7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals

Setting annual mom goals can help you feel more fulfilled as a mom.

But let’s face it: so many moms hesitate to set mom goals because they don’t believe they’ll ever be able to achieve them!

Here is a proven method to help you set – and actually crush – your mom goals this year!

According to Positive Psychology, proper goal setting can help you:

  1. guide your focus
  2. gain self-mastery
  3. measure your progress
  4. feel more motivated
  5. improve your mental health
  6. prioritize your schedule

But there’s a catch: setting goals and failing to reach them can be very unmotivating and decrease self-esteem.

Because of this, it’s very important to start out setting the right goals and have a solid plan to achieve them!

Free printable

Because goal setting for moms is so much more than thinking about a few New Year’s resolutions, there is a fantastic download waiting for you inside the Jen Bradley | MOMs Free Printables library!

The Goal Setting for Moms printable worksheets will help you to follow the time-tested 7-step process you’ll discover below.

The best thing about it? It’s designed by moms for moms to help you finally start accomplishing the goals you’ve set for yourself!

Click right here or on the image below to get access to the Free Printables library!

Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means that I may make a small commission if you click through or purchase at no cost to you. For more information, click here.

How to set mom goals – Step 1: Choose a word of the year

To begin setting your mom goals, it’s important to choose a personal word of the year.

Selecting a word of the year can help you to direct your goals and make sure they support what you actually want to achieve.

I love this quote by Stephen Kellogg:

goal setting quote stephen kellogg

How to choose your word of the year

To choose your word of the year, start out with some personal reflection time.

(If you’re wondering when you’ll find time to reflect, I get it! Try taking some time to ponder while you’re in the shower, driving the car, folding laundry, or putting down your phone for a few minutes during naptime!)

You want to come up with a word that encompasses how or what you want to feel at the end of the year.

Think about things, people and outcomes that are important to you right now. You may also focus on traits and qualities you appreciate or want to develop.

After you reflect, jot down a list of 10-15 words that inspire you.

Once you have your list, you’ll want to slowly whittle it down to a single word.

Here are some word of the year ideas to help you get started:

  • intention
  • faith
  • joy
  • kindness
  • consistency
  • family
  • love
  • abundance
  • heart
  • focus
  • delight
  • gratitude
  • home
  • health
  • happiness
  • friendship
  • strength
  • play
  • determination
  • growth
  • simplify
  • calm
  • hope
  • better
  • clarity
  • patience
  • learn
  • declutter
  • vision
  • believe
  • breathe
  • thankful
  • compassion
  • empower
  • relax
  • honesty

Just a quick note: don’t let yourself get stuck here in perfection paralysis for Step 1!

Choose a word after thinking about it for a day or two, and then move on to Step 2.

Step 2: Craft your vision

Once you’ve decided on your word of the year, the next step in setting mom goals is to picture your ideal situation across a variety of categories.

Because moms wear so many different hats and have such a wide variety of things we do, casting a wide net with our goals can be very helpful.

Take a little time to get an ideal vision for these seven different categories:

  1. home – think about how it is organized, how routines function, decluttering, upgrades and renovations, and more.
  2. marriage – consider how connected you feel to your spouse, how often you make time for each other, how your communication could improve, etc.
  3. parenting – think about how you speak to your kids, the level of respect, responsibility, and kindness they show to you and others, the life skills they’re learning and more
  4. fitness – consider your current diet, whether you’re sleep deprived, whether you feel comfortable with your body shape and size. Remember to consider your mental health as well!
  5. finances – whether you’re working your way out of debt, making ends meet, saving for a future event or retirement, think about what your ideal bank statement would reflect
  6. business/education – think about how and what you want to learn this year – budgeting, a new language, starting a blog or home business, taking online classes, listening to more podcasts, etc.
  7. spiritual – consider how much time you spend reading or studying scripture, whether you feel connected with God, the depth and sincerity of your prayers, and more.

Now, don’t get overwhelmed. You don’t have to set goals in all of these areas at once! But getting an ideal vision for all areas of your life will help you prioritize your mom goals.

