Setting monthly goals is a great way to focus on what you want to get done. Choose a goal to finish or break a large goal down into smaller chunks each month to accomplish something over a larger time span.
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That’s all folks! 2017 only has a few days remaining and then we start fresh in 2018.This was a good year for our family and I am looking forward to what 2018 holds.
December was a great time for us to come together as a family and focus on the season. I think this was one of our most relaxing Christmas seasons ever because we didn’t try to cram in as much as possible! It was okay that we didn’t bake as many cookies as planned or do every activity on the countdown calendar. We were together and that’s what mattered.
Goals for December
1. Family Goal – Shepherd on the Search
The new tradition of incorporating the Shepherd on the Search into our Christmas time was a hit! The kids loved the story and got so excited to search for him each day. He rode LEGO cars, hung from light fixtures, and perched himself on shelves. There were days that we didn’t move him but the kids understood and it didn’t ruin the fun. The devotional was fantastic and it will absolutely be our Christmas devotion each year. It did a great job of relating different themes surrounding the Christmas story to our current lives as well as other parts of the Bible.
You can get your own Shepherd for next year – on sale now – at DaySpring. The Shepherd Activity set is marked down to $20 and the devotional is marked down to only $6!
2. Home Goal – Daily Tasks
I was right, this was not the smartest month to start this goal. I think we were about 50/50 with nights we went to bed with a cleaned out sink. It’s simply something we need to keep working on!
3. Self Goal – Soak it in
We baked cookies, played Christmas Bingo, decorated ornaments, and created our own Nativity scene. I let the social media world go by without me for much of the time and only posted occasionally. We made lots of fun memories and I’ll be a little sad when the kids head back to school next week.
Goals for 2018
I’ve decided to do goals a little differently in 2018. Rather than changing up my goals every single month I’m choosing a few goals to work on for the entire year. This will be fairly challenging for me as I’m not super great with long term goals but I want to get better!
1. Track purchases
Other than groceries and regular bold we aren’t great at keeping track of our spending. It’s not out of control and we have a general idea of how much we are spending but I’d like to do a more thorough job. We’ve used Mint before but I’m not a huge fan of how certain features work so I think I’ll be doing my own in Google Sheets because I can update on the go on my phone. It’ll be nice to know exactly what we are spending in each category these days!
2. Healthy habits
Water intake, sleep, physical activity, and time with God are all areas I want to focus on more. I’ve got a Fitbit Charge 2 that I really enjoy. I used to track all my water intake but started slacking. I need to get back to tracing and not assuming I’ve had enough.
I am joining a friend (plus lots of others) to Write the Word beginning on January 1st. We are starting with the Gospel of John. I know writing things out works really well for me (shocking!) So I’m pumped to see how God uses this and what I learn.
3. Grow my Facebook groups
Facebook (and really all social media) is fickle for people. Even big name bloggers have a hard time getting their content to pop up in people’s feeds unless they pay. The algorithm simply works against pages that aren’t willing to shell out cash. But creating private groups allows for greater control! The people who really want to engage and be a part of a community can come together for a specific purpose.
I’ve got two groups ready to start this year:
- My Joy in Chaos Community – a group for women to come together for friendship, encouragement, and support. My dream for this group is a place to share real life moments, good or bad, and the joy we find in them, a place to pray for needs, and a place to build real relationships, even if we are hundreds or thousands of miles apart.
- Meal Planning with Katie – Meal Planning is my jam! I started really getting into meal planning when our oldest, Parker, was probably around a year or so, perhaps earlier. I quickly discovered how much it helped to have a plan in place so I wasn’t starting at the fridge or cupboard trying to piece together a reasonable meal. We are kicking this group off with this 10-Day Meal Planning Challenge. I’m also planning on suspending the meal planning post after week 100 here on the blog and making it an exclusive post for the group! If you enjoy my meal planning posts make sure you join the group!
Each month I’m going to come back to update my progress with these goals because sharing with you keeps me accountable. I’m excited to see what God does with all of this!
