One of the upsides of 2020 having a lot of “downtime” (albeit nonetheless quite busy for those of us with kids at home) was that there was more time to read. While I’m not a bibliophile who reads 100+ books a year, I do enjoy diving into other people’s words for at least a few minutes on most days.

I also like talking about books, and so I figured, why not do that here on my blog? Perhaps you’ll be inspired, perhaps you’ll think my tastes are weird; I’m not too swayed either way. I like what I like.

Related: Must-Read Books for Christian Moms: My Recommended Reading List

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

A Note on My Approaches to My Reading Life

Some people make goals for how many books they want to read in a year. While there’s value in that if you find that motivating, I only like to do it if I have a good reason to. For example, one of my 2021 goals is to dig into the prophets, and so I’d like to (loosely) read at least one related theology book per quarter.

Otherwise, I don’t set reading goals for a couple of reasons. First, it makes reading more of a chore than I’d like it to be. Second, I have no problem with leaving a book unfinished if I don’t enjoy it. I could hypothetically pick up 50 bad books in a year and not finish one of them, and that would be okay with me.

I read more than 10 books in 2020, but these are the ones that stood out to me most. I didn’t finish a few more!

Some people also like to know what medium I prefer for books: hard copy, digital or audio. The answer: all of them! Sometimes it depends what I can get my hands on from the digital library or my Scribd subscription, or if I get a good deal. It also depends on the genre; I love hearing fiction and lighter reads on audio so I can listen while multi-tasking, while with heavier reads I require text so I can highlight, reread, etc.

Okay, with no further ado, here are my favorite reads from 2020, divided into categories.

Theology

The Day the Revolution Began by N.T. Wright

I picked up this book because I have become a huge N.T. Wright fan in recent years. This isn’t his easiest book to read, but it’s not his hardest either. It does get a little repetitive, but I actually liked that because it helped me internalize the bigger points of the book.

This book summarizes a lot of what he has written elsewhere about the full meaning of Christ’s atonement. He challenges the popular idea along the lines that “Jesus stepped into the sinner’s place to take on the punishment they deserve” and offers a much more robust and biblically supported case for the beautiful and powerful ritual that Jesus’ death on the cross represents.

The Beast That Crouches at the Door by Rabbi David Fohrman

This was a fascinating account of the fall of mankind from a renowned American Rabbi, recommended in one of my favorite theology podcasts, BEMA. Fohrman presents the story we’ve all heard a million times about the serpent, the temptation and the murder of Abel and leads the reader through a series of questions they’ve probably never thought before.

This was the freshest look at the early chapters of Genesis that I’ve read in a long time. It helped me see the relationship between God and mankind in a whole new light.

Self-Improvement

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown

I’d seen her TED talk and even her Netflix special, as well as her quotes on social media, but I never actually read Brene Brown’s work until fairly recently.

It was good. Really good.

I appreciate her dedication to research as well as her articulate and humorous communication skills. This book spoke to me personally as a perfectionist, since it demonstrated just how powerful our “weaknesses” are in making us fully human. (And it’s not a big stretch to see how her research is backed up by biblical teaching, when you examine it.)

The Happiness Dare by Jennifer Dukes Lee

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I had heard of it a few years ago but never got around to it. Perhaps I was skeptical that it was going to be a feel-good Christianese read, which I have very little interest in these days.

For whatever reason (I think it popped up on my audiobook suggestions), I finally delved in and was delighted by the author’s easygoing writing style. She challenges the idea that Christians aren’t meant to be happy and presents several different ways we can approach and understand happiness. The lessons stuck with me—my “Happiness Style” is “doer.”

Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet Joy by Jamie C. Martin

My main response to reading this book was, “I feel seen.”

I have studied a lot about introversion and personality types over the years and am aware of this tendency in myself, yet I still found this book to be remarkably refreshing and affirming. The author offers some very practical insight to how to not only cope with introversion as a mom, but thrive in it.

The Ministry of Ordinary Places by Shannan Martin

This title of this book is almost misleading; it is NOT a “feel-good” read about how you should be happy just as things are and embrace your day-to-day existence. That depends on what your day-to-day existence looks like.

This book could easily fall under the next category of my reading list (“social awareness”). The author’s day-to-day existence is in an urban working class neighborhood, and her days are filled with hosting drug addicts, school drop-outs and literally people of every nation. While that might not be everyone’s reality, her challenge is to seek out those who are marginalized in your ordinary places, and to make that your ministry.

Social Awareness

White Picket Fences: Turning toward Love in a World Divided by Privilege by Amy Julia Becker

With all of the social upheaval of 2020 in the U.S., I dedicated myself to more education about privilege, culture, race and class divisions. This book is a memoir from a white, middle class woman’s perspective, trying to bridge the gap between the world she grew up in and, well, the rest of the world.

I appreciate the author’s humility in this book. She’s not offering answers; she just asks a lot of good questions. Her experience raising a child with significant special needs gives her a unique perspective about approaching differences in a more compassionate way.

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

I confess that I probably wouldn’t have read this book if a friend of mine hadn’t invited me to an online study group. But wow. This should be required reading for anyone who wants to be educated in American history, socioeconomics or public policy. Even if you don’t agree with all of Alexander’s conclusions, you cannot argue with her compelling research about the damage that the war on drugs and the U.S. approach to incarceration has done to Black communities.

Get Money Do Good by J.D. Vermaas

A friend of a friend asked me to review this book as part of its independent launch. I was in early pregnancy at the time (i.e. exhausted) and thus fell waaaaay behind. But I did eventually finish the book, and its compelling story still sticks with me.

It’s a crazy-sounding but true story about a couple with a gift for making a lot of money and also a strong drive to use that money to fight poverty and “do good.” They end up adopting…let’s just say A LOT of kids. The book challenges the reader to think outside the box when it comes to wealth. I appreciate how it doesn’t sugarcoat the tough realities about international adoption. It also demonstrates how children with trauma and special needs don’t need to be fixed or rescued; like anyone, they need love and an opportunity to shine.

Fiction

The Sisters Grimm Series by Michael Buckley

Wow, I really didn’t read much fiction last year! It was mostly accomplished during read-aloud time with my kids.

And that’s where the Sisters Grimm comes in. We actually started this series a couple of years ago and came back around to it. Imagine that all the fairy tale characters from around the world are real and live immortally in a small town in upstate New York.

And two girls, who are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, are learning how to be “fairy tale detectives.” They eventually carry the responsibility of saving the world from magic-induced chaos.

It’s no Harry Potter, but this series was a lot of fun. We all enjoyed it when stuck at home for much of the year.

What I’m Reading Next…

I always have a ton of books on my “to read” list, and here are a few that are currently loaded on my devices or sitting on my nightstand.

Emma by Jane Austin: I listen to this on audio whenever I need a British chick lit infusion.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones: A heart-wrenching story about love torn apart by racial injustice.

The Powerful Purpose of Introverts by Holley Gerth: A follow-up read recommended by Jamie C. Martin.

Fall in Love with God’s Word: Practical Strategies for Busy Women by Brittany Ann: This is the first book by a friend of mine from Equipping Godly Women, and I’m honored to be on her launch team.

All the Feels: Discover Why Emotions Are (Mostly) Awesome and How to Untangle Them When They’re Not by Elizabeth Laing Thompson: I have all the feels about this book.

All Things to All People—The Power of Cultural Humility by Michael Burns: I am mostly through this book and have been listening to Michael Burns’ podcast. I highly recommend it for church small groups.

The Prophetic Imagination by Walter Brueggemann: I am studying the prophets this year, and Brueggemann is kind of the man when it comes to the prophets. It’s dense, but I think I like it.

Interested in more about what I’m reading? You can also follow me on Goodreads (though honestly I’m not very disciplined about keeping it current or leaving detailed reviews there).

What have you read or what are you looking forward to reading next?

For the last several years now, I’ve chosen a “word of the year” as part of my annual goal-planning process.

While I haven’t always posted my word on my website, I thought it would be helpful to do so again this year…for posterity, if nothing else. What’s more, quite a few people have expressed interest in this process and find inspiration in other people’s words. So here you go.

In previous years, my words have been:

• 2018: Connection
• 2019: Rhythm
• 2020: Freedom

Ready for this year’s word? Drumroll please…

2021 Word of the Year: Rooted

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

Why Choose a Word of the Year?

While I resisted this practice for a long time, I finally came around when I discovered that it is helpful to have something to focus on when I’m making plans and setting goals.

I keep my word somewhere visible, like on my phone’s lock screen, stuck to the refrigerator or in the front of my journal. Whenever I sit down to work on my goals, it reminds me about what’s important (and also what’s not).

You can learn more about my planning and goal-setting processes and tools here:

How Moms Can Set Meaningful Goals (with Examples!)

Are PowerSheets Worth It for Planning Goals? An Honest Review

The Ultimate Time Management Guide for Moms

How I Chose “Rooted”

I spent some time at the end of 2020 reflecting, journaling and praying. (And what a year it was to reflect on!). Using the prompts in my PowerSheets Goal Planner, I assessed what worked well for me last year, what didn’t, and what’s important to me going forward.

