So let’s be clear: I think traditional New Year’s resolutions are dumb.

Here’s why: the numbers vary depending on which source you look at, but statistically less than 10 percent of people actually follow through with the ideas they get so excited about come January 1st.

So for the other 90+ percent, what’s the point? For most people, resolutions are just wishful thinking.

For a long time, I just didn’t bother. I figured if I wanted to change something in my life I would just…do it.

And while that works to an extent for me, I nonetheless hit a wall a few years ago. I was exhausted and overwhelmed with three small kids, drowning in mental and physical clutter and feeling purposeless. While I didn’t exactly know where I was going, I made a decision at the end of 2015 that I was going to be more intentional with my life:

• I started decluttering my home.
• I turned my hobby blog into a professional one, got certified in stress management coaching and developed digital products.
• I embraced my purpose in motherhood.
• I started taking better care of myself and embraced biblical rest.
• I started praying powerfully and with purpose.
• I learned how to control my daily schedule rather than letting it control me.

And it all started with a process called goal-setting. A.k.a New Year’s Resolutions—but the kind that I can follow through with because I’m working on them year-round.

So while I still think that New Year’s resolutions as I used to understand them are dumb, when you do them right, they can be incredibly effective and life-changing.

Related: How Moms Can Set Meaningful Goals

I’ve learned a lot about this process of the last several years. There’s a lot of great advice out there, but if I do have one nugget of wisdom to offer about resolutions it’s this:

Choose rest.

While the rest of the world is wrapped up in being skinny and self-improvement and getting rich, imagine if you chose to do something a little different?

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
—Matthew 11:28–30.

To rest is to be faithful. To stop and let God fill in the gaps. To trust the Spirit’s guidance. To be content with less…and to feel fuller in the process.

Sound good? Then check out these alternative New Year’s resolution ideas anchored in rest that you can get excited about.

10 Restful New Year’s Resolution Ideas

Photo credit: Cristian Escobar

1. Practice Sabbath

It’s an ancient practice: set aside a 24-hour period each week to REST. Up until pretty recently, I had never done this.

But now, I can’t imagine my life without it. One day a week, I do my best to let go.

I don’t check my social media or email. I don’t do any household or work projects, even when I know there’s stuff to get done. Instead, I spend time with those I love, I worship and I relax. And I face each week refreshed.

2. Sleep More

Again, up until recently, my mentality was to sleep the minimal amount without feeling completely wrecked each day, to maximize the amount of time I had to get stuff done.

It’s a terrible way to live. I had to adjust my morning and evening routines, but now I regularly get the 8.5 hours a night I need. And of course, I’m way more productive.

Give yourself permission to get more sleep. Go to bed (perhaps earlier) at the same time each night after a relaxing evening routine. Take short power naps during seasons when your nighttime sleep is interrupted. Ask for help taking care of the kids wen you’re feeling run down.

3. Create Meaningful Memories

One thing I have wanted to grow in is being more mentally present with my husband and kids. I want us to look back with memories full of meaning and love.

There are many ways you can approach this. What has worked well for me is getting one-on-one time with one of my kids each week, as well as a date of some kind with my husband every week. I also try to take photos weekly—in everyday life, not just the special occasions. I’ve worked hard to stay on top of my digital photos, which means sorting and editing then within a week of taking them. This makes it much less overwhelming to organize them.

4. Cultivate Your Friendships

This is another area I’ve grown in recently. Even during the recent social distancing period, I’ve been grateful to have deep friendships and great conversations

I know it’s tough for many of us in the season of motherhood because we lack the time. If that’s the case with you, I encourage you to be creative with this resolution.

Be bold and initiate (that other mom is probably lonely too). When you can’t meet, talk on the phone. You might be surprised just how little extra time those friendships can take if you simply take the effort to invest in them.

5. Enrich Your Prayer Life

In the past, this has been a weakness but now I’m proud to say and think is becoming a strength. Over the last couple of years, I have gotten more disciplined and focused and have seen a lot of the fruit.

For me, it took some digging and journaling to get there. Can I suggest starting with this prayer journal?

