Practical Tips to Achieve Goals for Moms (Part 4)

Are you fed up with all the promises on how to achieve goals that fail again and again? If you need a practical solution to crush your mom goals, this is for you.

This is the final post on how to achieve goals for moms. In Part 1 we talked about zigging when everyone else zags. Part 2 was all about the difference between goals and habits and we dug deep into goals. Then in part 3 we talked about leveraging our habits to achieve goals. AAnd now we are on part 4—practical tips!

I want you to walk away from this post with actionable steps to take. Once you are successful with one, you can come back to the post and start on the next one.

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I confess, these are some of the longest posts that I’ve written and I barely scratched the surface. There is so much more that I could write on achieving goals as a mom.

Like I’ve said throughout this series, I was so frustrated hearing the same thing over and over. And it didn’t matter how many different ways I tried to make it work, it just didn’t work for me. No matter how well I followed the steps.

I needed to figure out a system that was realistic for me as a homeschooling mom, momtrepreneur, and all around busy person.

Actionable Steps to Achieve Goals

In the previous posts, there was a lot on the process of crushing your goals and creating habits as the mechanism to achieve goals. In this post, I want to make sure that you have actionable steps and the tools you need to really help you achieve your goals. The easier we can make this process, the quicker you will be on the road to crushing your goals.

Planning Your Year to Achieve Goals—You Don’t Need to Do It

There are some things that are easy to plan out ahead of time. Family vacations (maybe), Christmas, first day of school, birthdays, etc. All of these big events have fixed dates, so you know how busy you will be around these times and can plan accordingly.

But what if you are trying something new? It is hard to plan ahead when you are unsure of the demands of reality. After working on this blog for almost two years, there are so many variables that I couldn’t plan for ahead of time. So it was impossible to plan goals a year ahead of time. I would be planning for failure.

For one simple reason, it didn’t matter how many classes I took (I took a lot) or books read, or years spent preparing for this, there were things that I just didn’t know. Classes and books were not going to prepare me for it. I had to actually experience it. And it couldn’t be planned until it was experienced.

Plan the fixed dates. But you don’t need to feel compelled to plan every minute of every day for an entire year.

Actionable Step: Plan what you can, or at least write it down in a calendar. So you  know the times throughout the year that you will be busy.

The Best Time to Plan Your Goals

Hold onto your seats because I am about to rock your world. I know that we are conditioned to make resolutions in December, so you can hit the ground running January 2. Hope is high. The new year equals new beginnings. You know the rest.

But let’s be real. December is probably the worst time to plan how you will achieve goals. You are freaking busy. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and all the events surrounding these holidays. Why on earth do you want to add stress to this season?

In 2019, I gave birth to my youngest daughter in the middle of December. I was so excited to have a Christmas baby. Her birth was perfect, but she struggled with eating after. She had a lip tie and a tongue tie, you can read more about that journey.

It was such a stressful time. I was trying to schedule all the specialist appointments around the holidays. And not to mention all the postpartum hormones, you can read about that too. Needless to say, my year wasn’t getting planned out.

Amidst all this drama and stress, I had a moment. Why do I need to plan my year right now? Why not wait until January? Plan it when the Christmas decorations are down, the house is back to normal, the kids are back to a regular schedule, and it is calmer.

Zig with me mom. Plan your year in January. Or if your brain just won’t let you do it, plan it in October. Give yourself the mental space to enjoy the holidays, without the internal pressure of needing to plan your next year.

Actionable Step: Skip planning your year during the holidays. Plan it in January or in October. Your mental and physical health will thank you.

Create Habits to Propel You Forward to Achieve Your Goals

Pick 3 habits that you want to incorporate into your week. It can be floss your teeth 3 times a week, workout 3-4 times a week, etc.

Whatever you decide to start working on, write it down in your planner, on your phone, or in your journal. Write it down so you can track it.

It is easy enough to say, “I want to do x.” But you need to track it. So you can see if you are actually doing it, and you can see your progress. Tracking your progress is key to successfully adding your habits. Yes, you need to see that you are doing it. You will get that feeling of I can do this. I really can do this.

You don’t need to plan your habits for 7 days a week. Start small.

This will give you the ability to catch up, if you need to.

Remember life happens, so plan some flexibility into your habits. If you also do a specific habit on Tuesday, but appointments come up, then move it to Wednesday. You are allowed to do this. The important thing is to do it.

Do you have bigger goals to achieve? Writing this blog is a huge task. I need to write a post, record it, and then create all the social media collateral. But I never list “write 52 posts” as a goal. But I do have a habit of writing a post once a week. This is the habit that is propelling my goals forward. And I always respect this routine.

Actionable Step: Track your habits. Make a date with your habit every week. Write them in your planner. If you need to change your normal date day then do it. But make sure you work on your habit consistently.

Achieve Your Goals Month by Month

In part 2 we talked about the questions to ask yourself when it comes to achieving goals. Now that you know what you want to accomplish and you created your to-do list. Pick something to work on each month.

Typically, I pick 3 goals for the month. One is a book to read, another a class to take (usually from places like Skillshare, MasterClass, Pluralsight), and then something I need to work on for my business or blog. This is not a rule, but a suggestion.

For example, this month I have two projects to work on for my blog. Sometimes it is one to finish and one to start on. I may also list other things that I want to get done for the month, but these I allow to be fluid.

Then I will add these to my to-do list for each week. How many chapters do I need to read in a week? How much time do I need to spend on the class? What do I need to do to finish my project?

This system usually works for me, and I get my stuff done. But sometimes life happens and the goals roll over to next month. But that is ok. As long as they are getting worked on consistently, you will accomplish them.

Actionable Step: Pick 3 goals to work on each month. Create the habit of working on your goals consistently. Even if it takes longer than you want. Work consistently and you will get them done.

Write Down Your Goals

Write down your habits and goals, so you can track them. There is a lot of social psychology in writing things down, but let’s just say that it works.

I write things down in a couple of places. Pretty much everything goes into my planner. My favorite planner is by Plum Paper. You can customize it. Create your own planner with categories that are specific to you. I’ve used a number of planners, and this one is my favorite.

I also like to blackboards that hang on my wall. I will add my long-term projects to the boards. It is a great way to remind me of what is going on.

My favorite thing to do is to write my goals down in a notebook. Writing also helps me to think through what I really want to do and what is a priority.

Actionable Step: Write them down. Find a planner, notebook, or blackboards that you will look at every day.

Conclusion: You can Achieve Goals

This has been a very exciting series to write. It was birthed from years of frustration and looking for something that actually works with a house full of kids. Let me know how you are planning to achieve goals in the new year.