2020 will be remembered by many as a year of chaos and uncertainty, and it was all the more so for our family. Not only did we have the stress of the pandemic and the social and political instability that many faced, but we also brought home a long-awaited adopted child from overseas and then found out I was unexpectedly pregnant a few months later.

The word “rooted” reminds me of stability and perseverance. I think of old trees that withstand chaos like storms and drought. They might lose branches and take a beating from time to time, but if they’re deeply rooted, they still stand.

It’s not surprising to me that Bible contains abundant metaphors of plants and roots, in both the Old and New Testaments. A quick word study revealed a pattern: being rooted in good things leads to good fruit.

I chose a theme scripture to memorize: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (Colossians 2:6–7).

My hope is that everything I do this year is rooted in love, beauty and truth (all of which are embodied in Christ himself). I will strive to maintain that focus as I work toward my personal goals.

My Big Goals for 2021

In general, I don’t like to get too specific about goals more than about 90 days out. Many productivity experts suggest that quarterly goals are more effective than annual ones anyway, since we humans apparently have short attention spans.

This year, I whittled down my ambitions to what might be more appropriately called focus areas or themes. (I talk about this in more detail in the Take a Deep Breath video series, if you’re interested.) I wrote out a general statement about how I want to focus on each area.

1. Build an Emergency Fund
2. Beautify Our Home
3. Grow Deeper with God
4. Empower My Kids’ Growth
5. Help My Online Platform to Flourish

If you look closely, you can see these words can be easily linked to the idea of being rooted in love, beauty and truth.

Now, if you’re a fan of systems like S.M.A.R.T goals, don’t cringe because I’m not done. Using these larger ideas and the word “rooted” as guidance, I set “micro” goals and chose habits to work on in 90 days or less.

Micro Goals and Habit Ideas for 2021

With my focus areas in mind, I brainstormed more specific goal ideas and action steps. I’ll share some of them in categories below. I’ve simplified my lists so that I don’t bore anyone (and plus there’s some personal information I’d rather keep private). Hopefully you’ll get the idea.

Build an Emergency Fund

• Track budget daily
• Talk with Marc about budget in weekly/monthly meetings
• Monthly income goals
• Monthly savings goals, increasing as year progresses

Beautify Our Home

• Organize different areas of the home (listed out)
• Minor updates in various rooms (listed out)
• Prepare for new baby action items (listed out)

Grow Deeper with God

• Study the book of Ezekiel, possibly other prophets
• Read one theology book/quarter
• Daily prayer/meditation
• Record Spirit-led acts of generosity each month

Empower My Kids’ Growth

• Weekly family game nights
• Help kids study for “Memory Masters” in our homeschool program
• Explore my daughter’s options for preschool and/or therapy
• Quarterly nature adventure
• Assist kids in county fair 4-H projects

Help My Online Platform Flourish

• Run new Facebook ads to cold audience
• Run new Facebook ads to warm audience
• Reach 10,000 email subscribers
• Prepare 6 weeks of maternity leave content
• Minor website updates
• 2 new blog posts/month
• Major website redesign

Once I finished brainstorming, I chose the items that I will focus on in the first quarter, and then I loosely scheduled out what I want to focus on each month.

I’ll track my goals and habits as I go, do a minor reassessment each month, and then do a major reassessment after the first quarter. At that point, I’ll add, adjust or remove goals based on my priorities at that time.

Summing It Up

If you’ve never done something like this before, I know it can look a little overwhelming. Just remember that I’ve practiced this process a lot, and what I came up with this year is what works for me. It has also evolved over time.

I shared quite a few resources in this post if you’d like to do something similar. Beyond that, if you’re not already subscribed, be sure to sign up for resources to help you live more intentionally this year and beyond:

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?

It’s the beginning of the year. And if you’re like many of us, you’re thinking a lot of about New Year’s resolutions and goal-setting ideas. 

I was reluctant to be too committed to things like personal goals and magical words in the past because they felt a bit contrived. I didn’t want to fail. And I didn’t have a practical way to implement my ideas.

But, after giving it a good go with my PowerSheets last year, I’ve been converted. Goals and having a “word of the year” are my jam now. 

My 2019 word is “rhythm.” I’d love to share it with you—what it means and how I chose it.

And in order to do that, first you need to understand my word of the year last year and how my thought process evolved.

Image credit: Bruno Nascimento

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

Looking Back on “Connection” in 2018

Last year my word was “connection.” I chose it because in a lot of areas in my life I felt the opposite: disconnected.

To be honest, it was difficult to translate this word into some tangible goals. I did have a few, but they shifted quite a bit over the year. (And this was all fine—good, in fact.)

