How to set the Best SMART Goals and Resolutions for Working Moms {with smart goals printable}

Inside: How to set SMART goals with this new year goal setting worksheet. Download the printable smart goals worksheet here to help you win that fab goal!

While it may seem impossible, there are ways to change things around and make more time for the big goals you keep pushing to the back burner. The things that really matter.

Those systems and processes may take a bit of extra effort up front, but trust me — it’s worth every minute of it! 

This free goal setting worksheet for moms will help you focus on and meet your selected mom goals!

 

Post updated in 2023

Why even set goals?

Goals are essential to achieving success in any area of life. Whether you’re a student, employee or business owner, goals help you outline an achievable plan towards your ultimate goal. In order to achieve your goals, you need to have a clear idea of what they are and how you’ll reach them.

However, while most people know the value of having good intentions and resolutions after the new year ends, few take the necessary steps to set concrete goals for the coming 12 months. Setting goals is not something that can be done at random moments throughout the day; it needs to be done with structure and focus throughout the entire year.

In this blog post we’ll explain why it’s so important and provide practical tips on how you can do it effectively.

Why is setting goals important?

Setting goals is important because it gives you something to work towards. It gives you a sense of purpose and motivation. Without goals, you are just drifting through life without any direction.

The first step to setting effective goals is to figure out what you want to achieve. What are your passions and interests? What do you want to accomplish in the next year? Once you know what you want, you can start setting specific, achievable, and measurable goals.

For example, rather than setting a goal to “lose weight”, set a goal to “lose 10 pounds in 3 months”. This is a specific, achievable, and measurable goal. Another tip for setting effective goals is to make sure they are realistic. You don’t want to set yourself up for disappointment by setting unrealistic goals.

The most important thing to remember when setting goals is that they’re not just for the sake of having goals.

Goals serve as a roadmap and guide through the often daunting process of achieving success. This is also true for your New Year’s resolution, which is often well intentioned but fails to have clear goals or outlines what you actually want to achieve by the end of the year.

Without goals, it becomes difficult to keep focused on your long-term vision. Setting concrete goals helps you stay motivated throughout the year so you can experience those celebratory moments at year’s end.

The difference between goal types

There are several different types of goals that you can set. Some goals may be long-term and others may be short-term.

Long-term goals are often structured around the attainment of a result, such as putting your child through college, or starting your own business. They may be difficult to attain but when they do come to fruition, they offer high-rewards.

Short-term goals are quick results, such as getting more followers on Instagram for a month, or increasing your business’s website traffic in one day. These will provide quick benefits and help you stay on track with what you want to achieve.

 

3 ways to help reach your mom goals!  

Know your priorities.

As the old adage goes, when you say “yes” to something, you’re also saying ”no” to something else. Before making that decision, it’s important to understand your priorities and what matters most to YOU.

What do you value most in life? Is it your faith? Your family? Your impact? Know what’s most important to you, and make a list. (This answer will be somewhat different for everyone, and sometimes, your priorities will change in different seasons of life as well.) 

Break it down into smaller pieces.

Consider your biggest goals and dreams. Yes, the BIG ones. Does it seem overwhelming? That’s normal! That just means it is time to break them down into smaller bites. 

Big goals aren’t accomplished in a day. They’re accomplished by taking small, consistent steps forward, one little inch at a time. 

So break down those goals into smaller, more manageable action steps, habits, and milestones. They won’t feel quite as overwhelming now! 

Make a plan to get things done. 

It’s too easy to make a list of priorities and goals…and then leave your list to gather dust. Don’t let that happen to you. Take some time to make an action plan for implementing what you’ve brainstormed.

You know what? In some ways, this is the hardest step. Because it’s so variable. It’s easy to list your goals on paper; it’s a lot harder to actually put them into practice in the middle of a very full, very busy, very real life.

 

How to set the Best Goals and Resolutions, the SMART way

A new year is a perfect time to re-evaluate your goals, think about what worked for the previous year, and brainstorm new goals and hopes for the year ahead. Use my smart goals printable to help you! This is how to set SMART goals for working moms. These also include smart goal examples.

Setting and Planning to Achieve Your Goals

An important step in the goal-setting process is to look at the big picture and scale back. Think about where you want to be in life, in business, etc., in the next six months. Think of a handful of areas you want to improve, and how you want to improve on them. Then reduce those areas into 90-day actionable steps.

Use the SMART goals system to list these steps, and track your progress monthly, or more often. See where you are at the end of the first 90-day period and adjust and reassess as necessary.

You may have heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals… people talk about them because they work. Here is an overview that teaches you how to set goals the S.M.A.R.T. way. Don’t forget to grab your goal setting worksheet!

 

 

What are SMART goals?

SPECIFIC – Your goal needs to be spelled out very precisely, and you also need to have a reason why behind your goal. You want some benefit or emotional attachment that will keep you focused.

For example, a goal might be to earn $10,000 per month and onboard five new quality clients monthly in the next 90 days.

Using language that leaves no doubt as to what the goal is, why you want to achieve the goal, and how you will accomplish it is very important. If you are not able to be detailed in your description of the goal, it will be hard to meet it. Take the time to do this part right.

 

MEASURABLE – This is where you may wish to use a goal journal – a method to measure what you want to accomplish and what you actually accomplished. If your goal cannot be quantified, then you won’t know how or when you have succeeded.

 You might want to use my lovely notebook journal I have on my Zazzle store. 

 

An example of a measurable goal would be “I want to deposit an additional 500 dollars per week into our bank account. I’ll accomplish this by writing five 500-word articles each week for a life coach.”

 

 

ACTIONABLE / ACHIEVABLE – There are different things that “A” can stand for, but it’s usually actionable or achievable. To achieve anything, you must take action. So, make your goal actionable, where you do something each day that will eventually result in an accomplished goal.

Goals should also be achievable, or you will quickly get frustrated. Be accurate about the time it takes to reach a goal, and what actions it takes to get there. Also, know who will be responsible for doing it.

REALISTIC / RELEVANT – “R” can stand for realistic or relevant, and both are important. If you want your goal to succeed, it should most certainly be realistic, or you will fail.

If you’re currently making $500 a week and your goal is to increase that to $10,000 per month in 90 days, that’s not realistic. However, you may be able to grow it by $300. Once you achieve that goal and are earning $800 a week, you can set a new goal to increase your income by another $500 a week or something similar.

Your goal should also be relevant to your life’s vision and match your values. There’s no point in making or achieving goals that have no relevance to your long-term life goals.

TIME BOUND / TIMELY / TRACKABLE – Various authors refer to the “T” in the S.M.A.R.T. acronym as time-bound, timely or trackable. All of these t’s are essential parts of the goal creating and setting process. If you don’t set a time limit and you can’t track what is happening, your goal will be hard to quantify or show as achieved. Journaling helps with this.

 

Whichever words you use to help you craft your goals, the important thing is to have a process to help you make smart goals. SMART goals are goals that you follow through on achieving and know when you’ve met them. A goal you have achieved is a fab goal!

 

Download Your Setting S.M.A.R.T Goals Worksheet Here

To get started with planning your SMART Goal, use the setting SMART goals worksheet I have made for you. Grab your printable smart goals worksheet.

 

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This post is part of the 31 Tips for Working Moms series. See the rest of the posts here: