Last week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Start reading A Way Through the Sea aloud to the kids. Continue reading one chapter of The Borrowers aloud at dinner each night.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.3. Work on getting back on our Fall routine after falling off the bandwagon last week.
Personal Goals
4. Finish reading Running For My Life, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, Now, Discover Your Strengths,
Unglued, Abundant Simplicity, and Happier at Home.
5. Listen to two chapters of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.
6. Exercise at least five times.Homemaking Goals
7. Fill freezer using Lunchbox Freezer Cooking Plan.8. Spot clean and wash curtains in kitchen.
Business Goals
9. Write at least two articles for other blogs/sites.
10. Blog four posts in the Lunchbox Freezer Cooking series.
This week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Read at least 8 chapters of A Way Through the Sea aloud to the kids.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Take children to the library/meet friends at the park for a playdate.
Personal Goals
4. Finish reading Running For My Life, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, Now, Discover Your Strengths, Abundant Simplicity, and Happier at Home.
5. Listen to two chapters of Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.
6. Exercise at least five times.
Homemaking Goals
7. Finish 25 more rows of the scarf I’m working on knitting.
8. Make at least two new recipes.
9. Spot clean and wash curtains in kitchen.
Business Goals
10. Blog four posts in the Lunchbox Freezer Cooking series.
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!
You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
Honey says
I am doing a variation on the weekly goals and it seems to be working well for me. I have a sheet that I attatched to a clipboard. The sheet is a master list of all the tasks I do. These include things like changing the sheets, grocery shopping, wiping off the countertops, exercising, cleaning out the microwave and oven, filing coupons, reading the Bible etc. Then, I divided the chores into lists. There are daily tasks (with a space to mark them off Mon.-Fri.) These are things like run dishwasher, exercise, read Bible, load of laundry, wipe counters, clean out kids backpacks/sign papers/check homework. Then there is a weekly list-things I need to get done every week (I try to check off a couple a day). Things like clean bathrooms, grocery shop, clean out purse, clear desk, take out recycling, etc Then there is a monthly list. This sort of rotates (really I just use a highlighter to highlight the different things to get done that month) so that I am getting obscure chores like vacuuming the dryer vent and air conditioning vents on a regular basis. I try to chose a few items each week to get done. But I never seem to get to the sewing projects! lol I am really finding that this works for me. I am getting my basic chores done (the big rocks) and then the smaller rock, then sand, then water!
Brooke says
I love seeing your goals each week. It is inspiring! I had a really bad week last week and didn’t get anything accomplished that I wanted to… keeping my fingers crossed for this week… it’s great to see that you had a good week after your not-so-good one so I have hope for me! LOL
Nicole says
I was thinking about my goal setting in general as I wrote out this week’s goals, and I am so excited about how much goal-setting has helped me! I am now setting more goals each week than when I started out, and getting more of them accomplished! So thankful to see that it is “working” in my life! Thanks for your weekly inspiration!
Katy @ Purposely Frugal says
Thanks for being part of what inspired me to share my goals! Here’s how I did on last week’s and my goals for this week:
http://purposelyfrugal.com/2012/09/17/goals-update/#.UFi3cXiMyfA
Dawn@OneFaithfulMom says
Crystal,
I have always seen your goal of writing Jesse a love note. For some reason, it kinda stuck in my head. My hubby and I have had some VERY difficult times in our marriage, especially lately.
As we try to get back on track, I thought again about the love note thing. After we re-connected, I decided to try it. One night, while he was gone to choir practice, I sat down and wrote out the lyrics to the song “Amazed” by Lone Star, along with some words of encouragement. I left it on the seat of his work truck for him to find the next morning.
The next week, I put it on his bathrrom counter for him to find in the morning. And last week, I put it in his pants pocket for him to pull out the next morning when he switched all his stuff to his clean pants.
Every time, he has said something cute about it…”I got a sweet note from a sweet girl this morning”, etc.
