I took yesterday mostly off from blogging, so today I’m a bit behind and didn’t get these posted this morning like I’d hoped. At any rate, I was really encouraged because I felt like I’d had a really unproductive week. You know, one of those where you just seem to go around and around in circles and accomplish next to nothing?
However, when I sat down to assess last week’s goals and make a list for this week, I was encouraged: maybe I didn’t get everything crossed off, but I really did have a pretty productive week! That was encouraging, as well as an extra motivation for continuing to set weekly goals.
Since Monday was a holiday and we’re going to be out of town the end of this week, I’m only setting eight goals this week, instead of my usual 10. And in an effort to give myself grace and not be unrealistic, I tried to keep the goals pretty simple this week. That way, I’m not starting out already feeling defeated. I’m all about aiming high, but it’s also important to know your own limitations.
Here are last week’s goals:
Mothering Goals
1. Finish reading Homer Price aloud to the children.
2. Continue teaching children table chores.
Personal Goals
3. Run 13 miles (total). {I had an “off-my-game” week in running and only ended up running 9 miles.}
4. Finish reading Quitter and Friendship for Grownups. {Still working on All The Money in the World.}
Home Management Goals
5. Keep the master bathroom clean. (This seems to be the one area in the house that has been sorely neglected recently. I want to implement the ideas from Totally Together to see if I can keep it looking great with just 3-5 minutes of maintenance every day.)
6. Make Homemade Scrubbing Bubbles (third time’s a charm, eh?)
7. Wash, dry, fold, & put away one load of laundry every day.
Business Goals
8. Re-shoot videos and send to publicist.
9. Start working on my presentation for an upcoming speaking engagement.
Ministry Goals
10. Meet an acquaintance who asked for counsel regarding her business.
And here’s this week’s short list:
Mothering Goals
1. Finish reading All of a Kind Family and Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims aloud to the children.
2. Make a Wigwam and Teepee.
Personal Goals
3. Run 9 miles (total).
4. Go to bed by 10:30 p.m. or before every night. 🙂
5. Finish reading What Women Fear, Chasing Daylight, and All the Money in the World.
Home Management Goals
6. Make Homemade Oxy-Clean.
Business Goals
7. Continue working on my presentation for an upcoming speaking engagement.
Ministry Goals
8. Write and send letters to our Compassion children.
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? If you feel comfortable doing so, I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!
You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
Laura says
I get my OxyClean at the Dollar Tree. It works as well as the regular brand. Guess that is my “tortillas!”
Making My Own Luck says
I can’t wait to see how the oxiclean works out. I haven’t found a stain yet that oxiclean can’t get out — but I wouldn’t mind saving a few bucks if I could make some at home!
Here’s my list of goals and a re-cap of last week:
http://cookingluck.blogspot.com/2011/09/saving-money-challenge-this-week.html
Thanks for these posts. They really help keep me focused.
Hope Easter says
I’ve done a bunch of goal lists, and I really like this one the best. I think I’m going to start doing this each week. It seems easier to manage than others I’ve tried.
Megan B says
Spiritual – Read 2 more chapters in Blessed to Be a Blessing
Writing – Add 1000 words to my novel
Cleaning – Fold all the laundry in the baskets
Personal – Make a set of lace cuffs to wear
Knitting – cast off and block shawl I’m getting paid for.
I actually did really well with this. I was surprised how it kept me focused, without driving me batty.
Heather says
As a follow up to your last weeks list, I decided it was time to get my act together. Thank you for your comments (and printable) back when regarding living a life that has “purpose” and “intention” to my just going through the motions. This set a fire in my belly and I revamped my entire thinking which played out this week in me getting things done and even setting goals. I didn’t complete all my goals, but I really was surprised by journaling exactly how much I had done when I changed my thinking and my attitude. Thank you for being a virtual mentor and for giving this mommy a well needed shot in the arm.
Karrie says
I finally scheduled a dentist appointment for myself, all because I set my goals 🙂 Yay for healthy teeth!
Jen @ Master the Art of Saving says
I actually make monthly goals, this is my 2nd month posting them on my blog. Mostly they’re financial goals (since I’m a personal finance blogger) with a bit of blogging goals and a few personal goals. If anybody is interested, here are my September goals: http://www.mastertheartofsaving.com/2011/09/05/my-goals-4-september-2011/
Cori says
Is this different than your “to-do” list? I find it hard to have many lists going at once. How does that work for you?
