How to Set New Year Resolutions as a Mom:

As a busy mom of 2 almost 3 I find it very easy to set new goals but not as easy to keep them going. This is especially true for my New Year Resolutions. There is something SO nice about the idea of a clean slate. The new year offers that clean slate automatically.

But keeping those resolutions is difficult, most resolutions are abandoned in February. We do not want to do that! I want to be the best Mom, wife, and person I can be. I know I can look back on the year, find where I fell short and change it in this next year. So can you!!!

You can set realistic and doable goals by following/thinking about these next few tips. They are not overcomplicated can help you stay focused on the goal of changing something you want to see a change in this New Year. You got this Momma!

Choose a Word:

For this tip, think of just one simple word that you want to focus on for a goal. This will break your goals down into a category and you can even make 2023 the year for changing multiple things for the category. Maybe you want to change several things about the way you parent. So you could pick the category of parenting and find all the goals that you have!

Some examples of categories that you could pick from are:

• Parenting

• Home

• Cleaning

• Cooking

• Budgeting

• Fitness

The list ideas are endless. Just pick one category in your life that you want to create one goal around. You can have multiple goals for the same group. It is just nice to have a section to put your goals.

Picking on a word/area to focus on is very helpful to just simplify the goals for your New Year Resolutions. As a young mom with 2 young girls, and another baby on the way, I LOVE to find ways to make my life simpler but also help it move forward in a direction that I love.

How to think of them:

So once you pick a focus word for your New Year Resolution it will be much easer to pick a goal. I’ll give you an example. Say I picked Cooking as my category that I want to work on this year. I can think about several different resolution ideas and pick one that really stands out for me.

• Eat out less

• Include the kids in planning meals

• Eat less junk

• Prepare healthier meals

• Food prep on Sundays

These are just some examples for one category. In this new year I want to bake more bread so that we do not have to buy it at the store anymore. I specifically LOVE sourdough, so for me a goal I have this year is to learn to make sourdough and bake it often.

Finding a goal that is very meaningful for you and your family is the best. Making a goal that is important to you personally will also help you encourage you to maintain that goal and help you be focused on the end goal.

I think homemade bread just tastes so much better and I want that in our lives more. So that will keep me focused. I want to add this to my kids lives and that motivates me. Find something that motivates you!

How to Keep them:

Create a step by step plan when you make your goals. This will help you simplify what you need to do and make it less overwhelming. As a mom of young kids I find it very helpful to break things down into bite size tasks. Breaking things down may help you even keep the goal going and motivated. Let’s go back to my bread goal.

My steps for this goal could be:

• look into bread recipes

• pick 3 and try them,

• find which one I like most

• make it weekly/as we need.

This is not some crazy complicated plan for my goal but just a few simple steps that will make the goal not be so overwhelming. I can gradually add this into our normal life without rocking the boat too much. Try to find what works best for you. Start slow to find out what does work best for you and your family.

That is really what matters, taking things and adapting them for YOU. You do not need to fit into a box and do what others are doing. Find a goal you like, and make steps that you can keep.

What to Remember:

Rome was not built in a day so expecting yourself to immediately have this huge change is unrealistic. Momma, remember to give yourself grace in this season. If you are trying to change something don’t forget you do not need to be perfect in that thing. Just continue to try.

Keeping in mind that even if we fall short of goal does not mean we failed or that we need to give up! Lasting change takes time, this is no different. Do not beat yourself up for having a day where you forget to do your goal, or don’t get it done. Just keep trying and don’t stop trying!

When you stop trying is when you fail. Dedication is important when making a new goal and keeping it.

Display goals:

Displaying your goals somewhere where you can see them each day will help remind and motivate you to keep going. Try making a vision board or just a photo of the goal. For my bread goal I could print out a cute picture of sourdough and hang it in my office to remind me to not give up and make our own bread.

Being able to see your goal/resultion can make sure you do not lose sight of the task at hand and what you are trying different. Pinterest is a great place for inspiration and vision boards.

Take a moment, sit down and figure out how you can display your resolution in your home so you can be reminded. This could even be a page with just a list of your new year resolutions. Have fun in creating a way for you to visually see your goal.

Dont give up! You got this!