Categories
Planning & Goal Setting

Tips for Setting and Achieving Your Goals

With each new year comes the opportunity to set new goals. WifeHER Ministry’s Focus of the Month is goal-setting. In the assigned reading, 7 types of goals were discussed:

  1. Career goals: These types of goals range from working towards getting a promotion or award at work to starting your own business.
  2. Financial goals: These goals include saving more or paying off a loan. For assistance with managing your finances check this out: Expense Tracker Printable
  3. Personal Development Goals: These goals relate to enhancing yourself and can range from learning a new skill or language to reading more self-help books.
  4. Spiritual Goals: This relates to your faith and may include making more time for God in your schedule or to trust God more.
  5. Educational Goals: These types of goals cover a plethora of ideas for improving your knowledge such as attending a webinar or starting a new course.
  6. Relationship Goals: These goals cover ways to make you a better person in a relationship and can vary from doing more activities together to ensuring that you are more intentional with the person.
  7. Physical and Health Goals: These types of goals relate to your lifestyle. These goals may range from exercising more to eating healthier.

For a more in-depth discussion on these types of goals, click here.

How do we begin to set goals?

1. Start with God– If you’re familiar with the story of Nehemiah in the Bible you will note that before Nehemiah began to restore Jerusalem, he prayed to God. In recalling Nehemiah’s work in restoring Jerusalem, a pastor stated that a move of God does not begin with a plan but rather it begins with a prayer. If you want God to move in your life and help you to achieve your goals and impact others, you must start with seeking Him. Intentionally spend time with God and meditate on His word. Ask God what His plan is for your life and what He wants to accomplish through you. Once you’ve taken time to dwell in God’s presence, it’s time to figure out how to set your goals.

“A move of God does not begin with a plan, but rather it begins with prayer.”

2. Reflect– In order to determine what goals you should set, you should take time out to reflect. Take time to just think about your life and write in your journal. Discover what makes you, you. Think about what makes you tick and what brings you the greatest joy, what you love to do and what you once dreamed of doing but pushed to the back burner. Think about what you’re truly passionate about. Figure out how you can utilize your passion. Our passions usually lead us to our purpose.

“Our passions usually lead us to our purpose.”

3. Use a template that works for you– There are many goal setting tools on the internet today. One of the most common strategies and probably one of the most effective is that of SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant and Time-bound. This method is used to assist you in narrowing down your goal and being as specific as possible to ensure that it is achieved. Zig Ziglar also provides steps on how you can effectively set goals. He suggests the following: state the goal, set a deadline, identify the obstacles, identify the people that can assist, list the benefits of achieving the goal, list the skills you need to achieve the goal and develop a plan. Another helpful tool would be to create a goal map. Download the Wife HER! Goal Map now to get started.

SMART

How can we ensure that we achieve our goals?

1. Compound effect: Darren Hardy wrote a New York Times Bestseller in 2010 about The Compound Effect. This is simply the principle of doing little things every day. Doing a little every day will go a long way in helping you to get one step closer to achieving your goals. No matter how insignificant you think the task of the day may be, it will make a difference in your pursuit of achieving your goal. For example, your task for today may be to research ways to start a business, then tomorrow your task may be to write down the points that stuck out to you, the next day you can brainstorm ideas for your product then how to market, etc. In order to remain consistent with your small daily tasks, you should create a weekly schedule. Download the Wife HER! Weekly Schedule template.

“Doing a little every day will go a long way in helping you to get one step closer to achieving your goals.”

2. Keep your Why at the forefront: There will be days when you lack the motivation to continue to do work on your goals. In moments like these, remember your why and then keep going. Fitness enthusiasts do not go to the gym as often as they do because they’re always in the mood to work out. They go to the gym because they know the reason why they are going to the gym: a healthier lifestyle, better physique, etc. When you feel like giving up and throwing in the towel, remember your why. It may be all the motivation you can muster to keep going.

“Remember your why and then keep going.”

3. Accountability: As much as we think we can do things on our own, that is very untrue. We all need someone, someone to check on you and encourage you to keep doing what you’re doing. You can confide in one of your friends and ask them to be your accountability partner or you join a group of like-minded people. If you are a female whose ultimate goal is to become the best version of yourself, join the Wife HER! Facebook group. If you are passionate about improving your walk with God, you can join the PinkyPromise Sisterhood Facebook group.

There is literally a group for everything so there is really no excuse why you cannot find people who are interested in the same things as you. If for some reason there is no group for what you are particularly interested in then create your own group, whether on WhatsApp or Facebook. Having someone hold you accountable for achieving your goals will make a huge impact on the way you go about working towards your goals.

The year has just begun and now is the perfect opportunity to set your goals and work towards achieving them. With God’s guidance and your consistency, you can achieve your goals this year!

 

Have you set goals for 2020 as yet? If so, what are some of your goals?

Let us know in the comments!

 

Categories
Planning & Goal Setting

2020 Planners for Every Woman

2020 has arrived! January 1st, 2020 does not just mark the start of the year, but the start of the decade! Resolutions, goals and visions are whirling around the minds and hearts of women all across the globe, and sometimes phones and journals just aren’t enough to capture (or organize) all that’s in our hearts, let alone the demands of our daily lives.

Planners are an essential new year purchase as they help to guide the year by organizing our schedule and providing pages to schedule appointments, jot down goals, to-do lists and even scriptures and sermon notes (yes, some of these planners are that detailed).

Remember though, a planner is only effective if you use it. If left blank and unused, so many of your goals may not be actioned to their full potential.

For: Anyone

Happy Planner
Happy Planner boasts that they have a planner style for everyone: from academic planners for students, course planners for teachers, budget planners, fitness planners and so much more. Simply select your planner based on preferred size, layout and theme and then customize to your specific needs and accessorize with various inserts.

Happy Planner

Life Planner by Erin Condren
The best-selling planner that’s proven to increase productivity and time management. Track your goals in style with the completely customizable LifePlanner. You can even add your own photos to the cover!

Life Planner

The Simplified Planner
The Simplified Planner is a beautiful, joyful agenda for busy women in all seasons of life. Designed minimally on purpose, its open pages serve as a fresh start every day.

Simplified Planner.png


Full Focus Planner
The Full Focus Planner allows you to focus on the work that matters so you can achieve your goals. It’s minimalist design makes it the perfect fit for any gender.

Full Focus Planner.png


The Very Busy Planner by Amy Knapp
This easy-to-use 2020 organizer helps even the busiest woman gain control of her active lifestyle. The format features weekly and monthly calendar grids, weekly to-do lists, inspirational quotes, color-coded stickers, and goal-setting and activities for self-reflection and growth.

VB Planner

Day Designer
Day Designer is a simple system created to help you manage your schedule and tackle your to-do list. It is described as the perfect 2020 planner for students, teachers, busy people or anyone who wants to live an intentional life.

Day Designer.png

Refresh Weekly Planner
The 2020 Refresh Weekly Planner collection features many of the well-loved design details from previous editions, as well as a few revised features, designed to help you minimize daily chaos and get back to an organized, intentional, and productive life.

Refresh Weekly Planner.png

For: The Bride

Wedding Planner by Erin Condren
Reduce stress and tackle to-dos before you say “I do” with the ultimate Wedding Planner!

I Do Bridal Planner by Kate Spade
There are many small things that happen in the lead-up to “i do“. This heart knot bridal planner will help you stay organized through it all.

Miss to Mrs Bridal Planner
Don’t forget a beloved tradition or lose track of a single detail with Kate Spade New York’s pretty but practical wedding planner that makes the transition from “miss” to “mrs” absolutely unforgettable.

For: The Church Girl

Hope Planners
The Hope Planner is a Christian planner for women who want to remember their prayer time and Bible study everyday like they remember tasks and appointments. Designed to be more than just a planner with Bible verses – the Hope Planner is a daily planner and prayer journal in one, a devotional planner that keeps you focused on the Word and staying organized.

The Covered Planner
Covering your day from start to finish with scripture writing, prayer, gratitude, daily scheduling, prayer lists, sermon notes, goal setting, reflection, and so much more!

Covered

For: The Entrepreneur or Businesswoman

Business Boutique Goal Planner
Putting your goals on paper is the first step to achieving them and making your dreams happen. That’s exactly why #1 national best-selling author Christy Wright created the 2020 Goal Planner to help you grow in your business and personal life. It’s your personal guide to getting results. It includes tactical lessons, challenges, ways to stay motivated, and so much more! It’s the exact process Christy uses to set goals.

Goal Planner

For: The Homemaker, Housewife or Clean Freak

The Homekeeping Planner by Clean Mama
The Homekeeping Planner is a simple planner for keeping track of cleaning, organizing, and everyday tasks. Sick of feeling overwhelmed with all that there is to do? The Homekeeping Planner™ takes the guesswork out of the dailies and gives you a framework for a clean home.

For: The Mom

Family Organizer by Amy Knapp
Amy Knapp’s Family Organizer is parenting tested and mom approved! This #1 National Bestselling format is easy to use and helps even the busiest of families gain control of their active lifestyles. The 17-month 2020 organizer features weekly and monthly calendar grids, weekly grocery lists, weekly to-do lists and inspirational quotes, and color-coded stickers.

Family Organizer

Mama Love Planner
The only planner designed with the spiritual, mental & physical well-being of mamas in mind.

Mama

For: The Wife

Marriage Success Planner
Take your communication about money, sex, intimacy and more to a whole new level.

Marriage

Want to learn more about goal setting and to begin mapping your goals for the year? Check out our Focus of the Month for January: Creating A Goal-Map & Schedule.