For example, I started out wanting to focus on each of my kids’ love languages more. That didn’t really happen, but I did make a habit of taking photos each week and worked out a new system of organizing them. As a result, I have one of the better organized and documented years of our family!

“Connection” also led me to some unexpected life lessons that I couldn’t have orchestrated with goals at all. Simply being cognizant of the idea led my heart on journeys I couldn’t have imagined.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that in order to be connected, you have to be vulnerable. This opens you to pain and suffering, but is also vital to close relationships.

As I spent time over the past few weeks considering where I want my life to go in 2019, I definitely wanted to continue growing in connection. I tossed around some words that were very similar.

But when I looked at what went well last year, a surprisingly different word stood out.

The areas of my life that have worked well include my friendships, family relationships, our homeschooling and my relationship with God. And they all had one thing in common.

Rhythm.

They have been flowing smoothly in my life because I have made room for them. I don’t have to think hard about them because there are systems in place that make them my highest priorities.

In other words, I am able to be more connected with the things that matter most because the rhythms that I have in place enable that connection.

So what will happen if I apply that concept—rhythm—to other areas of my life, especially the ones that need a little help?

Defining Rhythm

When I shared what I was thinking with my husband Marc, he asked me what the difference is between “rhythm” and “routine.”

The answer: everything!

Rhythm: a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound.

A similar word is cadence. These are terms often associated with music.

Rhythm is spiritual. It reminds me of the natural processes we see in nature: seasons, months, weeks, days. Rhythm is also throughout the Scriptures, set in motion by the creation account in Genesis 1.

The definition of “routine,” in contrast, is: “a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program.”

It’s the difference between a symphony and an accounting spreadsheet. They’re both systematic. But one is a masterpiece. The other is…well, an accounting spreadsheet.

Rhythm is the foundation of any piece of music. Once the rhythm is in place, you have the freedom to improvise and express yourself. But without it…you’re lost.

Another beautiful thing about rhythm is that you can find your way back to it when you get off track, once you know it and internalize it.

My 2019 Goals

So here’s where the theory hits reality. What kinds of goals can I set this year around this abstract concept of rhythm?

Some people say to shoot for big, impossible goals that will stretch you outside of your comfort zone. While I see the value in that, that’s not the direction I believe God is nudging me this year. Instead, I am working on fine-tuning.

I have a lot of great rhythms already in place. My intent is to refine them, rather than completely overhaul them.

I didn’t share my goals at the beginning of the year last year publicly, but this year I’m going to branch out a bit (it also holds me accountable!). My hope is not that you’ll make the same goals yourself, but that they’ll help you think about how to approach this process in your own life.

I have 10 big goals that I want to accomplish this year, but I am primarily going to focus on those I can complete in the next 90 days. Being true to the idea of rhythm, it makes to sense to me to focus on what I can each season, rather than keep up an unsustainable pace for a full year.

The top three goals listed below are my highest priorities (which I hope to accomplish by spring), while the others are in the background.

1. Implement New Home Management System

This one sounds a bit vague, so I’ll explain three ways I’m improving the way I run our household, which will help it run on a smoother rhythm:

First, we were overdue to revamp our meal planning system. I recently got my hands on the Healthy Meal Planning Bundle and have started using a new planning/shopping/prepping system that takes the stress out of making healthy, homemade meals. So this part of the goal is already done, only two weeks into the year!

Second, now that my kids are older I need to get us on a cleaning and home improvement schedule. I wrote out a plan and schedule helps train and engage them, and now we just have to follow through.

Finally, I want to continue to make tweaks and experiment with some other systems that will take a lot of the stress out of running the home. I’m working through this Family Routines e-course from my friend Hilary and want to try some of her amazing tips!

If I can successfully complete the e-course and find that my other systems are working well by March, I’ll consider this goal met.

2. Nurture a Daily Creativity Habit

I’m such a productivity freak (ahem, can you tell?), but after reflecting on what connection has meant to me in the past year, I realized that I want to continue to make space for beauty and creativity in my life.

What this will look like practically is getting into a new rhythm: making space for these things daily. The goal is to spend at least 15 minutes a day doing something that involves beauty, whether that’s playing the piano, reading fiction or listening to music, just for the fun of it.

If I can do this 5/7 days a week for 12 consecutive weeks, I’ll have met this goal. (And even if I don’t hit it, I think I’ll still benefit.)

3. Add to Our Savings Monthly

We have a frustrating rhythm of letting our money fly in and out of the bank account. While we’ve been free of consumer debt for years, I’ve been frustrated about our shallow amount of savings. This year, I’m setting aside our savings first (and putting it in a separate account so that out of sight, out of mind!). I’ve reworked our electronic envelope budgeting system to make this more manageable.

