Instead of resolutions, I decided to set monthly goals for 2013. Goals that are specific and measurable. I used Stephen Covey’s Big Rocks idea as my foundation. You can see the post from January and a further explanation here.
For a quick recap these were the things I deemed to be my big rocks:
- Faith
- Family
- Friends
- Work
- Health
- Mental/Intellectual Growth
Then, I set several goals for the month of January. The important thing about goals is that they are specific and measurable. Its easy to say, I want to be healthier this year, but its important to plan out how I can reach that goal. To make it easy, I set one goal for each of my big rocks. These are my actual goals from January and I’m going to play teacher for a minute and assess these areas:
- Read my Jesus Calling devotional every morning. B. The one area I should receive an A++ on, I definitely fell short. The bottom line? I have to get up earlier and set aside some serious time in the Word.
- Eat dinner as a family each night we are home during the month. A. I feel like we’ve eaten at home more in the past month than we did the last 3 months combined. It’s been so nice, I’ve stuck to a meal-plan and we’ve spent so much more time at home.
- Send two pieces of snail mail to friends. A. Granted, I didn’t actually put the two pieces of the mail in the mailbox until yesterday, it was actually accomplished and that is the important part.
- Make sure everything is ready for the next day before I leave my classroom each afternoon. A. Can we talk about how much better my school days have gone? Such a great investment of time.
- Drink at least 1 liter of water each day. B. I really started to do well a week or two into the month. Now, I’m drinking at least two and no diet Coke’s.
- Read one book this month. A. I read Quitter by Jon Acuff.
- Revisit these goals in one months time. A. Here I am, right on time.
I didn’t set any of those goals as a measure of stamina. I don’t need to see how many days in a row I can drink a liter of water or keep score of how many times we actually ate dinner at home. I set these goals to enhance our life, to help better manage my time, to make sure that I’m making time for the things that matter most. I won’t abandon those goals in February, you’ll actually see that most of them remain the same. Little by little, I’ll build upon these goals until they become priorities, just like they should have been all along.
I have to say that I have felt more together and less rushed this month. I lost weight, my house is cleaner and more organized than ever, and I feel like the amount of quality time spent together (with my family) has increased significantly.
February Goals:
- Read my Jesus Calling devotional every morning and complete the weekly Sunday school lesson with Allen during the week.
- Eat dinner as a family each night we are home during the month.
- Send 1 piece of snail mail each Friday.
- I’ll still be making sure that I get everything in my classroom ready the day before but I’m also setting a goal to arrive 20 minutes early each morning.
- Drink more water and commit to the Insanity workout program.
- Read two books this month.
- Revisit these goals in one months time.
Here’s to another month, a fresh start and bigger goals.
Erin @ Blue-Eyed Bride says
Love the goals! And I’d say you do pretty great! A+ from me, friend! ๐
Samantha says
Jennifer! Your post has inspired me to create goals for myself for February and the rest of 2013. I am excited to see where your at in March!
Heidi says
Nice! You did awesome on your goals…was just evaluating my goals for January too and thinking about February. I remember when I was a classroom teacher, how nice it felt to get there early – before the other teachers on my hall – and prepare for the day (making sure all important stuff was taken care of the afternoon before)!
And, I’m loving the quote at the end of your post. I’m totally stealing that. ๐