6. Say No to Your Phone

I think I’m pretty conscious about this, and still, I find myself getting sucked into checking my notifications whenever I get a free second.

Some ways to combat this include setting up screen-free times into your schedule as well as only allowing yourself to check notifications at specific times of the day. Otherwise, it’s all too tempting!

Related: Social Media Addiction: 20 Strategies to Break It

7. Spend Time in Nature

There’s something spiritual about the sky, the sea, the mountains, the fields. As someone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest and now lives in the Midwest, I can find my present opportunities…lacking. But that just means I’m not looking hard enough.

Studies show that being in nature is good for your mental and physical health. So let’s get out there regularly and make it a priority!

Brainstorm some ways you can enjoy nature, whether it’s sitting out on your back deck every day, taking a long walk once a week, or planning a trip out into the wilderness.

8. Explore Healthy Food You LOVE

Weight loss is on the brain for many people at this time of year, and that’s necessarily not a bad thing…but we can go about it the wrong way.

I find that I’m healthiest when I’m not thinking in terms of how I’m limiting myself but rather embracing what I love.

I finally admitted to myself that I don’t love salad. Plus no one else in my family likes it much. I’ll eat it because I know it’s good for me and that’s enough of a motivator…but I’m a lot more excited about a plethora of other vegetable-rich dishes that I’ve learned how to make. So rather than forcing myself to limit my food to something I’m not wild about, our family is getting adventurous with healthy, whole foods we love and can be thankful for. See the difference?

What nourishing food can you get excited about discovering in the coming months?

9. Find a Mentor

There’s a phrase that has stuck with me through the years: “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Sometimes you don’t even know what you are doing right or wrong unless you get some perspective.

If you’re feeling stuck in any area of your life, why stay in a rut if the strategies you’re using aren’t working? Get some help: a coach, an advisor, an accountability buddy, a counselor, whatever. It’s biblical and it helps.

10. Practice Gratitude

This is almost too cliché nowadays but I’m gonna write it anyway. Gratitude is proven to change the way you think. Make it stick by writing it down daily.

Okay friends, now it’s your turn: what restful New Year’s Resolutions ideas would you add to the list? And which ones do you want to try this year?

If you want some guidance putting those goals into practice, be sure to check this the mini goal-setting workbook I offer in my free resources collection:

It’s no secret around here that I’m a big fan of setting goals. 

It’s a concept that many people often associate with their jobs. My husband shares with me the business goals he sets for work each year.

But what about for your personal life? Is it worth it to set goals for just…yourself? And your family?

And furthermore, how does one go about that, exactly?

I’ve been setting personal goals for myself for several years now, and I’ve tried quite a few tools. One of the most unique ones is a workbook called PowerSheets.

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links, which won’t change your price but will share some commission. See here for more information.

What Are PowerSheets?

PowerSheets are a collection of goal-setting pages in a beautiful workbook. I like to think of them as having a paper life coach. They help you think through your priorities, get a vision and make goals, and then work towards them in practical steps.

Here’s how the Cultivate What Matters shop describes its popular product:

Thousands of women all over the world have made their goals happen with PowerSheets. Created by Lara Casey, best-selling author of Make It Happen and Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life.

• A proven process that works.
• 12 months of intentional goal-setting worksheets to help you make your goals a reality.
• The signature PowerSheets Prep™️ process to uncover the right goals for your season of life.
• Trusted goal coaching on every page so you stay motivated and on track.
• Exclusive seasonal worksheets to refresh and refocus your goals each season.

Sounds pretty cool, right?

I thought so. So I jumped on the Cultivate wagon in 2018 and dug in. I liked PowerSheets so much that I’ve used them every year since (yes, especially in this crazy year of 2020).

Getting Started: Brain Dumping and Life Assessment

If you do not know where you come from, then you don’t know where you are, and if you don’t know where you are, then you don’t know where you’re going… – Terry Pratchett

If you’ve ever tried setting goals before, one easy way to get stuck right from the start is having no clue what direction you want your life to go.

