sweep my floor one more time, there are days that it would reduce me to tears, and a defeated state.

At which point, I undoubtedly turn to ice cream and the internet.

And since one of my goals is usually based around eating healthier, you can see that this scenario isn’t all that it is cracked up to be.

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Right here, right now – two-thirds of the way through the first month of 2012 is the perfect time to evaluate – make sure that we are still on track and headed in the direction that we need to be going to achieve our goals and live the best life possible.

Because that is why we do this.

To be intentional with our time, and take control of our lives.

Three goals, thirty days at a time.

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How to set SMART Goals

Developing a Personal Mission Statement to Accomplish Goals

Goals versus Resolutions

Have You Hit the Slump?

It’s inevitable.

We start the school year with a renewed determination: to lose weight, to cook at home more, to save money, to grow spiritually, to read more books, to show patience…the list goes on and on.

We start off, and we’re doing so well. We’re excited about our efforts and it’s easy to work hard toward our goals.

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And then…it hits.

We get tired, and worn out, and we start slacking off. We hit the fall slump, and we don’t want to push toward self-discipline anymore.

Ok, so we’ve admitted that this fall slump is a definite possibility. For you, it might come earlier in the year, or it might be a little later. But the point is that there is going to a time (probably sooner than later) when you just aren’t as motivated in your goals.

So, what do we do to keep ourselves ready to press on?

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Here are just a few thoughts I’ve had–I would love to hear yours!

make some smaller goals. Now is a great time to break your goals down even smaller if you can–this way, they’re more manageable during this time when the “I don’t want to’s” hit (and when the busy season of the holidays comes!).
prepare. Take some time right now to think about your goals, and list out any things you could do to prepare yourself for when the slump hits. For example, know that you’re really trying to work on cooking more at home, but also realize that you’re so busy during this season you won’t have much time? Make some freezer meals, use your crockpot, or spend one day a week cooking so that you don’t have to the other days. Whatever your goal is, find a way to do some prep work for the times you’ll be busy.
remind yourself of how far you’ve come. Progress is an incredible motivator, so take some time to go back and review yours!
find something to keep you accountable. Maybe you find a partner who reminds you you’re working on patience, maybe you find an app that helps you track your calories or your exercises, maybe you utilize a meal planning program. Whatever your goal is, find something to keep you accountable.
allow yourself some grace. I’m not saying to think that it’s okay to slack off, but I am saying to be patient with yourself. Be satisfied with teeny-tiny steps or maintaining when things get difficult, and then pick up the pace once your motivation increases!

What are your best tips for avoiding the fall slump (or any slump for that matter)? What is one thing you can do right now to help yourself to avoid the slump, or to help yourself get out of the slump? We’d love to hear your answers in the comments!

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10 Tips for Setting Reasonable Goals

Getting Started with Goals

How to Break Bigger Goals into Smaller Goals

Organizing and Goal Setting

Organizing is The Job I Hate the Most. Unfortunately, with a small house and three small children, organizing is something I constantly need to do!

Recently I decided that my 3in30 goal of re-arranging the bedrooms (so that Su has her own room, the boys have their own room, and our bedroom gets combined with the office) was just too big a task. I decided to call in a friend (actually a couple of friends) and spend some time goal setting beforehand in order to maximize our organizing time.

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I’m spending time this week figuring out the following and setting goals accordingly:

How will each room be used?
Who will primarily use each room, and what changes should we make to accommodate them?
(for instance I’ll be installing shower curtain rods in the children’s closets so they can hang up their own clothes)
What additional furniture do we need and what can I pass on to someone else?
What things do we use the most (for school, for sewing, arts and crafts, etc.)?

I’ve made several lists and am now trying to refine them so that the available time (about three hours) can be used as efficiently as possible.

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I’m convinced that the right organizational scheme will result in less cleaning up to do, and I also know that I’m not the person to find the right organizational scheme!

I want to have all of the information thought through ahead of time so that my helpers will be able to understand how and when we use both the available space and the things in the space.

Information gathering should always be the first step of goal setting… without good information we can’t really decide what goals we should set or in what order.

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Information gathering and setting goals is my task for this week. Next week the goal is to actually move furniture and organize things, and the following week will be spent first identifying the details that need to be tightened up and then tightening them as needed. Hopefully this won’t actually take 30 days, but if it does I’m not worried since I don’t want to have to do it again any time soon!

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How to set SMART Goals

10 Tips for Setting Reasonable Goals

Getting Started with Goals

How to Break Bigger Goals into Smaller Goals

One of the most asked questions in the 3in30 Challenge is how to break bigger goals into smaller goals. I searched the web for answers, and I found some great advice on Life as Mom…

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“To get healthy” can be my goal, but that’s rather vague. To take it further, I need to break it down into smaller, bite-size pieces. Here are some steps I’ve identified for myself as some to take toward my goal this year.

Make the dr. appt and go.
Get to bed by 10 every night.
Take a regular supplement.
Drink more water.
Start exercising.
Eliminate processed sugars.

Calling for a doctor’s appointment is an easy thing to do — and so much less intimidating than “getting healthy.” I can do that!

Since I think so much better on paper than I do in my head, I created a worksheet to help me break down the different steps of my goals. I also included a space for “resources to make it happen.” For instance, I need childcare so I can be free to go to the dr. This helps me think through my goal and how to achieve it. It also gives me a nudge to seek out those resources.

{Read the rest of the post and get a FREE Goal Setting form: http://lifeasmom.com/2010/12/new-years-goals-a-free-planning-sheet.html}

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Jessica, author of Life as Mom, has put together a great eBook to help you organize your life as a mom:

Here’s what you get in the 173 pages of Organizing Life as MOM:

exercises to guide you in refining your goals as a mother or family manager
inspiration to simplify and focus on the most important things in your life
real life help in organizing your different roles and responsibilities
118 printable pages to help you keep track of all the comings and goings of your household
fillable forms to tailor to your needs and your home
tips for putting together a household notebook

Get YOUR eBook today: Organizing Life as Mom

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What goals are you looking to break down?

What smaller steps can you identify that can become
those “bite-sized goals” we’re talking about?

Share your thoughts in the comments…

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Jessica provided me with a free copy of her eBook for review, and I loved it so much I wanted to share it with the 3in30 Challenge participants! Affiliate links are included in this post.

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10 Tips for Setting Reasonable Goals

Getting Started with Goals

Have You Hit the Slump?

Getting Started with Goals

“Setting goals is more than deciding what you want to do. It involves figuring out what you need to do to get where you want to go. And how long it will take you to get there.” (Source)

The first task in developing goals is to determine what you want to do. Think of the “big picture” in this step.

Is there an area in your life that you’d like to see improvement in?
Do you have a skill you’d like to learn?
Is there a character quality you’d like to possess?
Are you looking to grow in an area of knowledge?

If you’re like me, this list might be overwhelming - too many goals, no clue how to see any of them to fruition, too ambitious, etc. If this is the case, you need to categorize your goals and prioritize the order in which you would like to see them realized.

Others of you may be underwhelmed, staring at a blank sheet of paper. If this is you, I’d encourage you to find a friend to bounce around ideas. Maybe you can walk around your house with a pad of paper and pause in each room to reflect on the activities that take place there. If you are still looking for inspiration, take a few minutes to read through some of the other 3 in 30 participants lists and “borrow” their ideas!

Next, you need to break that goal into smaller pieces. Break the goal into stair steps – create a SMART goal for each of the steps. These SMART goals will build upon one another to help you reach the big picture goal.