2020 Goals

Isn’t it neat how the concept of “goals” is so flexible? For me, at times it’s been most helpful to focus on daily actions and habits. In others, I’ve found a multi-year “bucket list” of sorts most useful. In still others, just focusing on ONE area I want to grow in has been best. (What has been consistent throughout my online goal-setting lifetime – since 2013! – has been posting monthly updates here for a healthy dose of accountability. I’ve literally never missed a month!)

Last year, I set 8 very specific goals for 2019, and I made little-by-little progress on all of them. I liked the satisfaction of having a very clear finish line to aim for (surprise, surprise!) and am taking a similar route again in 2020. Here’s what I’ll be working on, along with my inspiration board for the year!

Anagram Photo

1. Live a wild life outdoors. A central tenet of my parenting philosophy is that the more time spent outside, the better — but living that out does not always come naturally (ahem) with everything else competing for our attention. The importance of this was a theme that popped up all over my PowerSheets. I want my kiddos to exercise their creativity and courage, use their imaginations, grow their attention spans, be refreshed by the wonders of creation, and have FUN! (And the same goes for me and John!)
Some action steps: Organize our garage to facilitate play. Consider our back bed a natural playscape and finish planting it. Consider a sand/gravel/water play area. Build fairy houses. Do our own version of “forest school” once a month. Read How to Raise a Wild Child and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.

2. Be a generous friend. I say I go deep, not wide, with friends, and if that’s true, I want to go all-in on this strategy. To do this, I’m choosing a few (5-8) “focal friends” for the year to very intentionally love, delight, and care for.
Some action steps: Choose focal friends. Assemble friend dossiers :) Make prayer notes for each. Schedule a get together with at least one friend two times a month. Brainstorm possible get togethers and individual ways to love on each.

3. Grow strong by biking regularly. Last year’s goal to become a biking family was a grand success, and this year, we want to continue the fun by taking our biking year round – and doing another race!
Some action steps: Buy a stationary bike for indoor riding. Buy a bike rack for our car. Decide on a 2020 race and register. Decide on best time to ride indoors and set weekly goals for how often.

4. Read through the Gospels together with John. At our year-end dinner we talked about wanting to grow in our faith together this year, and this is how we’re going to start! We’re planning to read one Gospel a quarter. (I already bought these neat Crossway books for journaling!)

5. Build our family culture. Some version of this will probably be a goal until our kiddos are out of the house! Family is the primary responsibility we’ve been given — it’s our best chance to grow into the people we were made to be, and to have fun! :)
Some action steps: Reimagine the loft to facilitate play. Make a family mission statement. Implement kiddo dates with each parent. Have fun with our grown-up date nights each month!

6. Complete our Advent calendar as a route to analog hours. Two goals have dovetailed beautifully with this initiative: wanting to spend less time on screens, and wanting to complete our new Advent calendar! After years of admiring this DIY calendar kit, I finally bit the bullet and purchased it. With many pieces, intricate details, and the need to learn new skills, I anticipate it will be a year-long project that will keep my hands busy in the evenings and on weekends, as well as produce a beautiful heirloom for our family!
Some action steps: Open the box :) Read through instructions. Identify any new materials needed. Make a plan for completion before December. Get to work.

7. Complete our 3 family photo albums. After several years of organizing and streamlining our photos, both digital and physical, I’m excited to wrap this project up with the most fun part of all: creating actual albums we can enjoy for years! My hope is the visual record I’m building will help establish and reinforce our family story. We’re planning to create one album for every five years, so I’ve got 2005-2009, 2010-2014, and 2015-2019 to complete.
Some action steps: Organize 2019 photos. Decide on an album company. Lay out albums.

8. Streamline meal planning. It’s a huge part of our life, and it could be easier and more joyful — and therefore free up time for even more important things! By the end of this year, I want to have a seamless system in place.
Some action steps: Choose the best recipe organization system for going forward (I’m thinking binder). Compile and print favorite recipes for seasons and categories. Make cheat sheets for seasons and categories. Implement a system for knowing what’s in our freezer (white board?). Strategize meals that can be fully made the night before. Clean up Pinterest. Host a meal ideas roundtable and potluck? Make a shopping sheet? Share weekly meal plans on EFM? Buy a printer?

I’ll be back with my January goals post soon, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear what you have planned for 2020. Have you set goals yet? I’d truly love to hear, so please drop a note in the comments! I can’t wait to cheer you on.

P.S. 2020 PowerSheets are still available – for now! :)

Photo credits, clockwise from top left: family snuggles, play room, strawberries, a tear-inducing scene from my favorite movie ever, Articles Club, little girl, albums, Advent calendar, play room