Gretchen says
Thanks again for posting this. It is so encouraging! Here is mine:
http://extraordinaryordinarylife.blogspot.com/2011/09/september-12-goals-for-this-week-and.html
And I will have to try that Oxy clean after I see how you like it.
Carrie Bergherm says
Here’s my updated list. Didn’t get much done from last week’s list because several unplanned activities cropped up and took time away. Ah well, at least a new week brings another chance… It’s so great to have something to focus on, even if I don’t get much of it done. Really helps keep me on track or at least thinking on track!
Carrie Bergherm says
Okay, well, I guess remembering to add my link should be on my list of goals…
Here it is: http://berghermlife.blogspot.com/2011/09/to-do-list-another-attempt.html
C says
Love this idea so much 🙂 I’m making the transition from summer’s all over the place nature, to a more structured Autumn, and I’ve been struggling a bit (feeling a bit anxious and confined, haha). I think this will help jump start things though, thanks.
Lynette Parker says
I was wondering when you work in your cleaning into your schedule, do you do it all at one time or a little every day?
Chrissy says
Let me guess, you are doing My Father’s World? We are about a week or so ahead of you. Just hang in there. It looks like you got a TON done! I hope you have a great little getaway at the end of the week and THANK you for all you do! You really helps us moms!!
Bless you!
Chrissy
Leanne says
I just love the goal setting sheet! I must say, though, most of mine did not get met last week because I came down with the flu…and I mean the really, knock you off your feet, flu! however, the best thing about the sheet was I was able to tell my sweet Hubby what HAD to get done…and then pick up on things where I left off!! I love the post on decluttered countertops…I may take that on as my next project…mine are clean, but have things on them, and I like the look of yours better☺
birtrightrose says
A man walks into his psychiatrist and says, “I’m a Wigwam I’m a Teepee.” The doc says, “I know what your problem is…You’re too tents!”
Anne @ Modern Mrs Darcy says
Homemade Oxy-Clean? I had no idea! I am definitely trying that (especially because I’m almost out and it’s not cheap!).
I am right there with you on the going-to-bed-at-a-decent-hour thing. We have gotten woefully off track with the end of summer at my house, and I need to rein it in, stat!
Leah says
Hey Crystal, just wanted to tell you that my extended family IS the family from All of a Kind Family. My Uncle Jerry, the youngest of the clan (he’s not in the books) just died about 6 months ago. He was the last of the siblings. It’s crazy to me to re-read the books and everyone is so young and healthy and to know they’re not really with us anymore…it’s so hard. But when I see that people are still reading the books and hearing my childhood stores, it truly helps. Thank you for spreading the word about them. Sydney’s daughter is working right now to try to get a TV show made about them; fingers crossed! Thanks again. Leah
Catherine says
I know you don’t want to share specifics, but I’m wondering what kinds of things you would put under the marriage/husband category. I’m trying to work on my goals and am kind of stuck on that one 🙂
Jessica says
Hi Catherine –
Just as an idea, my husband I are working through the Love Dare Day by Day – this just helps us to be more mindful of each other. Other ideas for this would be to show affection in certain ways each day, read the Bible together, play a game together, go for a walk together, etc.
Catherine says
Thank you!!!
Sarah Robbins says
You probably already have something planned, but my class LOVED these paper buildable dwellings when I was teaching:
http://shop.scholastic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay_45648_-1_10001_10002
I’m happy to copy the teepee pages for you and send them if you’d like, or any others (you can view the table of contents in the link). It’s like Native American paper dolls! Just email me. 🙂
arianna says
I love your lists as well…thank you very much. I am going to add a goal list to my binder this week ; I downloaded your customizable one and I was wondering what the extra header to the right is for (the one under “date”).