I just want to thank you Crystal for the idea. I think all week about how to do the next one coming up! He loves getting them, and it has been so good for me to focus on his good qualities, the things that endeared him to me to begin with!
Sorry for the long comment. This has just made a big difference for me, and I wanted you to know!!
Crystal says
I LOVE it! The thing I’ve found is that even if the love note meant nothing to him (which isn’t the case — he loves notes and often tells me how much it means), it’s so good for me to sit down and recount how much I appreciate him.
By the way, I just prayed for you, your husband, and your marriage. {hugs!}
michelle says
Crystal, would you consider an article on writing love letters to spouses? I am curious the reasons behind it (was it part of the conference you attended on the cruise ship?) And does your spouse write them to you too? Since you write them so regularly I am also curious what you would put in them without being overly personal and nosy.
Crystal says
It’s just something I started doing — and after doing it a few times I realized that it was really meaningful to Jesse so I kept at it. It’s just a little way to keep the spark in our marriage.
And yes, he writes me pretty regularly, too. 🙂
Sherry Lochner says
So disappointed in myself. I have been having a hard time even wanting to get back into an exercise routine, so for the 2nd week in a row – it didn’t happen. 🙁 Dh and I didn[t go out on a date. We had to fork out $250 for parts for the washer, but thankfully dh is going to fix it and we won’t have to pay additionally for a repairman. I completed the rest of my list from last week – Clean dining room blinds, Decorate for fall, Clean master bath, Sweep/Mop bathroom & kitchen floor, Make apple goodies, Make menu/grocery list/coupons/shop
Here is my list this week
1. Clean upstairs back side of house blinds and their respective windows
2. Dust/Polish master bedroom furniture
3. Straighten drawers and declutter
4. Straighten closet and declutter
5. Finish Lynn Austin’s “Until We Reach Home” and start “While We’re Far Apart”
6. Work on high school transcript for daughter.
7. Cooking w/daughter
8. Make goodies for hubby to take to work
9. Figure out no expense date with hubby? ideas besides movie at home or perusing a book/coffee shop as he hates reading and coffee
10. Plan a fellowship w/friends
Jen says
What about packing a nice picnic lunch or dinner, and eating in a park or nature setting? It’s one of my favorite things to do with my husband. It’s a great chance to connect, relax and talk without any distractions.
Michelle @ Lists I Live Bt says
Thanks for inspiring me to actually write down my list and post it for someone to see. It really keeps me accountable. Last week I accomplished almost everything on my list. This week may be a bit more challenging. Here’s hoping!
JenMarie says
I so appreciate you listing the books you’ve read as I’ve checked many of them out from the library and been really blessed and encouraged by reading them. I remember you saying that on some days you read for 10 minutes in the morning. Is that still the case? You make it through so many books!
Crystal says
Yes, I typically read for at least 10 minutes in the morning, sometimes 15-30 minutes at night, and usually for a total of a few hours on the weekends. And then I fit it into any other cracks that pop up throughout the week: while waiting at the doctor’s office, while riding in the car, etc.
Emily says
This past Saturday, I ran my very first 5K! I was so proud to not walk any of it…a major feat considering the furthest I’ve been able to run without stopping before was 1.82 miles. I was on a runner’s high, though! I’m proudly wearing my new <3 Run necklace!
On Sunday afternoon, we took my daughter's 6-month photos. I even got them uploaded to Snapfish, so it was a day for crossing things off of the to-do list!
Crystal says
SO proud of you!!!! Way to go!
Jillian K. says
For the past 6 weeks or so, I’ve dropped my goal list back to just one thing. First it was morning routines, and now it is evening routines. I will bring peace back to this crazy house!
Jessica @ The Abundant Wife says
Your post last week inspired me to share my yearly goals on my blog today, but I need to get around to sharing my weekly goals. Last week my goal was to finish writing English Curriculum for our friends in China. This week my goal is to 1) finish a painting commissioned by our church. Also Saturday night is my husband’s annual fundraiser banquet so I need to 2) find a babysitter for that night. Today I submitted another pile of documents to our loan processor so hopefully we can 3) close on refinancing our mortgage by the end of the month! 🙂
Shelly says
I was able to get about half of my goals done last week. We had a few really crazy days. I am hoping this week to have a little better week. I was able to keep up with my exercising which is a goal I want to keep up with.
