8 Goals for a Successful New School Year

Anyone who knows me intimately knows I am big on goal setting.

I set goals for the year, goals for the month, goals for the week, and in a sense I even set goals for each day (a.k.a. my to-do list). I’ve not been great at working on my goals so far this year. Lots have things have come up, making it difficult to move forward in many areas. The good thing about having kids, though, is that back-to-school time feels like another new start. A new schedule is in place, which gives me more time to accomplish different things in different ways. The kids are starting new and have their own new goals and challenges for a new school year, so it feels like a fresh start for me as well.

That being said, looking ahead to the new school year, I’ve set some goals for myself to help me ultimately accomplish my yearly goals. Obviously things change frequently in life, so we’ll see how things go, but for now here’s what I’m looking forward to accomplishing during the first half of the school year, if not the entire school year:

• Wake up at 5:30 AM during the week: I know this sounds crazy for a woman who stays at home all day, but if you read my post about being a work-at-home/stay-at-home mom, you’ll understand that life is still crazy. Waking up at 5:30 AM gives me the extra time I need to make sure I have the time to grow my blog without much distraction.
• That being said, my next goal is to blog daily: I so want to grow the blog and provide value for my readers. My goal is to work on blogging each day of the week so that you have some daily encouragement and ideas for implementing a positive lifestyle in your home.
• Exercise 3-5 days a week: This can be accomplished by walking the dog, going to the gym, or doing a workout video at home. Whatever I decide to do, I need to get back into an exercise routine, because I am OUT. OF. SHAPE.
• Stick to a routine: With having two inattentive daughters, my hope is to set daily routines that help encourage them to stay focused and on track, which reduces household stress for everyone (in other words, no screaming mom and no crying kids). Last year I created daily schedules for the kids that listed everything they need to accomplish in the morning to get ready for school, what day of the week it is, and what extra things they may need to take to school that day (i.e. violin, sneakers for gym, packed lunch, etc.). After school, my challenge is to make sure all of their homework is done and keep them away from their electronics until after dinner. (Limited electronics time=happy household)
• Attend Bible study weekly: I’ve already signed up for my weekly Bible study, which starts in September, and I am so super-excited to see my Bible study friends again! I can’t wait to share some of the bible study topics I learned at Tithe.ly.
• Get the housework done: Such a simple idea, yet I’ve fallen off the wagon with this one over the summer. Just to motivate myself that bit more, I may have to invest in something like a Bissell vacuum cleaner so that I’ve got no excuse to not do the housework. My hope is to not have piles of laundry sitting around at the end of the week but instead to finish all of my chores by Friday.
• Work 15-20 hours a week: Between side jobs and virtual assisting, I hope to put in about 15-20 hours a week (or about 3-4 hours a day) working to bring in some extra income for my family–at least until the blog takes off a little more.
• Keep reading! Reading helps me relax, encourages me, and helps me learn. I have lots of books on my list, so I hope to do a lot more reading this last part of the year.

Those are the basics, but I think that really encompasses everything I hope to accomplish.

What about you? What are your goals for the upcoming school year? I’d love to hear what you have to say in the comments below.