If you know me much at all, you know I'm a strong believer in having written goals. Not just dreams or ambitions or pie-in-the-sky ideas, but realistic, achievable goals.
At the end of every year, my husband and I sit down and review our goals from the previous year and make out a list of goals for the new year. We try to do this in all areas of our life–from personal to spiritual to vocational.
While we don't always complete all of these goals and some of them we decide to chuck altogether, just discussing where we're at and where we want to go and then writing it down is a very beneficial and motivational exercise in itself. And we've been amazed at how much more we accomplish when we are purposeful in how we live our lives.
As the saying goes, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time." If you aim high, you might not quite make what you aim for, but you'll likely go much farther than you'd go if you aimed at little or nothing at all.
Over the next week, I'll be sharing some of my goals for 2010 with you here, not only so you can get a little peak into my life, but also because also because I've found public accountability to be a highly motivating thing.
To start things off, here are my blogging goals for 2010:
1) Keep God and my family as my first priority. If I manage to do nothing else this year but grow closer to God and spend the bulk of my time loving on my family, it will be a successful year. Everything else pales in comparison to those relationships.
While the computer can be an incredible tool and I love the opportunity I have to blog and interact with many of you, my family is my number one priority. Email, blogging, comments, Twitter, and Facebook all take a backburner to my husband and children.
One change I've made in the last few months is to set up parental controls on my computer so it is only accessible during certain times of the day–for an hour before my children wake up and for a few hours during our afternoon Quiet Time.
These self-imposed boundaries have been a huge help as they keep me accountable to make sure I am only spending a limited amount of time on the computer and am completely focused on meeting the needs of my family when my children are awake and my husband is home.
In the time that I do have set aside for blogging, here is what I want to focus my energies and efforts on:
2) Write more personal posts and share more pictures. While I plan to continue to share lots of great deals and bargains here like usual, I'm going to put forth a much greater effort in 2010 to share personal posts of things I'm learning, insights I'm gleaning, frugal tips and ideas, experiments and failures, and give you a little glimpse into our family's day-to-day lives.
3) Provide diverse content through guest posts. I have some excellent guest posts lined up for 2010 which I'm excited to share with you. My goal is to run one per week and I hope to include a variety of posts from individuals who come from a plethora of backgrounds and financial situations.
4) Foster community. We have some new features lined up for the site redesign we're rolling out in the next month which will encourage more interaction and help to foster more community and forum here. Many of you have asked for this so I'm thrilled to be able to launch these features in the near future.
5) Network with bloggers and encourage and help newer bloggers. A few months ago, a few bloggers and I banded together to create
SavvyBlogging–a website with the mission of helping others make the most of
their blogging efforts. What started as a simple idea for a
get-together, turned into a complete Round Table Dinner and
Discussion and an active Twitter stream packed with helpful tips and
ideas for taking your blog to the next level.
I also will be collaborating with other bloggers on some other exciting projects over the next year and am even jumping way outside of my "comfort zone" to speak at the Relevant Conference in October. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to encourage other bloggers and share a few things I've learned along the way.
Those are a few of my blogging goals for this coming year. Check out others' goals or link up yours here.
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Cindy says
Thank you for all you do to inspire me not only to save money, but especially as you share your thoughts and family values! We will soon be welcoming our third child into our home (2 girls and now a little boy!) and I personally would love to hear more about how you balance your time…how you fit homeschooling in amongst everything else. And how you plan your homeschooling/fun activities with you kiddos! Thanks!
Alison Moore Smith says
Great list of blogging goals. I’m trying to formulate my own now.
I’ve noticed that goal #1 on more than one mother-owned blog! It will be on mine, too, as usual!
Leah says
I love love love that you put controls on your computer..this is the NUMBER ONE problem i struggle with..how did you do it?? can you share it with those of us who are not so tech-oriented! i would love to FORCE myself to be limited on computer time!!!
Vanessa says
Your blog is my favorite that I visit each day.I can tell that you try to do what the Lord wants you to do.Just pray and He will tell you.You have been a real blessing to me this year.Thanks for all you do.
Jessica @ Saving Money Living Life says
We look forward to see what God has in store for you and your blog in 2010! And we have come to love checking the #savvyblogging thread on twitter daily- you are a well of useful information and advice! Thank you for sharing with the rest of us!
Lisa says
I love, love, love your blog and I think whatever you do will turn out wonderfully! I started a blog last year and I am constantly telling my husband how great your blog is and how I strive to get better every day, thank you for all of the hard work you put into your site, I can’t wait to see what’s next!
Emily Kay says
The first blog I ever followed of yours was your personal blog (“Biblical Womanhood”, was that was it was called?) and it was my favorite blog. I was so disappointed when you closed it down, so I am always thrilled when you post about your life and your personal challenges. I’m a young Christian mom with two kids two and under and one on the way and I find it very difficult to get encouragement and support from others around me. Your blog was one of the few I could turn to in order to get accountability and a regular challenge. Deal blogs are a dime a dozen (although yours IS the best!!) but you are truly one of a kind. 🙂
Adventure Mom Janna says
I’m glad you are using the knowledge God has blessed you with, with others and helping to promote other up and coming blogs.