So the first step is assessing where you’ve been.

The first several pages in the PowerSheets workbook are life assessment pages. They consist of open-ended questions about your personality, your hopes and dreams, how well the past year went and some ideas for what you want to do in the coming year.

There’s also a lot of open space to get messy, which I always appreciate.

This is one of my favorite parts of the workbook because you have permission to get to know yourself a little better. Why do you think those online personality quizzes are so much fun? I think it’s because we like to understand the way we think and act so that we can make the best use of our preferences and talents.

By knowing your strengths, weaknesses, who you are, how you’re motivated and where you’ve been, the future becomes a lot clearer.

Related: How to Be Motivated: The Four Tendencies from a Biblical Perspective

The next step is to prioritize what’s most important. You start out by thinking about what you want your life to be like when you get to the end. What’s going to matter most then?

With that in mind, you work your backward. What can you focus on in the coming year that can push you towards that long-term vision?

My only critique is that this timeframe feels like a bit of a stretch. I hope I’ve got a few decades in between now and then!

I personally like to add intermediate steps, such as where I want to be in 5 years, as well as major milestones like when my kids graduate high school. But the PowerSheets workbook provides the space and flexibility to do that.

Choosing a Word of the Year

I’ve heard of people that use a “word of the year,” and honestly I’ve always thought it was a bit hokey. I mean seriously, summarizing an entire year of your life under one banner word or phrase? How is that practical?

But, since I was so impressed with the process already, I decided to run with it.

Based on the personal assessment pages, the word I landed on in 2018 was connection. I felt like it applied to the areas of my life where I was lacking.

Surprisingly, I found it extremely helpful. Not because the word in itself was so amazing, but because with all of the other tools in PowerSheets, I was able to stay rooted in it.

I posted this word in my kitchen where I keep all of my household paperwork. While I didn’t think about it constantly, it was a good visual reminder about my priorities. It was also useful whenever I revisited my PowerSheets on a monthly and quarterly basis.

What surprised me most was how much God led me to grow in connection throughout the year, in ways I didn’t expect or plan. I became more comfortable in getting vulnerable, crying without shame and giving my heart in scary ways.

In the years that have followed, I never regretted choosing a word. While I don’t think about it constantly, it does help me stop, reflect and focus on what matters to me.

My words for the past several years have been:

• connection (2018)
• rhythm (2019)
• freedom (2020)

Getting Intentional with Goal-Setting

After clearing up where you’ve been, where you are and where you want to go in a general sense, the PowerSheets workbook walks you through the nitty-gritty of goal-setting.

To start, you write out several specific goals you want to work on in the coming year. Then you break them down into smaller steps.

I used to do ten goals, and it felt really overwhelming to me. I can’t focus on that many big things at once. In the 2021 edition, it encourages you to do eight MAXIMUM (and you can always adjust later).

Whatever the number of goals you set, the targeting questions in Powersheets help you focus on the most important ones first, based on your current priorities, and then work on others later.

Looking book at the goals I set at the beginning of 2018, I was a little surprised that I only met two of them completely. That hurt my perfectionist heart a little bit.

But that didn’t mean I didn’t accomplish anything! I ended up dropping one of my goals completely, as it didn’t make sense anymore. As for the rest, I made progress significant progress on every one. Furthermore, as the year went on, I got better at defining my goals in a way that was realistic and relevant.

Each quarter in PowerSheets, you either recommit to your original goals or change them. As life shifts, so does your focus.

Overall, what really impressed me was that the process helped me appreciate the journey more than the destination. This phrase has helped me a lot:

In the following years, I haven’t felt like I HAD to fill in all of the spaces. I must be getting over my perfectionism

What I’ve loved over time is that I can tweak my PowerSheets to suit my needs. They’re here to serve me, not the other way around.

Staying Focused Day After Day, Week After Week, Month After Month

You know how it goes; you can get really excited about making some big changes and focusing on goals at the beginning of the year, only to lose momentum after a month or two. You then spend the majority of the year drifting through life, until you start all over again.

