I learned a lot about myself and goal-setting this past year. With these lessons in mind, I’ve simplified goal-setting even more for 2014 (more on that in a post I’ll be sharing later tonight).
Jesse and I spent time really discussing what my focuses should be for 2014 and we nailed down four areas that are my priorities for this year:
- Marriage: to continue to invest time and energy to strengthen and nurture our marriage and make it one of the greatest priorities
- Mothering: to continue to invest in our children with the goal of teaching them character, life skills, and raising them to be responsible adults
- Myself: to make my health a priority and to invest in my personal growth as a Christian, business owner, writer, speaker, and leader
- MoneySavingMom.com: to invest time into blogging — not just overseeing the business and my team, but making writing content pieces one of my top blogging priorities
Having these specific areas determined at the beginning of the year will really help me to prioritize throughout the year and will give me much clearer direction on when, where, and what to say no to over the next 12 months.
With these focus areas in mind, here are my 12 goals for 2014:
Marriage Goals
1. Read 6 marriage books.
2. Write 50 love notes to Jesse.
Mothering Goals
3. Read 40 books aloud to the kids.
4. Finish memorizing Romans 1 together.
5. Go through a cooking course with the kids. (Anyone have a recommendation?)
Personal Goals
6. Read through the Bible.
7. Memorize Romans 2.
8. Run a 5K race and go through P90X again.
9. Read 150 books/ebooks.
Blogging Goals
10. Write 150 substantive content pieces for the blog.
11. Write 50 DIY/Recipe posts for the blog.
12. Blog about/participate in the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge (more on this tomorrow!)
Did you set goals for 2014 yet?
If you’ve posted goals for 2014, I’d love for you to share your link in the comments. Or, if you don’t have a blog, feel free to just leave a comment with a list of your goals. I’ll post an update at the end of each month sharing how I’m doing on my goals.Let’s encourage one another to live lives of intention and purpose!
If you’re brand-new to goal-setting, be sure to read my post on How to Change Your Life By Setting Goals.
I just wrote a post about my goals. I think they may be more guidelines? I will be breaking them down and tracking myself so that I stay consistent. Here is the link to my post. http://momcomplicated.com/goals-for-2014/
Your post really helped me narrow down my list of goals. I had too many separate categories and I could tell I was already headed down the road of biting off more than I could chew.
My post can be found here: http://www.theteacherswife.com/2014/01/my-15-goals-for-2014.html
Thanks for sharing yours – they help keep me motivated! Happy new year! 🙂
Happy New Year to you, too! And thanks for sharing your goals!
I also break my goals down into categories and it is SO helpful! Here are my goals for this year: http://daybydaymasterpiece.com/2014/01/01/my-goals-for-2014/
I have listed 14 Things I want to do in 2014! My prayer is that I will accomplish them all and then some!
http://melissanorththomas.blogspot.com/2014/01/14-things-to-do-in-2014.html
I’m only setting 12 Goals this year also. I had started with a few goals last year then had made even more b/c it didn’t feel like enough. I didn’t get to all my extra goals, but later found my original list. Was so glad to see that I had made so much progress on those listed!
Here are my goals this year http://onmyway2organized.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/its-a-new-year-new-goals/
For teaching your kids to cook, check out Pam Anderson’s book “How to Cook Without a Book.”
This is my first year setting goals for the year. I am very excited to see how I do. http://123busybees.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-goals-for-2014.html
Our house has a full plate for the new year, but I’m feeling motivated & positive about our future successes! Thank you for motivating all of us each and every day Crystal – you truly are an inspiration. 🙂
Here are my 2014 goals:
http://frugaladventures.com/goals-2/goals-2014/
Thank you for sharing your goals! I love reading your blog!
I set 15 goals this year–but first, I picked one word to embody the year. I’ve never done that before, but it seemed like the perfect word came to me. AWAKE. I want to live this year awake–spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
Thanks for always inspiring me with your goals! 🙂
Give more grace (to myself and others).
Rest more.
Do less.
I’ve always done the opposite of these and would like to see what life could be like living “gently.”
Love this newfangled goal-setting I tried in 2013! I also set too many goals, but landed at 15 this year. Posting them where I SEE them often and incorporating baby steps on a weekly basis should REALLY help!
Thank you for the link-up: just click my name for my goals post.
Here is the post with my 24 goals for 2014:
http://wp.me/p2Xnc5-gs
I wish everyone a happy, healthy and productive 2014!!
I love your goals Crystal. I’m also planning on simplifying this year – my goals all center around enjoying life more. I figure I can’t go wrong if that’s my focus for 2014! Thanks for continuing to share – you are certainly an inspiration to many women.