To make this goal even more manageable I’m tracking the habit of reconciling our receipts with our spending envelopes daily.  I’d like to make this habit part of the rhythm of my everyday life.

4. Cultivate More Prayerful Friendships

I’d like to get into the rhythm of praying more with my friends. My goal is to pray with someone outside of my household at least once a week for 12 consecutive weeks.

5. Finish Refreshing Our Bathroom

I’m really bad at updating our home because I don’t often have large chunks of time to work on it. So I’ve taken the approach of getting into a good rhythm with a little progress at a time.

I have several tasks to complete in order to finish updating our master bath. I should be able to finish if I have a few weekends where I have just a couple of hours to focus on it.

6. Have a Garage Sale

This goal is driven by the desire to declutter the house. I feel like our home runs at a much smoother rhythm when we’re not burdened with so much stuff. Whether I have an actual garage sale, sell goods online or donate it all, my goal is to have decluttered the whole house by summer.

7. Double My Blog’s Email Subscriber List

This isn’t just an arbitrary number; based on my current rate of growth this is a stretch, but doable. One of the ways I want to accomplish this is by getting into a smoother rhythm in the ways I produce my content. (I won’t bore you with those details!)

8. Double My Take-Home Income

In addition to running this blog, I also write copy for businesses. I hope that by getting into a good rhythm with my work hours and content strategy this year, I’ll be able to reach this income goal that I’ve been wanting to hit for awhile!

Once I hit this goal, I’ll be in a better position to explore hiring team members and giving more away to families in need.

9. Prepare My Kids for Their Personal Goals

My two oldest boys have a couple of activity and school-related projects that I’m encouraging them to reach this year. By continuing in a consistent rhythm in our homeschool, I hope to assist them in getting there.

10. Read Six Books That Help Me Focus on Rhythm

I have a reading list about a mile long and don’t have a lot of intention about how to tackle it. I decided that if I have “rhythm” as a theme (loosely), I can benefit from some more focused study. Six is a very easy number to hit. We’ll see where it takes me after that.

Currently on my reading list:

Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin

Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Sabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest by Lynne M. Baab

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence

Cozy Minimalist Home: More Style, Less Stuff by Myquillyn Smith

Now it’s your turn: Do you pick a “word of the year”? Do you set goals? I’d love to hear what you’re working on.

Do you want to set goals or choose a word of the year but don’t know where to start? Check out the mini-workbook in my free resource collection.

“How do you do it all?” My friend sipped her coffee and looked at me somewhat anxiously.

“Ummmm…I don’t!!!” Sheesh. Where did she get that idea? But she insisted I share some of my “secrets.”

I’ve been reluctant to tout myself as some sort of “expert” in time management. There are so many people out there who do it better, prettier, neater than I do.

But maybe you don’t need a perfect example. If you’d like a realistic, messy one, you’re in the right place.

Be warned: I am a struggling, lose-my-mind kind of mama just like many of us are. I don’t believe in perfect systems, I rely heavily on grace, and I have to constantly fight my perfectionism.

But I also know that there are some fantastic time management strategies and systems that really help.

So, because I’m actually pretty geeked about staying on top of things and because so many have asked, here are the best of the best tips I’ve got. If you’re not a “natural” at this, don’t worry. Good time management is a skill you can learn.

(Note: there is a lot packed in here, so be sure to pin for later if you don’t have time now.)

EveryGirlBoss.com

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

Starting with Your Why

Someone wise once told me: Your schedule shouldn’t run you. You should run your schedule.

That seems reasonable enough.

One of the biggest reasons moms get into a time management rut is because it feels like everything is out of control. And in truth, it is.

If you regularly find yourself bouncing from obligation to obligation, with barely any time to breathe—let alone think—it may be a sign that you need to reassess your why:

• Why are you saying yes to commitments that drain you and your family?
• Why don’t you have any time to connect with God, your husband or _________?
• Are you really making the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16)? Or are you just letting every open opportunity get filled?

Most of us have at least a general idea about what’s important. I bet if you sat down and thought about it, your priorities wouldn’t be hard to identify. But if things like God and quality time with your kids and community are important—and your schedule isn’t reflecting those priorities—then something is off.

I recommend taking regular time (personally, I prefer quarterly) to sit down and think about your why. Do it for yourself as well as with your family, to the extent you’re able. And then, record it. Here are some ways you can try:

• Write a family mission statement.
• Create a vision board.
• Pick just one word.

Whatever you do, keep it simple and keep it visual. I post my word of the year in my kitchen where I see it daily. Otherwise, it will get lost and lose its meaning.

