My 2020 Goals

                I am not much of a resolution person. I have never found myself to feel super motivated to keep them because its somewhat cliché. The fear of not keeping them actually often keeps me from setting them. I used to feel very aggravated when for the first 4 weeks of the year I tripped over people at the gym.  I prefer to set some realistic goals for the year ahead, large and small, short and long term. I am a list person. I enjoy great satisfaction in checking or crossing off a task.  Goals are something so shoot for.  When we have multiple goals and take them time to write them down it helps keep us focused.  I am writing this list of my personal goals for you, my readers and for myself to keep that focus as we roll into 2020.

Home-

Garden– I need to make sure I don’t get caught up with warmer temps and snow melting and over commit myself. I would love a small raised bed and grow basil, parsley, tomatoes, greens and cucumbers. I’d also like to plant some shrubs and other perennials in my front  yard. I planted garlic in October and really hope some come up!

Basement- I will continue to work on decluttering boxes and making more room for an anticipated living space.

Health and Fitness-

Sleep- In order to get up early, I need to go to bed early. I will continue to aim to be off my computer and tv by 9:30 to be asleep by 10 each night. Mister is trying to get to work earlier lately and if we work together to go to bed at the same earlier time it’ll be easier.

Workouts-  At least 4 workouts of at least 30 minutes each will be my goal. I know I feel better overall when I am more active. I have a new fitness tracker and that makes it easier to stay on track. I am a firm believer in not worrying about the numbers on the scale, so much that I don’t even own a scale. I am going to work towards dropping two notches on my belt.

Quality eating habits- Mister and I may try a modified 30 day elimination diet. I’ve done it before and it was effective for me  in how I felt and my weight. My two main goals will be no sweets and no eating after dinner. Those two things are major for me because anything I eat after dinner is not usually very good quality. Most nights of the week I brush my teeth right after we get the boys to bed. That takes away the temptation to eat those mindless calories. Before the holidays I was making this a regular habit, it has become easier as I do it.

Early wake up- Now that Mr4 is sleeping more consistently I can get up before the boys. If I get up at 6 I can brew coffee, enjoy Bible reading and prayer time and start my workout.  To do this I have coffee prepped, my Bible out and I sleep in my workout clothes.

Financial-

Zero Credit Card balance-  I am very excited that this past Christmas didn’t put a penny on our credit card. Now we will work to get that balance to zero.  I will continue to sell things as well as clean for the two families I work for. That money goes straight on that debt. 

Saving for a vehicle- Our van has been faithful since 2011. It’s starting to show signs that it isn’t going to run forever. Our boys are also getting bigger which means the reality of a different larger vehicle is upon us. We think we have some time before any repairs would become to costly to be logical so we will work hard to save until that time comes.

Track spending- I really like the EveryDollar app. I have great intentions the first week of the month to track what we spend and then I forget about it. I really want to be more diligent with this.

Life-

Reading- Getting to bed earlier will allow me a bit more time to read. I have a list on Pinterest that is ever growing and I’d like to start pre reading some books for Mr1’s schooling.

Less cell phone time- I cannot get frustrated with my boys when they are unfocused if I am on my phone. Mindless Facebook checks cannot be happening during school time or even throughout the day. It does no good for me.

School focus- Slight tweaks will be taking place in our routine on school days. I need to see where changes need to take place and the boys need to work more obediently. Therefore, I need to be more consistent with correcting poor behavior for each of my boys. Attitude adjusting chores and copywork will be dished out much faster. 

Explore- I am starting to find some freedom in the fact that my day doesnt revolve around naptime quite so hard any more. Mr4 is starting to be able to get by on missing a day of nap here and there. It is refreshing for me! I hope to take advantage and go for a hike in the afternoon or hit up the beach more often in the coming year. I want to create those memories with my boys before they are too old to be able to or to care.

Blog-

Explore (see above)-The last goal I listed will help me share more of our beautiful state with my readers.

Photography- I have always loved photography and aim to shoot better quality shots for the blog both in and out of our home.

More readers- I really hope to boost the amount of people reading my blog. I love sharing my life, ideas and state with you and really want it to be read and enjoyed by more people. Pinterest is a platform I want to learn more about and hope to gain more readers through.

Well there you have it. Some would say my list is short, some would say it’s overzealous. I think the length of a list of goals for the year ahead is a very relative thing.  DO you have some goals for the year? Go write down what you hope to focus on. The act of writing it down is refreshing and helps to aim your actions.  I pray 2020 is a wonderful year of growth for you!