Goal setting is a term you’ve likely heard in countless places. I know I’ve been intrigued with the idea of goal setting since before the earliest days of this blog. Check out this article to see how I viewed it then. Those two words searched on Google yield more than 2 BILLION search results. Obviously people are talking about it – but why?
Sure, it seems like a great idea – like New Years Resolutions, but what does it really matter? And how with all the mom jobs of running kids around, planning their meals for the week, preparing for their futures, helping with homework while also being a loving wife, helpful friend and available volunteer does anyone have time?
It’s a form of self-care important for the most overwhelmed
Just like taking time to destress, exercise and eat right is important to long term health and well being. Do you ever feel like day in and day out you run, run, run but at the end of a week, month or year you can’t see what you have to show for it? Do you ever feel like you’re treading water just to keep your head above water without actually swimming anywhere? If you answered “Yes!” you’re not alone. According to health direct, the importance of setting goals is significant enough to help people recover from mental illness.
Goal setting sets the stage for much-needed “wins”
It’s easy to feel anxious about the piles of laundry that never got folded, the workout the would work better if you ever did it, and the to-do list that gets longer rather than shorter. By setting an actual quantificable goal, you put in place a benchmark that when achieved, you can say, “Yes!” I did do that. I AM awesome.
Try setting a S.M.A.R.T. goal
What the heck is that? I’d never even heard the term until I was working as a teacher. There was a bonus system in place for those who achieved their S.M.A.R.T. goal over the course of an academic year. What I learned was the acronym stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For our purposes at the school, the S.M.A.R.T. goal worked well because you had to be able to document that you’d achieved it through some sort of student assessment depending on your specific goal.
The format can easily be applied to whatever it is you’d like to achieve. Whether it’s a fitness goal, a travel goal, a reading goal or whatever you’ve set out to do, you’ll know you’ve achieved it through following this method.
Make your first S.M.A.R.T. goal fun
Tired, overworked moms have enough on their plates already, so to ease into goal setting start with something you’ll enjoy. For instance:
“I will take 10 minutes out of every morning in February to sit with my coffee and write one page in my journal.”
At the end of February, you can look back and see how you did. Chances are even if you didn’t accomplish everyday, the act of making something you care about a priority will strengthen your resolve to try a new goal.