Forgot to actually share them: http://behealthybehappywellness.com/2014/01/2014-goals/
This year I am focusing on myself and my son. Being a single mom for most of my son’s life I have been laking on focusing on myself. So here are my goals for 2014:
Mothering:
Read 12 Chapter books to my son
Go on 1 outing a month.
Have a game/movie night once a week
Personal:
Read 12 Non-Fiction Books
Read the Bible
Drink 8 glasses of water a day by Dec.
Work Goals:
Go to my first conference in Nashville, TN
House Goals:
Re-stain all 3 porches in the summer
Plant & maintain a vegetable garden
Finally fix all the little things that broke inside.
http://www.spendless2savemore.blogspot.com/2014/01/2014-goals.html
Link to my 2014 goals post with a Link Up!
Thanks for your insight on goal setting and being humble to admitting to your failures…You are an inspiration!
Here are my goals for 2014 http://tinytransformations.blogspot.in/2014/01/goals-for-2014.html
I highly recommend Alton Brown’s Cooking series. You used to be able to watch all the episodes online. They are entertaining ( a cross between Mr. Wizard and Julia Childs) and educational and also specific. You can also start with your kids interests and go from there.
It is also a clean show. You could also buy his 3 cookbook as resources…they are unique books but summarizes all the info from his episodes…of course to save money- watch for free and the Food Network has a copy of every recipe from his episodes.
Thanks so much for this great suggestion!
As far as a cooking program. I highly recommend ALTON BROWN. It is a great clean series and has a ton of info so you can start where you want or go in order season by season. We downloaded the episodes online but not sure if they are still on You Tube but they used to be. They are entertaining and interesting and specific and CLEAN:).
My goals for the year:
Wife:
-plan 2 overnight getaways with husband & 1 major getaway
-date 1/month
-look for something each month to create a peaceful home environment
Mother:
-read to kids daily
-chose a topic to talk about weekly (could be character related, educational, etc.)
-1 mommy or daddy date a month with our son
Personal:
-read bible 3x/week — I would love to say daily but I fail at that so I’m loosening the goal this year
-finish read through bible (40% through currently)
-read 36 books (3/month)
-run a 1/2 marathon AND a 5 or 10k
-set a monthly health/fitness goal
Business (online fitness coach):
-step out of my comfort zone at least 1 / month
-help at least 3 new people monthly for the first 6 months, 5 new people for the 2nd 1/2 of the year
-add 8 additional people to my team of coaches (http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/ErinHolliday)
Thank you for sharing your goals and encouraging us to make better, more successful goals!
Here are mine, also broke down into categories. I have 13 (my lucky number!). 🙂
http://blameitonem.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/resolutions-2014/
This seems like a doable approach to goal setting. My goals are similar to yours, minus the blog stuff. I abandoned my Christian fashion blog, unfortunately.
I am probably where you were a few years ago, just coming out of the “life is overwhelming” shell.
I SO appreciate your blog and it has really helped me and encouraged me to live life and not just sit at home feeling helpless and hopeless.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind encouragement! {Hugs!}
I set my goals for this year. I have many but they won’t be that hard! http://missy-lifeofaworkingmom.blogspot.com/2014/01/2014-yearly-goals.html
I love how you set up your goals. I made sections too! Good luck this year on your goals!
I just finished counting my goals and I have 50! Some are things I know are going to be done anyway and I wanted them written down though. Let’s see how my year goes. I might be changing things around next year. lol
I set my goals to help me re-energize in 2014!
http://proverbs215.blogspot.com/2014/01/my-2014-goals.html
Love your blog and I’m excited to see more of your posts but I also enjoyed Gretchen’s shopping trips very much so please don’t drop those :).
No worries, those aren’t going anywhere! 🙂 I’m glad you enjoy them!
We have use Future Christian Homemakers curriculum to teach cooking. It’s more than just cooking, but the cooking lessons are thorough and very well done! You may even learn a thing or two, I know I did!
http://marmeedearandcompany.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=23_44&products_id=167&zenid=4a9c3fbd869a001c295069575ab919a3
This is the link for my overall goal mindset, http://wp.me/pLl6E-4Z. It doesn’t have my specific goals, I’ll give updates on those as the year goes on, but it’s what’s on my heart as I make plans for this year.
Great Courses has a basic cooking class from the Culinary Instutute of America. My family has just enjoyed its first course.
