In January, I set out a goal to write at least one blog post each week. I thought it wasn’t too lofty of a goal and completely do-able.
Then life happened.
All good things, granted. Kids activities picked back up post-pandemic. I agreed to some big volunteer commitments. Oh, and we unexpectedly decided to move. That was a big one. We went from moving being nowhere on the horizon to listing our house inside seven weeks’ time.
We even moved out of our house so that it could be painted, staged, and listed. So at the moment, my family of five and our three pets are living with my parents.
All of this to say that one of the first things to go out the window when life got crazy was some of my own personal goals. Not all of them – I still exercise on a regular basis – but most of the things I thought I’d accomplish in 2021 have taken a back seat.
I think this is a common thing with moms. We’re so uber-focused on our family and taking care of those we love that we tend to put off our own desires/goals/needs.
The question that’s been rolling around in my head lately is, “As a busy mom, how can I avoid this trap? How can I achieve my goals AND everything else going on in my life?”
I don’t know if I’ve completely solved this riddle, because it’s complicated, but here’s my strategy for the rest of 2021. Here’s how I plan to tackle my mom goals and still orchestrate our move, volunteer, and cook a meal once in a while.
How to Achieve Mom Goals AND Be Busy
- Set realistic goals. Realize that not all things are possible all the time, but there’s a lot you CAN do.
- Make progress each week. I originally thought this should be each day, but that’s just too hard sometimes. Give yourself a full week to make progress on your goals.
- Divide goals into do-able parts that are possible with the time you have to work with.
- Knock out your stuff early in the day. Life happens when you’re a mom, and oftentimes your day becomes someone else’s. Make sure that what’s most important to you gets accomplished first thing (even before littles wake up).
- Give yourself grace. If you don’t meet your own deadline, that’s okay. No one is perfect, and no one meets their goals all the time. Assess how you can improve your plan of attack and try again next week.
- Communicate your goals to your family. Believe it or not, they want you to achieve more than just cooking dinner and washing clothes. Tell your family what you’re working towards and they’ll be more likely to want to give you time to achieve your goals.