Crystal says
You can use that for extra things to remember, a quote, notes to yourself, or just leave it blank to remind you to include margin in your life. 🙂
Carrie @ Busy Nothings says
I was inspired by your lists of goals each week, so last week I started my own blogging list called My {5} Goals for the week. Below is the link to my report from last week and my updated list for this week. It has been very helpful to me to have a place where I can see what I’m supposed to be working towards each week. Thanks for the encouragement and keep up the good work! 9 miles? I’m still totally impressed! 🙂
http://carriesbusynothings.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-5-goals.html
Katie says
Thank you so much for encouraging and challenging us every week to be purposeful and productive in writing out our goals! I start another new job ( my third!) this week plus a new Bible study so it will be a much busier werk and i will need to work harder to manage the time God gives me well! Here are some of mine for this week:
1. Go to yoga every day and run at least two days.
2. Finish my five mystery shop jobs I was assigned for this week.
3. Clean out our pantry
4. Clean out my husbands dresser and our closet and take the clothes to a nearby consignment shop
5. Finish reading “Choosing Gratitude” {by Nancy deMoss}
I hope everyone is having a great week so far!
Katie
coltonandkatiehaney.blogspot.com
Coltonandkatiehaney.blogspot.com
4. Go to the post office
5.
Katie Haney says
I sent that post from an ipad and was clearly having problems with typing! haha! Excuse the typos 🙂
Tammy @ Skinny Mom's Kitchen says
I think you are doing great.
I completed a major goal this weekend and that is to put together a home managment binder. I used MANY of your printables. Honestly, your website has helped me more than you could ever know…in so many areas of my life….from money…to blogging..to freezer cooking…to mothering…to goal setting..and the list goes on. Thank you.
Crystal says
You are so very kind! And way to go on your home management binder! Having my “brain” in one place makes life SO much more manageable!
Anna says
I decided that I needed to do my goals consistent with the family goals I have set for us. My goals are simple and then I list activities to accomplish those goals. Having my own family goals which are part of my mission statement helps me “steer” my life in the right direction. I do not include all of my goals but some of them. I love this post but decided I needed to adapt to how I already try to organize my life between single mother to 4, full time outside home worker, and mother to a child with special needs.
Good manners
1. Eat dinner at table to practice manners.
Support each other
1. Email family each week.
Family spending plan
1. Take Financial Peace class at church.
2. Apply first class lesson to spending plan.
Eat healthy
1. Increase vegetables and fruits in meal plan (i.e. cut up and make available for snacks).
Exercise
1. Walk each day to strengthen back.
2. Stretch back 2x/day.
Spirituality
1. Pray for my brother each day.
Clean house
1. Clean area around the chimney of clutter.
Relax
1. Plan to take kids to a movie at the dollar movie house.
2. Plan a crafts activity this week to do with kids.
Organize
1. Make a project list and put in home binder.
Take care of belongings
1. Take car for to get oil changed.
2. Get brake light replaced this week.
Self care
1. Get a haircut.
2. Go to bed by 10 pm each night.
Lori says
Your note about the Compassion children made me wonder … did I miss the post about the Yahoo page? Remember when we changed it to our home page for a few days and they donated proceeds to the group? I am just curious how much was raised for the organization through that effort. If I missed that post I’m sorry.
Crystal says
We raised around $18,000 for them!!
Lori says
That’s amazing. You should feel so proud. What a blessing.
Karrie says
Thanks for asking the question I was also curious about weather or not the yahoo thing worked 🙂
Katie says
So glad you put writing your Compassion children on the list! I just wrote my teenage girl from Ethiopia not long ago 🙂
Jessica says
I noticed that they are storing it in a clear glass, oxy-clean needs to be stored in a tinted container for it to stay activated. If you have an old oxiclean bottle or peroxide bottle, those would both work great.
Julie says
What was your opinion of the homemade scrubbing bubbles?
Crystal says
It seemed to work out well!
Coupon Code Ava says
This is a neat idea. Maybe I should try doing this weekly. It will help me stay on top of things.
Christina Vickers says
Thank you for sharing your goals and your progress toward them! I appreciate that setting goals and not always meeting them does not mean failure. I found out just last week that my husband considers me a pretty laid back person, even though I’ve never thought of myself as that. His reasoning was that I have to make lists to go by if I want to get anything done. One list I hadn’t yet considered making was a weekly goal list. I hope to share at least a partial list here. I clicked on the customizable weekly planning sheet above, but it said it had moved. I’d really love to download that.
All that being said, here are some of my goals for this week:
1. Review new/old Classical Conversations material w/ my 4 yo daily (We’re off this week, so I’m hoping to add in the next week’s material gradually and get ahead a little, because we will miss a week at the end of the month.)