Exploring Your Planning Personality

One of the reasons I have a hard time teaching others about time management is because everyone is so different. What makes me tick may give you a panic attack. Perhaps coming up with a word of the year makes you want to scream.

I think it’s helpful and healthy to know what does make you excited. Checklists? Accountability? Giant paper planners the size of an old encyclopedia? Really cool apps? Freedom and flexibility?

Some people find security in having every task and every second of the day accounted for, while others need a lot of breathing room. Some are self-motivated, others need external accountability, while for others it depends on the moment and the task at hand.

Sometimes you don’t know until you experiment.

I’ve found The Four Tendencies framework extremely helpful in exploring what motivates people, which you can read more about here: How to Be Motivated: The Four Tendencies from a Biblical Perspective

Reading People by Anne Bogel is another very approachable way to look at personality types if you want to explore other frameworks including Meyers-Briggs and Enneagram.

Personality psychology is a fun rabbit-hole for me, but don’t let it overwhelm you. Even if you know a couple of basic tendencies in your personality, that can help tremendously when it comes to time management. Let your unique traits work for you, not against you, and give yourself permission to function differently than other people do.

Yes, Goal-Setting is Worth the Effort

Do you set goals? It can seem like a somewhat frivolous task, especially if you’re the type of person who sets New Year’s resolutions and then promptly forgets about them.

Related post: Goal-Setting: 5 Grace-Filled Hacks for the Lazy Mom

But goal-setting is an integral piece to an effective time management strategy because it’s a tangible way to prioritize your “whys.” For example, if you want to grow closer in your marriage, setting some goals about how you want to grow can carry you from intention to execution.

A lot of the experts recommend the “S.M.A.R.T.” goal system:

• Specific: Goals shouldn’t be vague but detailed, including who, what, where, when and why.
• Measurable: The more you can quantify your goal, the better: for, example, saving a certain amount of money.
• Achievable: While it’s good to push yourself, goals should be something you can reach in the near future.
• Relevant: Don’t just set goals because that’s what you should do. Only set goals that are directly related to you whys.
• Time-Bound: As much as possible, work with a deadline, ideally within a year of when you set your goal. If you don’t meet the deadline you can adjust later.

I know, I know, it feels a little “businessy.” But this approach can be really helpful in your personal life.

If it feels a little overwhelming walking through this process on your own, there are a lot of resources available, including a mini goal-setting workbook in my free resource collection.

I also enjoy PowerSheets from the Cultivate What Matters shop. This is a beautiful workbook that I keep on my kitchen counter and refer to frequently to stay focused.

Budgeting Your Time as a Precious Resource

Until fairly recently, I was often frustrated with this sentiment: There just aren’t enough hours in a day to get everything done!

It was humbling to consider that the problem was not, in fact, with the order of the universe. Rather, the problem rested with my own discontent, lack of focus and poor boundaries and self-discipline.

Yeah. Ouch.

But the playing field is level for everyone. We all get 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, no matter who we are, where we’re from or what we do.

And while we can’t control all of our circumstances, we can control how we respond to them—specifically how we spend our time.

You probably know you should budget your money, but do you think of your time in this way? Money is tricky because we’re all working with different amounts. Time is a lot more predictable.

I find it most helpful to budget my time each week with a method called “time-blocking.” It’s something most of us do anyway without even thinking about it. If you have an appointment every Monday at 3 p.m., you’re essentially blocking out that time.

Do you similarly block out time for things that aren’t hard appointments but need to get done? Simple things like:

• Grocery shopping
• Cleaning
• Meal preparation
• Laundry
• Time in transit

The key to making time-blocking effective is actually writing it down and making it visual. You can do this electronically or on paper.

If this process sounds overwhelming or you’re not sure where to start, I’ve found a 7-day time log to be very helpful in highlighting where each hour of the day can go. Once you track your time for a week, you’ll know how to adjust it in the coming weeks. (The printable worksheet below is also available my resource collection.)

You can also see an example of time-blocking in How to Rock Your Schedule.

Task Management

There’s a modern parable about a professor who demonstrated to his students how to fill a jar with rocks efficiently. You add the large stones first, and then the smaller stones and sand will fit in the empty spaces.

The same principle works with time. If you put your big “rocks” into your schedule first, you can then fill in the less important ones wherever they will fit.

Prioritizing tasks is where many of us slip up in day to day time management. This can especially feel like the case if you spend a lot of your time “putting out fires”—responding to your kids, replying to messages, and generally trying to prevent all the balls from falling.

It can feel impossible to stay on top of things, let alone get ahead and working towards your goals. Many moms find their to-do lists defeating because they tend to grow instead of shrink (and they rarely disappear!).