To combat this tendency, the PowerSheets workbook has the tools to keep you focused on your goals all year long:

• Seasonal reflection: Every three months, you can hit the “reset” button on your goals and on your life, as you monitor your long-term progress.
• Monthly reflection: Before you make your plans each month, you can reflect on how the last month went. You also look at your big goals and prioritize what you want to focus on next. There’s lots of space for brain-dumping so that you can clear the clutter and let go of the things you’re worried about that won’t really matter in the long-run.
• Tending list: This is a perforated sheet that you can tear out and keep wherever it’s convenient. You keep track of your progress, including monthly goals, weekly goals and daily goals that help you work towards your big goals.

This system is brilliant. It’s simple, not overwhelming, and motivating all year long.

I admit, I haven’t been a perfect student using the tending list. I sometimes go over a week without glancing at it. Nevertheless, it still keeps me a lot more focused than I would be without it.

Another cool thing about the PowerSheets workbook is that it is not a daily calendar planner.

Say what?!?

I love this because it’s versatile enough to use with the planner of your choice. I use a combination of Google Calendar and bullet journaling, and PowerSheets help me get the most out of them. (I explain my planning system more in the Ultimate Time Management Guide for Moms.)

The 2020 and 2021 editions do have month at a glance calendar pages, but to be honest I don’t refer to them much (I’d rather look at my wall calendar). But if you like to have everything in one place, those are handy.

Additional Features

Beyond the very thorough worksheets, you get several other perks with PowerSheets:

• A beautiful design and stickers galore: This is not a big deal to me, but if fun and colorful aesthetics are important to you, you won’t be disappointed.
• Wildcard pages: You can download customizable pages to insert into your PowerSheets, including budget pages, meal plans, grocery lists, health worksheets…you name it! I didn’t really take full advantage of these but would like to try more of them in the future.
• Support community: There’s an active PowerSheets Facebook group with over 12,000 members. So if you feel stuck or unmotivated you can just pop in there for two seconds. The Cultivate What Matters team also has a lot of resources that help you get the most out of your workbook.
• NEW in 2021: more robust quarterly goal planning pages. I’m thrilled with this feature, as I find that rehashing my goals quarterly helps keep me on target.

Are PowerSheets Worth It?

It’s obvious that I’m fan. But are PowerSheets a good choice for everyone?

The one-year PowerSheets workbook is not cheap, at $60 plus taxes and shipping. If your budget is tight, you may need to save up or ask for one as a gift.

To get the most out of it, you also should make a commitment to actually use it. And I’m not gonna lie; it takes time. 

I personally need several hours to complete the assessment worksheets at the beginning of the workbook, and about an hour or two each month as I reflect on my progress.

PowerSheets are not for you if you’re not committed to investing time, energy and money in your personal growth. They are not magical and will not help you if you’re not willing to do the difficult work of self-examination, setting goals and following through.

If you’re the type of person who buys cool things but doesn’t use them, then you might want to think twice before ordering. Make sure you’re ready to put in the work.

PowerSheets are for you if you’re eager to live more intentionally and are committed to the investment that process takes.

Not Quite Ready for PowerSheets?

If you’re intrigued by the goal-setting process but not ready to invest, you may like the simple goal-setting workbook that you can download from my collection of free resources. This can point in the direction of living more intentionally until you’re ready to take the next step.

Leave a comment: What do you think about PowerSheets? Do you have any more questions about them?

Hey friends, check it out: if you want to step up your goal-setting game, be sure to check out my new goal-setting mini-workbook in my free resource collection, which walks you through some of the strategies in this post.

Words like “goal setting” at times of year when everyone is trying to get a fresh start—like New Year’s or at the beginning of the school year—can produce mixed feelings in me.

On the one hand, I like the idea of dreaming big and making plans that produce results. Because who doesn’t like “results”? #amIright

On the other hand, I often find that goals and resolutions get forgotten within about, oh, 24 hours. Maybe a few weeks max. Many of us lack the motivation, commitment and discipline to see them through.