I look forward to your goals each year! You are so inspiring, Crystal! My 2014 One Word is “Present” so I incorporated that into my goals for 2014. Here are my goals for the year: http://womenwithintention.com/2014-goals/
Here are my 2014 goals!!!
http://unconventionalhomemaker.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/2014-goals/
I limited my goals to the top 5, but may need to go back and make them more SMART (specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and timely). One of my family goals is to challenge my kids to 5 thematic goals for themselves: academic, scouting, health/fitness, extra-curricular, and personal. Now that they are older, I want to take advantage of instilling some of these life long skills to invest in their own future.
Thank you for all your helpful posts! I have learned A LOT this year from your blog – and glad to be one of the people who helped your blog ‘explode’ in 2013! Happy New Year!
Thank you so much for your kind encouragement — and for being a reader here!
Good luck on all your goals this year, Crystal! This is the first year I have ever set actual goals for the year. I am very excited about the 25 goals I picked out and hope I do well on them.
http://penguinsinpink.com/2014/01/01/welcome-2014-new-year-new-place-new-goals/
All my goals are listed on my page http://www.facebook.com/TeamHigherExpectations I plan to help as many people as I can loose weight and continue on my own weight loss journey and support and empower women everywhere! I also plan on getting more organized and commiting to spending more one on one time with my kids.
I’ve been working on my goal list since reading an early copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode in November. And after spending a full month in contemplation, I am excited about this year’s goals and moving forward! The full list (and commentary) is here:
http://www.sarahparsons.me/2014/01/14-goals-for-2014-live-intentionally.html
Yay! I’m excited for you, too!
Cooking goal: http://simplehomeschool.net/teaching-baking-to-kids/
Maybe this will help with ideas 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
2014 goals set! http://organize365.com/january-2014-goals/
I have set goals for the next few months (I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions), but first cleaned the plate by *abandoning* a goal: http://carriewillard.com/in-which-i-decide-to-abandon-a-goal/
I love the idea of intentionally choose to abandon a goal that’s just not working out like you thought it would!
{Oh and if it makes you feel any better, I also intentionally abandoned my goal of writing two ebooks last year. I’m hoping that they happen this year… but we’ll see!}
I am so pumped this year but I am also trying to be realistic in my goals as we may have to be making some work changes
here is a link to my goals!
http://proverbslady.com/2014/01/goal-setting-for-2014-my-personal-goals-and-free-goal-printables/
I really like how simply you listed out the overall goals above. I’ve definitely noticed that setting year long goals as opposed to resolutions helps in figuring out what to say yes to and what to say no to. I’m so much more likely to just float through the year and say yes to everything if I don’t, and that’s exactly what my husband and I did last year.
I admire how you’ve set numerical benchmarks to know if you’re hitting your goals or not. That’s tempting to try, but I also feel so much pressure to hit numerical benchmarks at the office that I think setting numerical goals for myself at home right now would make me lose the concept of grace, which is a big thing God is speaking into my life for this new year. I do want to make my focus investing in my marriage and home life and honoring God in the process, though, so I’m excited to sit down with my husband today and put something like this together.
Happy New Year!
Thanks for sharing! You are a constant inspiration to me in the area of goal-setting! Here are my goals for 2014 and a little bit about how I did on my 2013 goals!
http://girlsguidetoproverbs.blogspot.com/2014/01/happy-goal-setting-day-part-2.html
My goal was to start a blog and I actually did!
Woohoo!!!
This year all that really matters to me is to be healthier. I blogged about it and my goals here: http://www.savvymujer.com/12-goals-3-words-2014/
Mine are mostly just expanding on what i already do…
http://ithinkicansquared.blogspot.com/2014/01/2014-goals.html
Here are my goals for the new year: http://creativehomekeeper.com/2014-yearly-goals/
Thanks so much for sharing your goals, I can’t wait to read what books you will be reading this year. I feel like most of my book list comes from your great reading suggestions!
I haven’t sat down and done my resolutions/goals for the year just yet, but I do have a parenting resolution based on our holiday woes: http://simplehomeblessing.com/holiday-moments-and-parenting-resolutions/
Here’s my goals for 2014. Quite a bit different than last years goals for me.
http://www.greeneyedcountrygirl.com/happy-new-year-goals/
http://magnifyhisname.com/2014/01/01/goals-for-2014/
My goals for this year took a whole different turn after a very eventful 2013. So thankful that God was faithful in it all and that not one moment of it came as a surprise to Him.