I think it’s important to keep a “to-do” list of what you want to accomplish, but it should be a tool that empowers instead of discouraging you.

There are a few of tricks I use that make my to-do list less guilt-inducing:

• Break your tasks down into categories. I personally have five: home, work, family, home and personal. This feels a lot less overwhelming when I can see that I’m balancing these different areas.
• Identify one or two top priorities each day. You’re not going to get to everything, so just focus on something. Be proud of yourself when you complete it.
• Rewrite your tasks regularly. I rewrite a fresh to-do list each week. This helps me keep focused and rethink about what’s really important. I rarely finish my whole list from the previous week, but when I don’t transfer an item from one week to the next, it helps me see that it really wasn’t that important to begin with.

Habits, Routines and Anchors

Did you know that about 40 percent of what you do is done unconsciously out of habit? (Source.) It’s the reason you can mindlessly do things like brushing your teeth or driving to the same place while having your train of thought on something else.

Building habits is one of the secret tools to effective time management. The fewer mental calories you have to expend, the more productive you’re going to be.

That’s why it’s important to build high priority activities into your schedule at the same time each day or week. I personally have to work out and have my quiet times in the morning. Otherwise they just don’t happen.

Habit tracking can be an effective way to introduce a new habit into your daily life. There’s a modern legend about how Jerry Seinfeld wrote a joke every single day and kept track of this habit my marking an X on his calendar. His vision was to not “break the chain” of X’s. Writing a joke every day doesn’t guarantee a comedian’s success, and to my knowledge, Seinfeld never verified this story. But if it is true, it certainly didn’t hurt his chances!

For the same reason, routines are very powerful. In particular, the process you go through each morning sets the tone of your whole day. If your life feels like a mess, start getting it together by creating a more intentional morning routine. I highly recommend Crystal Paine’s e-course, Make Over Your Mornings, if you want a step-by-step walk through how to do that.

In addition to daily habits and routines, the concept of regular anchors in your schedule is a powerful way to better manage your family’s time and fit in those high priorities.  An anchor is something you and your family practice on a regular basis, intentionally, beyond just daily maintenance. Some of the weekly anchors in my life include family night, a date with my husband, one-on-one time with one of the kids, and a day of rest.

Related post: 5 Benefits of a Weekly Family Night

Being Realistic and Giving Yourself Grace

Having said all this so far, I wanted to pause and offer a little reminder to all of my fellow control freaks out there…

Being a mom is time-consuming, no matter what your other responsibilities are. For some reason, a lot of moms feel pressure to be ideal caregivers while also running a home, supporting the family part-time or full-time, being great wives and faithful Christians, and staying sane.

I recently spent a week with my younger sister, who has two toddlers at her feet. She apologized for not being able to help more with dishes and I had to laugh at her—she absolutely had not extra time for dishes because her kids were too demanding and took priority. I was happy to be the primary washer of dishes, as I’ve graduated from that mind-numbing stage with my own kids.

We hate this, but as moms, sometimes we have to let certain expectations go and accept grace.

Plan your day…and then let it go, because it’s probably not going to go that way. And it’s okay. Remember, you schedule is not your master. You are the master of your schedule. And more importantly, God is your master. He sees it all, and frankly I don’t think he cares how many items you checked off your to-do list. Take each day as it comes, take credit for what you did accomplish (it was probably a lot!), and let tomorrow worry about itself (Matthew 6:24).

Related post: 11 Bible Verses to Banish Mommy Guilt

The feeling of busyness ebbs and flows with seasons. Sometimes schedules are more demanding at certain times of the calendar year, and you need to let go of cramming everything in. And sometimes the demands are for entire life seasons, like when you have an infant or toddler, an illness, or other long-term challenge.

Be aware, aim to be patient, and adjust your expectations accordingly.

If you fall of the wagon of being organized with your time, it’s okay. Whether it’s for a day, a week, a month or more, you can always pick up where you left off. In fact, having a good system in place prevents you from derailing as hard as you might without it. Time management strategies are there to help you, not make you feel bad about yourself or cause anxiety. 

Discovering Your Favorite Planning Tools

This is the part that can be overwhelming but also fun: discovering which planning system works for you.

Up until a couple of years ago, my planning system was pretty messy. I had a wall calendar and a bunch of notecards on my kitchen counter, on which I would write everything from phone messages to grocery lists.

I’ve since discovered that there are much more efficient ways to do things!

Most of the “planners” you find in office supply stores are simply calendars with flowers printed on them, perhaps with a section for notes or phone numbers. This system is so obsolete—that’s what smartphones are for!