Anna says
My weekly goals are the following:
Good manners
*Cook pot roast and make a nice dinner for Sunday meal
Support each other
*Say “I love you” to daughter
*Say good night politely each evening
Family spending plan
*Stay in budget for September
*Buy state fair ticket for daughter
Eat healthy
*Make a menu plan
*Pack lunches each day
*Cook meals for dinner each day
Exercise
*Walk 4 miles per day
*Stretch 2x/day
*Enroll/join gym in October
*Schedule a 5K for October
Spiritual
*Go to church women’s tea
*Attend church
Clean house
*Unpack/declutter new home
*Make food pantry under stairs (organize canned food)
Relax
*Go to sister’s birthday party
*Go to library
Organize
*Work on AM and PM routines
*Put natural gas bill on automatic payment
*Review driver’s license plans for daughter
*Set up new phone
*Update new address with businesses
*Set up family center in entry way
*Review school activities with daughter (trip, ACT prep)
Take care of belongings
*Schedule car maintenance
Self care
*Go to PT x2/week
*Go to dietician
Anna says
FORGOT TO ADD
Eat healthy
*Continue participating in Lunch Freezer Cooking Challenge
Marie says
Crystal,
Your book lists have inspired me over the past year or so. I am amazed at the quality of books you find to read. Currently, I am reading Rekindling the Romance and then one of your readers suggested Life is so Good and I got that from the library. I feel like I have more books then time to read but am glad to have resources to pull from now. I wanted to suggest a book to you, and actually send you a copy if you don’t have it. It’s called The Promise of a Mother’s Prayers. I really think you’d be blessed by this book. I love this quote from the book, “Sometimes when we are most weary, the best thing to do is just sit down with our kids and enjoy the wonder of them”. Please let me know if you’d be interested in a copy.
Crystal says
Oh, I’ve not heard of that book and it sounds so good! Thank you for your kindness to want to send me a copy; you’re so sweet!
Marie says
can you email me and let me know how I can get a copy to you. Have a blessed day.
Crystal says
Will do! You’re so kind!
Whit says
This is embarrassing and is going to make me sound dumb, but do you have any tips on how to write a love note to your husband? Every week I see this goal and want to do the same thing myself but don’t know what to say without sounding cheesy.
Crystal says
It varies every week, but I often will write about something specific he’s done the past week that I’ve appreciated. Keep it simple… even a few sentences can mean a lot!
Amy R. says
For us, a “note” is often a simple sentence. I keep a dry erase marker in my bathroom. It’s wonderful for writing a quick “I love you” on the mirror, and it wipes off easily. Sometimes I’ll get fancy/artsy and cute on the mirror. I’ve drawn a “frame” on the mirror over his sink and written,”the sexiest man alive gets ready right here.” I caught him making sure he was centered in the frame! I once did a series of “Today I love your…” It forced me to get specific, and he loved it! Don’t over think it. Any gesture will be appreciated.
Chelsea says
We have the same work out goal! Thanks for the link up!
Kayla P @ Practicing Prudence says
I didn’t get through many of my goals last week, so I am going to try it again! Thanks for inspiring me to share my goals – it keeps me accountable! 🙂
Lydia says
I love that you are trying to learn to knit, too! I just found my dishcloth that I am working on. To finish the dishcloth will be a goal for next week!
Tabitha says
Last week went much better for staying on routine which was big goal me last week. I think what really helped was freezer cooking on the weekend allowed easy days to work on some much needed productivity.
Katie says
I got through most of my goals last week so I’m feeling confident in being more ambitious this week! I want to try two new recipes too :: pinterest is great inspiration! Thank you for your encouragement every week to write out our goals– it has helped me so much!