Related: How to Be Motivated: The Four Tendencies from a Biblical Perspective

Furthermore, a little confession: like most humans, I am lazy. Because there is only so much space in my brain, I like to take shortcuts and rely on sheer willpower to remember and execute all the things. I would rather be on Instagram than spending time planning out my laundry strategy.

It took several years as a stay-at-home mom before I realized that I needed to be a bit more intentional with my personal goal-setting and planning. Otherwise I am wandering around my house aimlessly day-to-day—keeping the kids alive, of course, but driving myself crazy with my lack of focus.

When it comes down to it, mom life is inherently chaotic. Maybe you thrive in chaos…but chances are, if you’re reading this post, you know you could probably do better.

Related: 12 Signs of Mom Burnout, and What You Can Actually Do About It

Personal Goal-Setting Hacks for the Lazy Mom

Photo credit: Jeremy Bishop

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links, which won’t change your price but will share some commission. See here for more information.

Don’t just take my word for it; goal-setting is actually biblical. Let’s take a look at the big picture:

 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness…For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 2:1 NIV, emphasis added

In other words: we have incredible gifts through the grace of God—in fact, we have everything we need to live a godly life. Cool. BUT at the same time, we’re called higher—to grow, that our faith might not stagnate.

I don’t know how all of this works, to be honest. Sometimes we just grow because when we’re pointed in the right direction (Christ), it happens naturally. I think just being a mom has made me grow as a spiritual person, whether I’ve been intentional about it or not.

But sometimes we need to stretch ourselves beyond what might “just happen.” As I read the Bible, I see over and over again a balance between God firmly guiding his flock while at the same time letting them figure out their own way.

So what does this mean for me, practically? It means that I have a lot to gain from setting goals and making plans, that I may grow as a person and in turn guide my children.

Now let me be clear: I believe God is the ultimate goal-setter, often behind the scenes. My plans don’t automatically align with his (see the necessity of prayer, below). But a quick flip through Proverbs indicates that we nonetheless have a responsibility on our end to try and make things happen. When we’re keeping our eyes on Christ, he’ll help us course-correct when needed.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:3 NIV

In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps.
Proverbs 16:9 NIV

Convinced that goal-setting and planning is worth the effort (and not just at the beginning of the year)? Here’s a very basic way to approach it. I highly recommend trying to get a couple of quiet hours to yourself if you can so that you can really focus.

Related: The Ultimate Time Management Guide for Moms

1. Pray

It’s easy to want to jump into making plans, but start here first! Sitting down to pray helps me to be more reflective about where I’ve been and where I want to go.

Some questions you might want to talk to God about include:

• What am I thankful for, reflecting on the past year, the past season, the past month, the past week?
• What went well?
• What didn’t go so well?
• What are the areas I should grow in?
• What should I prioritize?

It can be helpful to have a sort of focus word or theme scripture that you can go back to.

I’m going to go out on a limb here: with only a couple of exceptions like homeschooling and finances, I don’t like to focus on stuff for a whole stinkin’ year. For the more fluid areas of my life, I prefer to focus within seasons and months. So if you don’t have a “theme” for a whole year, that’s just fine. Here’s a scripture I focused on at the beginning of last year (and drifted away from after a few months 😉  ):

2. Brainstorm

I got this really fun tip from a fantastic little book from one of my favorite bloggers called Time Management Mama. Take a few moments and just dump your brain with what you want your life to look like in the coming weeks and months. You can write it out in a list, or you can map it out freehand, like a little flowchart (this is called mind mapping). Don’t think about it too hard; just write! Once you get going, you can start organizing your thoughts into different categories: home, kids, work, marriage, finances, etc.

What vision do you have for each of these categories? Write it out!

Need more guidance? It can be super-helpful to have a detailed goal-setting guide to walk you through it. Beyond my free worksheet which you can  access here, I recommend PowerSheets from Lara Casey if you want beautiful worksheets that will help you cultivate your goals year-round. Grace Goals from Arabah Joy is a fantastic multi-media resource with printable goal-setting sheets as well as Bible-based video lessons.