A high-quality, functional planner is so much more than a calendar. A calendar helps you not forget appointments, but a functional planning system will help with the following:

• Brainstorming
• Goal-setting
• Daily time blocking
• Task management
• Assessment
• Habit tracking

I personally find a lot of value in writing things down with pen and paper—it helps your brain process and retain what you’re planning, which is an important part of effective time management.

I’ve used a variety of planning tools, and currently I use a weird hybrid I sort of invented.

As I mentioned above, I use PowerSheets to help me brainstorm, prioritize and set goals. This workbook helps me set and reassess goals every month, as well as annually and quarterly.

I also use my Google Calendar as a way to track all of my appointments, as well as share them with friends and family as needed. Frankly, while I like writing things down on paper, my phone is convenient and won’t forget things as much as I will.

For task management, I loosely follow a bullet journal system. I like it because I can do it exactly the way I want to; plus I have a very small journal that I can fit into my wallet.

This is proof that it doesn’t have to be pretty in order to work!

At the beginning of each week, I write out tasks for different priorities in my life in my journal. On the busiest weeks I use a highlighter to prioritize which are most important. Every day I revisit my weekly task list and mark off items.

Next to my task list, I sketch out a time block calendar for the week. This is especially helpful when I’m really busy because it helps me visualize where I’m going to fit in my high priority tasks.

I’ve been experimenting with planners for a while now, and this is the system that works best for me. As I mentioned above, knowing your personality is helpful in determining the best system for you.

The very first planner I tried that helped me tremendously was the Living Well Planner, which contains a lot of the tools that will help you manage your tasks effectively.

Cutting Out Excess and Time-Wasters

So far I’ve talked about what to fit in to your schedule, but I’ve left out a very important piece: what to cut out.

You can’t do everything. Nor should you. This is the tough reality that I wrestle with every day.

If you know your whys and set goals, hopefully it will be clearer to you what makes the top of the list and what doesn’t. The tough part is taking action…and getting comfortable with saying “no.”

When you go over your schedule, fill in your top priorities first. Then be realistic about what time is left. Do you honestly have the space to add that extra sport or meeting or commitment? If not, give yourself permission to cut it out. It’s excess, and probably better left off the agenda.

It’s also worth mentioning that if you’re not careful, you can fill up your days with time-wasters that aren’t planned. How often do things like your smartphone and Netflix binging eat up your time? Again, a time log can highlight when you’re most likely to waste your precious time on things that aren’t high priorities.

Related post: 20 Strategies to Break Social Media Addiction.

Planning to Plan

Having a great planning system is all well and good, but it’s pretty useless if you don’t make the time to use it properly!

One of the most critical time management strategies is planning to plan. And planning might take more time than you think.

I personally set aside time (anchors, if you will) daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually to assess my priorities and goals, manage my tasks and structure my daily schedule. Here’s a breakdown of what that looks like:

• Daily: 5 minutes to go over my task list and time block when I’m going to fit certain tasks in.
• Weekly: 30 minutes reassess my priorities and tasks for the week and sketch out a time block of my schedule.
• Monthly: 1–2 hours to assess the previous month, look at my goals and prioritize what I want to accomplish in the coming month.
• Quarterly: 1 or more hours to glance at “big picture” vision, adjust, narrow down what I want to focus on for 90 days.
• Annually: Several hours, possible over several days, to take time in reflection about long-term vision and goals, plan for the year.

While I do much of this as an individual using my PowerSheets, I often include my husband in the conversation, as I’m not flying solo here. More and more I’m also including the kids, particularly at monthly meetings, so they know why we do what we do.

Building Your Life Around Rest

Pay attention now; this might be the most important thing you read in this whole article.

For far too long in my own life, I made the mistaking of “fitting in” most of my self-care around my schedule, whenever I had time to spare (i.e. rarely). The result, unsurprisingly, was a burnt-out, exhausted, cranky mama who did lots of things, but few of them well.

It took me awhile to understand rest the way God intended it. Rest (Sabbath) is at the core of the Creation story and has been a consistent theme throughout the biblical narrative. It’s not an add-on; rest comes first.

Related post: Feeling Overwhelmed? Choose Rest for a More Peaceful Life

This means a whole new way of looking at the way I manage the time in my week. Am I putting my relationship with God and my spiritual health first? (Hopefully this is reflected in my vision and goals.) This goes beyond having Bible study; this means building my life around biblical rest for my whole self.

I created a toolkit, with a handy-dandy self-care checklist, that explores biblical rest if you’re interested in learning more. Trust me, if you’re new to this, it can be the most powerful change you can make to manager your time well.

I have a full e-course about the power of Sabbath as well, called Choose Rest

Now it’s your turn: do you manage your time well as a mom? Would you add any tips? What changes could you make to be better at time management?