I don’t know about you but there is something about switching the calendar to a new year that ignites a flame inside of me and causes me to want to set new goals and form new rhythms. Maybe it’s the Enneagram 3 in me, but I really love starting from scratch every year. When I make goals, I am well aware of the fact that I may not (and often don’t!) reach all of them…but they at least give me a place to start and something to focus on so that I’m working toward something each year.
Today I am going to let you into my goal setting process, a process that has been my tried-and-true go to for the last 7 years. I want you to leave this post feeling excited and empowered to make 2020 your best year yet! Ready to get started? Here’s what you’ll need:
1. Posterboard (you can use printer paper if necessary) x 4
2. Sharpies
3. A calender
4. Trello (if you want to get serious and go the extra mile)
Step 1 – Pull out your posterboard and make a long line down the middle and the a line across the top. In the top left box write “What worked” and in the top right box write “What didn’t.” Begin to brain dump your thoughts in the large boxes below of what worked and what didn’t in your personal life, business, parenting, marriage, social life, etc. WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING. Take a solid 10 min to do this, at least, and really think through every area. How did your meals go this year? What about working out? Commute to work? Reading time? Time with friends? Budget? Time spent on social media? What were your stressors and what brought you peace and joy? Put all of this into one of those two boxes
Step 2 – Get another piece of posterboard. Look over your list of what worked and what didn’t, and start making goals based on those. Did you love the game nights you had in 2019? Make it a goal to do one a month in 2020. Did you feel like the time spent in your car on the way to and from work was wasted time? Look into a bus pass. Are you disappointed with how little you read in 2019? Get a subscription to Audible and begin to listen to books during commutes, while making dinner, etc. As you are making your goals, make sure they are SMART goals. S- Specific. M- Measurable. A- Achievable. R- Realistic. T- Time bound. What are you biggest goals for 2020? What are your goals that remedy your 2019 struggles?
Step 3 – As best as possible, divide them in 3-6 categories. Here are some category ideas: Finances, Spirituality, Health, Recreation, Family, Relationships, Community, Giving/Contribution, Hobbies, Relaxation, Travel, Personal Development, Parenting, Marriage.
Step 4 – Once you’ve organized your goals into categories, make a document to keep them all in front of you daily. You can use another piece of posterboard and hang it in your laundry area or somewhere inconspicuous that you see often, but isn’t and eye sore in your home. If you are tech savvy, you can create a pretty graphic in Photoshop or on an app like Over or Canva. If you go the latter route, make it digital and put it as your phone wallpaper or computer desktop background. I like to print mine out and hang it on my office wall, and then make a visual graphic of my biggest goals for my phone screen…but that’s a bit extra.
Step 5 – Go the extra mile by organizing your tangible goals by timeframe through Trello. If you’ve never used Trello, it can be your best friend for keeping your home and life organized. Sign up to get a free account, and then use this board to organize your goals by quarter.
Step 6 – Revisit your goals often. Check in monthly or quarterly. Give yourself grace – if you wanted to read one book a month and realize in April you’ve only read 1 total, that’s ok! Your goals give you something to aim toward, they aren’t written in blood and there is no penalty for not hitting some or all of them. In fact, I flopped so miserably on my 2018 goals (pregnancy will do that to ya!) that I added most of them to my 2019 goals list. There are quite a few from this year that I didn’t hit, so those will go back on my 2020 list.
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