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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Yeah… notice that we are already halfway through November? I had this post ready but then because of the gratitude challenge and the 15 Days to a Healthier You I put off posting this. Thankfully it’s kept my goals at the front of my brain so I’m getting things done at a pretty quick pace 😀
Here we are in the second to the last month of the year. Anyone else in disbelief that 2017 is coming to a close? I’m so glad I started making plans for 2018 already so I’m not totally ambushed when the holidays are over and January is here.
This month went WAY better in terms of finishing my goals. Granted the first goal was super easy to complete and there really wasn’t anyway to avoid it 😉 But I worked at my other goals too and I’m please with my progress. Read on to see what my goals were in October and how I did at each one.
Goals for October
1. Family Goal – Birthdays!
We had so much fun with birthdays in October! We celebrated Parker’s actual birthday on the 13th, took a trip to Minneapolis to visit family and spend a day at Nickelodeon Universe as a big birthday treat, had a family party with both sides, and came home to celebrate Anders and Cade. Phew! Lots of parties and we still haven’t eaten all the cake.
2. Home Goal – Start Holiday Plans
I’ve figured out our Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and baking plans! I might play with them a bit more but I know our main dishes and I’ve got a master shopping list started. I know it can seem really early to be thinking that far ahead but by spreading out the shopping I can find good deals now and not blow our budget later on.
We are just about done shopping for Mercedes, I think all that remains is stocking stuffers, and we are getting solid plans in place for the four boys so we can watch for sales. I’m writing all my ideas down because goodness knows this mom brain can’t remember anything anymore!
3. Self Goal – Instagram Stories
Are you following me on Instagram? Each weekday morning I’m attempting to do a short video to let you know my goals for the day based on our schedule. I think I managed to get a video up each morning, Monday through Thursday. The other three days are all crazy because there are other people home, hahaha! I enjoyed putting my task list out there because it held me more accountable and some days I need that!
I’ll probably keep working on making this a part of my day. I’m trying to become more active on social media so I’d love to know what you would like to see from me! Do you want more behind the scenes peeks? More shots of how we make things work around here? Me just rambling into the camera? 😉
Goals for November
I spent some time thinking and praying about how to approach my goals and decided focusing on one area was helpful initially but now I need to spread my focus a little more. Now I’ll have a single goal for different areas: family, home, and self. As I continue to see how this works I may expand the number of areas to make sure I’m growing as I need to be.
1. Family Goal – Decorate Together
We are not a family that can wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas. Growing up my family decorated on the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving but we can’t wait! We love the twinkly lights and it doesn’t detract from our Thanksgiving moods at all.
We haven’t put ornaments on the tree in a few years and I’m really missing them! I think we might try for the kid-safe ornaments this year. Having two three year olds that are very hands on means the ornaments will probably not stay where they start, but we can try. We will also make some simple ornaments that won’t be a big deal if they get broken.
Decorating is usually a time lapse event rather than one single day so that’s why I’m making this a month long goal. I hope to have it all done before December is here!
2. Home Goal – Holiday Prep
Now that I know the foods and treats to make I need to plan out our grocery trips to stock up on items and start prepping foods that can go in the freezer. I plan on writing up our menus again this year and the budget for them since it was a huge hit last year. While I love baking cookies with the kids during the month of December I try and get a couple batches made and put in the freezer ahead of time in case others don’t turn out or we need to bring batches somewhere.
3. Self Goal – Blog Prep
I’d love to be able to focus on family time even more in December so my goal is to get as many posts as possible written this month as I can. I’ve got the ideas ready I just need to write the posts so I’m enjoying the time rather than stuck behind the computer. This also means planning ahead to January so I don’t panic once the holidays are over!
I’ve been working behind the scenes to get a new blog design ready and I’d love to have that live come January. I’ve got a whole mess of ideas for 2018 and I’m excited to share them with all of you! More freebies and some great series to really focus on managing and loving the life you’ve got right now.
Did you accomplish your goals in October? What were they? What goals are you setting for November?