2. Begin to find my kitchen again (hopefully next week, my kitchen goal will be to maintain a clean kitchen!)
3. Exercise daily, including 3 days of running.
4. Fold remaining laundry (got a LOT done yesterday).
5. Take kids to the library.
6. Speak Jesus to someone I meet this week.
7. Make next week’s menu plan and grocery list using coupons and sale adds.
8. Make next week’s school plans.
So that is as far as I have gotten, and my stuffy 2 yo just woke up snotting and snorting all over the place, so…. gotta run! Thanks again for the motivation! 🙂
Amy J says
http://symphonicinsanity.blogspot.com/2011/09/weekly-goals-update.html Here are my goals!
Mom's Plans says
Just curious, if you are trying to go to bed every night at 10:30, what time do you get up? I usually go to bed by 11 or 11:30 and am up by 6, but I feel like I am dragging all day long.
Crystal says
Sometime between 5 and 6:30, depending upon whether I get to bed *before* 10 or not. 🙂 If you are dragging, I’d see if there’s anyway that you can go to bed 30 minutes or an hour earlier and still get up at the same time. I find that I’m often *more* productive if I get more sleep, than if I try to get less sleep. An hour of extra sleep can often result in what seems like 2-3 hours of more efficiency in the day because I’m much more energetic instead of dragging all day long.
Niki says
Heads up on that “homemade oxy clean” You need to use Washing Soda, not baking soda. Oxyclean is made with sodium carbonate (soda ash) NOT sodium BIcarbonate (baking soda)
Jessica says
Here’s my goals for anyone who is interested: http://jandjnewleaf.blogspot.com/2011/09/life-style-goals-for-this-week.html
Anna says
I am interested! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Jessica says
Well, thank you! 🙂 I’m glad.
Megan says
Your “unproductive” week would make me feel like a superhero. 🙂 You’re so inspiring!
Denise says
Im excited to hear about the oxy-clean! I love DIY almost-anything:)
I make my goals daily and then I feel more pressure to actually get them done and cross them off so I’m not putting them on the next day’s list. I’m a natural procrastinator. My big goal for the week is getting my kids room organized as they are having a hard time keeping it clean, even tho they are trying hard. It’s time for a de-clutter!! 🙂 And keeping my 2 oldest on schedule with their schoolwork each day.
Beth says
I can’t seem to get the link for the downloadable pages to work. It keeps saying “Oops! page not found!”. Is it me or your site?
Crystal says
Hmm, is this the link that isn’t working? https://moneysavingmom.com/2011/08/free-printable-weekly-goal-planning-sheet.html
Beth says
Yes! I hovered over the link in your post and the difference is an extra “2011”. Thanks for this link!
Beth says
Make that “2011/09/” Thanks!
Crystal says
Weird, because it’s showing up just fine for me.
Beth says
Not sure, I tried again and it still gave me the error message and the hover still has an extra “/2011 in it”. But the link in your comments worked.
Emily says
Yeah, I’m getting the “Page not found” message, too – 4:38 PM CST on Tues.
Shelby says
You had a really productive week! That’s great. I have to-do lists for each day this week. Here’s hoping that all of our weeks are happy and productive.
Willing Cook says
Ok, I think I need to take the plunge and download your goals sheet. I have resisted this because I hate to see what all I don’t do, but I feel like I need some organization. I have been in lala land over the weekend and really messed up on some things.
Anyway, one goal this week is to fill out the goal sheet 🙂 Perhaps, I’ll even cross some things off of it.
Thanks, Crystal!
Emily says
“At any rate, I was really encouraged because I felt like I’d had a really unproductive week.”
I think you mean “discouraged” instead of “encouraged” in that sentence. 🙂 I love the idea of simple, realistic goals – thank you!
Angela R says
My son just started school for the first time and my goal is to try and find some sort of routine. I need to create blocks of time for housework, my businesses, time with the kids/kid activities, and time for myself (working out, reading, etc.).
I’m through with the days spent working well past midnight! 😉
Thanks, Crystal.
Angela R says
PS I just noticed you had a link to a download that sounded super helpful on goals – but it gave me a 404. Can you correct the link, pretty please?!! 😉
Heather says
I think this is where the link is supposed to go: https://moneysavingmom.com/2011/08/free-printable-weekly-goal-planning-sheet.html
HTH!
laurie says
now that we have power back, my goals are to work on last weeks goals!