Moms don’t need New Year resolutions.
It’s true. They don’t.
There, you can breathe a sigh of relief now. Because if we’re all being honest, I think 95% of us can admit that while we may make resolutions with the best intentions, we hardly ever follow through with them.
Why is that?
Why can’t we set a resolution at the beginning of the year, and accomplish it in the next 365 days?
The answer: Resolutions are wishful thinking.
Resolutions don’t get things done. Making a resolution names what you want to do or accomplish, but it doesn’t set a plan to get there. Instead, it leaves you with this huge task to get done with a specific outcome, but no idea how to get there.
I don’t believe moms need New Year resolutions. They need goals.
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Moms Don’t Need New Year Resolutions, They Need Goals
Here’s the part where you’re probably thinking, “aren’t resolutions and goals the same thing?”
In short, no. A resolution is a decision to do something.
A goal is a specific thing you want to do or accomplish, but it has a key component that resolutions do not. A goal has a plan.
Without a plan of how you are going to get from point A to point B, you will never reach your desired destination.
So no, moms do not need New Year resolutions. They do not need a wishy washy idea of something they want to do with no plan to get there. They don’t need the pressure of wanting to fulfill a resolution, but having no idea how.
Moms don’t need to reach the end of the year only to be disappointed when they realize they failed to fulfill their resolution.
Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means saying moms shouldn’t aspire to do things or desire to grow in a certain area.
But I am saying that a resolution will not get you there.
Moms Need Goals
I think just about everyone knows that moms are very busy people.
Stay-at-home moms, working moms, single moms, married moms, young moms, older moms. We’re all busy with life, raising our kids, and managing our homes.
That’s why making a New Year resolution without a plan of action doesn’t work for moms. We don’t have a ton of free time to be sitting around and thinking, “oh yeah, I should go work on that resolution I made.”
No. If moms have any free time at all, it’s spent relaxing and taking a few minutes to recharge and take care of themselves. (And it should be spent that way!) Moms have far too little free time to be making resolutions without firm ideas of how to accomplish them.
Instead, make goals.
Goals require a plan of action.
Goals get done.
Instead of making a New Year resolution that will inevitably never happen, sit down and make a list of goals you want to accomplish this year. Then, make a plan of how you will reach those goals.
Already have your goals planned out? Share them with me in the comments! I love to hear from you!
How To Set Goals And Make Them Happen
Okay, so we’ve established that moms need goals, not resolutions. But how do you even do that? You may be feeling even more lost than you did with resolutions.
Don’t worry, goals are not as intimidating as they sound, and they are far more likely to come about when you follow your plan of action.
Let’s talk about how to make that happen.
1. Set Your Goals
First off, skip the New Year resolutions and take the time to sit down and make some goals.
Make sure to write your goals down. Pen and paper, on your phone or computer, whatever works for you. The point is to write them down so that you can see them.
Try not to be entirely unrealistic, but don’t be afraid to push yourself either. For example, say I had a goal of starting a blog and getting 1,000 followers within the first month. It would be unrealistic to expect to get that many followers in only a month starting from scratch. But, it wouldn’t be a bad goal to get 200 followers that first month.
Or, say you want to get back in shape and lose a certain amount of weight this year. Don’t expect yourself to be super buff and slim within only a couple weeks. Rather, set a realistic goal for the end of the year and work to get there.
Some goals may seem basic, like getting enough sleep or getting fit. Others may push you outside your comfort zone, like starting a new business or taking a class to learn something new.
Whatever it may be, write it all down. I would encourage you to set at least one goal that pushes you outside your comfort zone. Going outside your comfort zone encourages personal growth, and is the only way you develop as a person. This is super important, but often neglected by busy moms!
2. Make A Plan Of Action
We already talked about how the lack of a plan of action is the downfall of New Year resolutions. On the flip side, a plan of action is the strength behind goals!
Please make sure to take the time to plan out how you will accomplish your goals.
If you fail to do this important step, your goals will be nothing more than resolutions with a different name.
But how do you make a plan of action to accomplish your goal?
First, figure out what steps you will need to take in order to reach your goal. Some goals may take many steps, others may take fewer.
For example, let’s say that you have a goal to pin on Pinterest ten times a day. You could set ten different alarms to remind you to get on Pinterest and pin something. Or, you could sign up for Tailwind and spend a few hours one day a week to look at pins and schedule them. (If you are interested in Tailwind, feel free to use my affiliate link to get your first month free!)
Or maybe your goal is to get fit. A good way to set up steps to reach that goal would be to create or look up a daily workout. Maybe you will work out every day, or perhaps you will see that you can reach your goal by working at it on certain days of the week.
By laying out the steps you need to take to reach your goal, you will be ready to accomplish goals, rather than lose at New Year resolutions.
3. Take Action
Once you have your plan set, take action!
Don’t set New Year resolutions and watch the year slip by unaccomplished. Set goals, make a plan, and take action on it!
Commit to taking the steps you laid out each and every day.
One great way to help yourself to stay on track is to get a planner.
I personally recommend getting one that has fill in dates. It may be a little more work to fill the dates in each week or month, but I have found them to last longer because then you are not wasting pages if you miss a week or month.
Use your planner to write down the steps you need to take each day to accomplish your goal. This will help remind you, and give you the satisfaction of checking it off every day you do it.
Plus, you can use your planner to keep track of other things such as kids activities, events, and more. Some planners even have space for weekly meal planning!
Ready to take action and set your goals for this year?
What do you think? What are some of your goals for this year? Share them with me–I’d love to hear from you!
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