The Lord will reward that!
Becky says
Well since I have only been here since November I am not sure what the other two blogs were but I love your site in my top three list! I love how concise, how the deals you list are the best (and not three hundred different deals for one store). I love your faith focus. God brought me to your site one day (and this was the first time I ever even knew there was this whole coupon/deals/frugal tips etc. whole blog world out there)! In the two months I have been doing this, I have saved so much money!
Jen (QuatroMama) says
So much of this I would love to impliment in my own life and blogging. You are doing fabulous work, Crystal. It’s truly inspiring!
Samantha says
Can’t wait! Love your blog and I am excited to see more!
Here are my 2010 blogging goals!
http://fabulesslyfrugalmom.blogspot.com/2010/01/2009-year-in-review-and-goals-for.html
Kendal Hall says
Great post! I’m right there with ya girl!
Esther says
I enjoy and look forward to reading your posts! I tell my friends about your blog all the time.
Keep up the great work and thanks!
Mary says
I found your site in June ’09. I love the bargins you post about and hope they are just as frequent as in the past.
Me says
I like your idea to have more guest posts. I always like them.
Just me, but I think you should start a separate blog for your personal stuff. I started following other blogs for couponing because they weren’t as personal as yours. When I want deals, that’s all I want.
I also like that you put God first. Good work.
Donna says
Just putting my 2 cents in…I too miss your other blogs immensely and I love the personal posts! So excited to see more 🙂
Lucky says
Great idea on the parental controls!
melissa @ the inspired room says
Loved reading your goals and your desire to focus on what is most important in life. Blogging and social media can take over if we aren’t careful. Great idea on setting up the controls for yourself! Looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zone too and speaking at Relevant!
Olathe mom says
Oh, wow. Put me in the “content post”-loving category as well. I have the opposite opinion– deal blogs are a dime a dozen– but inspirational LIVING is a rare thing!
Kathy says
I have to put myself in the camp with wanting to see more of the personal posts. I also truly miss your other two blogs. They were SUCH an encouragement to me. Well, everyone has their own opinion and, as usual, I’m sure you will hear them all! 🙂
May you and your family be blessed as you continue to give of yourself so sacrificially.
nanasewn says
Clearly in the minority, I personally like your blog with the “money saving niche”. Your personal posts keep it real without diverting too much. thank you for all the work and thought you put into it. Best Wishes in the new year, wherever God leads.
Swap Savers says
Great goals thanks for sharing. I wrote this article about ways to create goals which will help you to achieve the goals:
Creating and Achieving Your Goals
http://www.swapsavers.com/group/moneysavingarticles/forum/topics/creating-and-achieving-your
Heidi says
I see that others don’t all share my opinions, but I think your blog is perfect as it is. In fact, I think one of the reasons your blog is so popular is that it’s very narrow, very niched, and very reliable. I (and many of my friends who read it) KNOW that every new post we see will be a deal. There are plenty of personal finance blogs out there (and I’ve stopped reading most of them), but a good, straightforward deal blog is a rare commodity. Hope you’ll consider sticking with your blog as it is.
Kristen@TheFrugalGirl says
While I sometimes use the deals that you post, I most enjoy the posts where you write about your family and what you’re doing, so I’m glad to see that there will be more of that in the coming year!
Shannon Hager says
I am looking forward to another great year. I made 5 goals this year that I intend to follow through with! We also made 5 family goals that we can all work on together. Thanks for the encouragement!
marybeth @ www.babygoodbuys.com says
So timely! I recently posted my blogging and personal goals here: http://www.babygoodbuys.com/2009/12/2010-new-years-goals-for-baby-goodbuys.html
Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam says
Can’t wait to share another blogging year with you as we put the Lord, and family first….:) Thanks for your constant encouragement.
Alecia Stanley says
Thanks for the encouragement!!
Shelli W says
I personally really appreciate your 2nd blogging goal…seeing the personal side of someone’s life (including the things that may not have gone as planned–not failures, but redirections maybe) really help me to know that I can do this too. It shows you are HUMAN and I am so thankful when women are willing to show that they are (cracks and all!).
Thank you for your ministry!!
Rebecca at Alice says
I love that you’re planning to do more personal posts as those are some of my favorites from you. I always learn from your personal stories! Best of luck for your 2010 goals and thank you for your great blog!
D says
Thanks for all the hard work you do listing deals and freebies and everything else you do! Please don’t let your Church/ Family suffer. I completely understand that family/God first!
Thanks for all you do!
Melissa says
I am excited about your blogging goals! I miss your other two blogs.
Celia Emmons says
I am really excited to read more about #2! As strange as that may sound, I get so much encouragement as a young mom to hear about another family’s success and overcoming struggles. (Especially hearing from a family whose priority is the Lord!) Thank you for all you do!