I love goal setting and this year I chose one word that my goals have flowed out of. Here’s to an amazing year!! http://www.aworkerathome.com/2014/01/being-intentional-with-2014.html
Fresh start – focusing on faith, finances and health. (Of course, I already blew the “health” part this morning…sigh…)
Here are my goals for 2014 http://snailpacetransformations.com/2014/01/01/snail-pacing-goals-for-2014/ . I am of course most excited about my WOW goal. My list is pretty simple too. I thought long and hard about setting goals I would stick with this year, goals that were obtainable in my current life season, and goals that created balance in my life. Happy New Year.
I posted my goals here:
http://mrsrogersfrugalneighborhood.blogspot.com/2014/01/goals-for-2014.html
So excited for this new year!
I love your specific goals. You should be able to see real progress each month.
I’m trying to strengthen habits instead of making goals this year.
http://www.momscupofambition.com/2013/12/2014-goals.html
I just love this time of year!
Happy New Year. I know you’ve listed books that you like before; however, what marriage books can you recommend? thx
I’ll be posting which ones I’m reading and my thoughts on them… more on my new reading goals and how I’ll be blogging about them later today. 🙂
I decided to change my cooking teaching with me children this year. I am printing a list of all of my recipes and I want to make sure I teach each child to make all of them.
I have made 3 goals for 2014, I like to keep it simple:
1-Live in God
2-Live Healthier
3-Continue to focus on getting out of debt
I have these 3 on my fridge in bold print so I can see them daily. Underneath each heading I have written the benefits and steps to achieve each of these goals or at least strive towards them. This also lets my family know we are in this together and why these goals are important to us as a family. Loved reading the other comments and goals for 2014, here’s to the new year!!!
Love your goals! Here’s my 2014 Bucket Lisf.
http://www.pinkandrick.com/2013/12/27/2014-bucket-list/
Glad you’ll be posting more recipes. I’ve made the last 2 recipes posted and they both turned out great!:)
I’m starting with baby steps. My ONE goal… simplify my life and home!! And I just blogged about it today a bit!
Starting my 12 week challenge TOMORROW!
http://kidsbynicole.com/you-thought-i-went-missing-didnt-you/
I just finished writing up about my goals. I’m doing some massive stretching for 2014.
http://rebeccaaburgener.com/making-wishes-or-developing-goals-its-all-connected/
Cooking course with the kids (here’s how we started): Buy a $1 photo book for each child. Have a planning session individually with each kiddo, and get their ideas on things they would like to learn how to cook. One recipe for each double-page spread of the photo book (so our books from the $1 store held 9 recipes per child).
Practice the recipe with the kiddo – when (s)he is ready to make it 100% solo, take a photograph of the child making it (for the LEFT side of the photo book), and have him copy it out in his best handwriting (for the RIGHT side of the photo book).
Then, when a child can make 9 different recipes 100% solo (following oven care, clean-up routines, etc.), he can say with confidence that he has completed Cooking 101!
(That’s our frugal approach – we have a couple of late-elementary kids currently working through Cooking 201. 🙂 )
Oh, I LOVE this idea!
Thanks SO much for sharing this! I’ve been wanting to add cooking in but was stumped on how to do it–this will work perfectly with our Charlotte Mason methods.
What an awesome idea! I can not wait until my girls are old enough to learn to cook! Thank you so much for sharing!
I love this idea too! yay! Thanks for sharing! 😀
Katie – what a great idea creating a recipe book and cooking with your child. My daughter is 13 and I was trying to come up with ways of bonding more with her and I think this is definitely something we will both be interested in. Thanks so much for the suggestion.
Hello!
I love your goal setting printables and I am using them this year. Do you have a printable that also can be used to track progress and final outcomes?
I don’t right now. But maybe something on my Free Printables board will work?
http://www.pinterest.com/msmblog/free-printables/
Love this! Yes, I just blogged about my 2014 goals! Thanks for your inspiration! Also, along with my goals, I’m doing the “one word” for 2014 so I’m excited about that.
If any blogger are out there and need a FREE One Word button, please stop by (and link up too!):
http://www.onlyabreath.com/2013/12/5-easy-steps-for-creating-successful-goals-for-the-new-year-linkup/
Happy New Year to your sweet family!
Melanie
Glad to see your running goal, I’ll be cheering you on.
I’m getting back into shape after having my twins last summer and have a 50K picked out for the fall. It’ll take some work with nursing my twins but I think it’ll be fun.
I’m doing Jon Acuff’s 52/7 goals though since my life is changing so much with babies and they will keep getting a little easier, I hope, so I hate to make too many huge goals (stay caught up on laundry and keep everyone fed and dry are my big ones). I have a few books I want to read with my husband, a Bible study I want to finish, continuing to memorize 2 verses/week.