More goodies: a couple of books I recommend that can help you cut out your time-wasters and focus on what you’re passionate about include You’re Already Amazing by Holley Gerth and Cultivate by Lara Casey.

3. Prioritize

Now this is the hard part. Narrow down your priorities. You might have 20 categories of things you want to work on. Cut and condense them to no more than about five focus areas.

Did you get a good vision for how you want to grow in those focus areas? Try to narrow each one down to a few words or a short sentence. These are your whys, which will help you as you move forward day by day, week by week.

Now identify some goals related to your focus areas. Be specific with those goals, particularly when you would like to accomplish them, but don’t force yourself to make a goal just to make one. Here are some examples of goals I’ve made recently in my focus areas for one season (about three months).

Narrowing down your focus is soooo important, I can’t emphasize it enough. Otherwise making any real progress is just too overwhelming—and unattainable! Focus on just a couple of things, and I guarantee you’re much more likely to succeed.

4. Plan

Finally, the fun part of goal-setting you’ve been waiting for! Thinking about your goals, identify what you need to do to reach them.

There are a few ways you can approach this:

• Make new habits: recently I envisioned being more Spirit-led and having a peaceful home. Two daily habits I worked on that helped me reach those goals were to have a time of personal reflection each evening, and to aim for 30 minutes of cleaning and organizing in my schedule. Over the course of a few months I worked on and adjusted those habits (remember, this process is grace-filled!).
• Set up steps to reach your targets: within my big goals are smaller goals, broken down into steps. For example, to gain the financial income and savings goals I desire, I need to crunch numbers, plan some specific projects and make due dates. Little tip: start with a bigger goal, set a deadline and work backward.
• Get a great planning and scheduling system! I am a visual person and find it very helpful to write everything down on paper. There are a ton of great planners out there. My current recommendation for moms is the Living Well Planner. It has time blocking, spaces for to-do lists and habit-building, planning pages, and lots of space for goal setting and reflection. Maybe a paper planner isn’t your thing, but I strongly encourage you to discover what is, and stick with it. For more options, check out these 7 goal planners to reach your goals and stay motivated.
• Schedule adequate time for rest, or as I jokingly call it, “productive laziness.” I know this can be a challenge, but it is a vital part of crafting a plan that won’t leave you burned out.

Related post: How To Manage Stress By Being Productively Lazy.

5. Evaluate

Confession: when it comes to goal-setting in the past, I’ve fallen short with evaluation and follow-through. I can come up with great ideas and even a pretty detailed schedule, but I don’t take the time to reflect and evaluate my progress. Huge mistake! In order to get anywhere, it is absolutely essential to keep your goals in front of you…constantly!

That’s why recently I built a habit of taking a few minutes each day to pause and reflect. I also schedule a weekly planning time for myself, as well as space for my husband and I to communicate and plan together. Running a household and a family is not a solo activity.

In addition to my day-to-day and weekly reflection, I like to take time each month to evaluate how my larger goals are going. And, since it’s so hard to plan a whole year in advance, I do some major reevaluation and tweaking my goals about every three months or whenever there is a change of season. Those are chunks that feel much easier to manage, rather than a full twelve months.

So let me summarize that. Take a glance at your goals and plans:

• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• Seasonally
• And yes, even annually.

When you evaluate your progress, don’t beat yourself up. Remember, motherhood is a crazy season! If one strategy isn’t working, try something else. And be flexible. Maybe you can’t work on a particular goal this season because you have a newborn at home or there are 18,728 soccer practices to attend. No worries. Focus on loving your family and come back to it later. This is grace-filled goal-setting.

Okay then, fellow “lazy” mamas, what do you think? Do you think these exercises are reasonable and flexible enough for you to practice? This is high-level, broad goal-setting advice, but hopefully you can apply it to just about anything you want to work on. Remember, you’re worth it! And trust me, if I can do it, so can you.

Don’t forget, grab you your free mini-workbook in my free resource collection for moms.

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Leave a comment: what is your biggest obstacle to setting goals and achieving them? What advice from this post do you think you can you implement to overcome it?