I love how specific your goals are, especially with the number of different blog posts you’ll write. I’m also glad that you’ll be writing more for the blog.
Here are my goals for the year:
http://www.momsplans.com/2013/12/2014-financial-personal-work-goals/
Thanks for sharing your goals! My number one goal for the year is to not start anything new and focus on what I already have. Sometime I stretch myself so thin that I can’t grow the things that God has already given to me.
My motto for 2014 is to… Live Actively, Eat Consciously & Pray Daily!
Love your motto!
I need to do this! I’m forever starting new projects without finishing what I already have. It’s very discouraging!
I enjoyed this article! I’ve blogged about my goals this year and am particularly excited about my upcoming series about decluttering! Details about my 2014 goals are in this post: http://davonneparks.com/living-intentionally-in-2014-new-years-resolutions-part-one/
My goals for 2014:
Health:
Get 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily.
Take at least 70,000 steps weekly as counted by my fitness device.
Keep up with needed lab tests and routine checkups.
Writing:
So long as my clients remain in business, my goal is to earn $1,325 per month or $17,000 for the year. This would be a small increase over what I earned writing in 2013.
Crafts:
Finish the blanket I have started (January).
Make 52 scarves and afghan squares to donate (all year long; donate them in December or regularly as I fill a bag with finished scarves and squares).
Create some handmade Christmas gifts for 2014 for my kids, nieces and my cousin’s kids. I have some ideas that include 3-D Christmas trees; star ornaments; charm bracelets; hats and scarves.
Make a cowl, hat and scarf for myself.
Make a fleece blanket for my baby.
Continue with ceramics classes with my oldest daughter as scheduling allows.
Personal:
Finish at least one book each week.
Try one new recipe each month.
Be mindful with what I say to and in front of my children.
I am happy to hear you will be refocusing on your blog this year. With all your book writing and speaking it seemed that your blog was sort of on the back burner. Something has to give of course, as a person can only do so much, but so glad to see that as one of your top goals. I really enjoy all your personal posts. Happy new year!
P.s. I don’t mean this to be a criticism but just an affirmation as to how much your blog readers enjoy hearing directly from you:)
Yes, there was definitely a period in the year when blog-writing had to take a backseat to other deadlines and to overseeing a complete restructuring of the business due to the growth we had this past year.
We’ve made a LOT of changes over the past three months in re-structuring the business processes and my business priorities. Best of all, we’ve brought on some new team members and have trained them and delegated a lot of things to them so that I can focus the bulk of my blogging time on writing — because that’s where my heart is. 🙂
Thanks so much for your patience during this whole process; I’m so glad to now have margin in my life so that I can do a lot more writing!
{More on this in the follow-up post on my goals that’s going up in a bit. It’s been a bit of a wild ride this year! But it’s exciting and wonderful!}
I love a fresh start! Goal-setting is a big deal for me, especially at the beginning of a new year.
I love your priorities and believe they set a healthy precedence for all of us in the blogging community. Thanks for sharing, Crystal!
Recommendation for the cooking with the kids – a few summers ago a friend of mine focused on a different country to teach her children about each week during summer break and each week they would prepare different foods based on which country they were learning about. Seemed like a fun concept and her children really enjoyed it. (Also, Happy New Year!)
What a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing!
Not sure of the cost or convenience, but I know Taste of Home does a traveling cooking class and also has one for kids. It’s a one day event, so I’m not sure what all they can teach in that amount of time, but might be fun to look into.
http://dearmarmie.blogspot.com/2013/12/looking-forward.html
My goals for this year is to continue educating my girls at home. Reading more with them one on one. I would like to plan more play dates for them with others that homeschool.
My health is always in the spotlight as I have a severe chronic illness. I will continue to find ways to eat better with the goal of no flare ups and to lose weight. I am restocking my freezer with sales and I will also make less boxed foods.
I want to start my webpage that I have had reserved for 2 years. I am taking a class at our local library that is free. I will have to get over being scared to put out that knowledge that I have after raising and homeschooling 4 girls.
I am determined to enjoy my grandbaby that will be here in March. My grandson was born with HIE and has had a tough 3 years but he is walking now and trying to talk.
Boy, so many responsibilities!
A new policy of a family meeting will take place each week. It will keep us talking and accountable for all the household chores. I want to make bill paying easier, so I will meet with my banker for help with the online banking and bill paying option. Help is always there if you ask!
Making sleep a priority has to be maintained. We have gotten off our schedule since my husband has been home after an accident at work. Wow, so many things to work on!