(You can use this page in the Goal Setting for Moms printable worksheets to make this steps two and three super easy!)

goal setting printable worksheet

Step 3 for setting your mom goals: Brainstorm possible goals

Once you’ve established your vision by writing it out (remember, the Goal Setting printable worksheets are free for you in the Free Printables library!), it’s time to start brainstorming actual goals you want to achieve.

I highly recommend writing down at least three possible goals in each of the seven categories. These goals can be small things you want to achieve in the next 90 days or gigantic goals you want to reach in the next few years – it is completely up to you!

To help you get started, here are some possible goals that might give you some ideas for your own:

Ideas for home goals

  1. declutter the entire house before Spring Break
  2. establish a chore system for the kids and stick to it for at least 12 weeks
  3. re-finish or paint the dining room table
  4. create a house cleaning routine and keep it going for 6 weeks
  5. organize the kids’ closets and their schoolwork bins

Possible marriage goals

  1. go on two dates per month
  2. spend two nights a week together without screens
  3. go on a marriage retreat during the summer
  4. look for opportunities to thank your hubs at least once a day for a month
  5. celebrate several smaller “anniversaries” this year – the anniversary of your first meeting, first kiss, first date, engagement, etc.

Parenting goals ideas

  1. Spend at least 15 minutes in each of the kids’ rooms everyday to connect with them
  2. Create a solid bedtime routine and stick to it for six weeks
  3. Help your kids write thank you letters for their birthdays and holidays throughout the year
  4. Start a family gratitude practice and keep it up for two months (if this is one of your goals, read this article here!)
  5. Learn parenting techniques to handle your toddler and create more peace in your home (this article is a great place to start!)

helen keller quote

Fitness goal ideas

  1. Run a 5K, 10K, half marathon or a marathon by the end of the spring
  2. Find a gym buddy and go to the gym at least three times a week for the next quarter
  3. Start meal planning and avoid fast food for the next two months (here’s another helpful article for you!)
  4. Lose ten pounds so you can feel more confident wearing a swimsuit in public this summer
  5. Get seven hours of sleep at least five times a week

Goals for finances

  1. Get out of credit card debt by July
  2. Give ten percent of your income to a tithe or worthy charity every month
  3. Save $2000 for your next vacation
  4. Cut down on grocery spending by $300 a month
  5. Increase your monthly income by $500 a month by starting a home business

Business/education goal ideas

  1. Grow your client list by five new customers a month
  2. Start an online learning program and finish it according to the suggested timeline
  3. Read one non-fiction or classic literature book every month
  4. Start making four, five or six figures a month with your business by the end of the year
  5. Join a book club and attend regularly

Possible spiritual goals for moms

  1. Wake up 30 minutes before your kids everyday to have a morning devotional or scripture study
  2. Start a gratitude journal and write down five things you’re thankful for everyday
  3. Have a kneeling prayer every morning and night for 30 days
  4. Be on time for church every week for a month
  5. Meditate for ten minutes three times a week

Step 4: Narrow down your list of mom goals

After you get at least three goals per category – it’s time to narrow down your list!

Start by choosing the most compelling goal for each category.

It’s a great idea to review your word of the year and your big-picture vision to help you choose your goals!

Mom setting goals

Once you’ve picked the goals you’re most excited about from each category, assign each of these goals a time frame.

If they are long term goals, come up with a sequence of several smaller short-term goals that will be essential to achieving your larger goal. These short term goals need to be things you can accomplish in about three months.

At the end of this step, you want to have an actionable set of seven mom goals that you can focus on for the next three months.

Step 5 – How to Write Your Mom Goals

This often overlooked step is so important!

Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles, writes at length about how important it is to have strong, actionable goals written in the first-person. (If you love non-fiction, I definitely recommend this book by the way!)

How do we do this?

First, begin each written goal with the word “I.” This helps you to take ownership of the goal.

Next, attach a feeling to each goal – this is very easy to do by thinking about your word of the year that you picked in Step 1.

Also, write every goal in the present tense, as if it is currently happening.

Finally, give yourself a time frame for each goal. While reaching the goal within the specified time may or may not really matter, it will increase your sense of motivation and accountability.

Here are a few examples of powerful mom goals:

I love our completely decluttered home and feel at peace when people stop by unannounced. I’ve accomplished this before the kids’ Spring Break from school.

Do you see how much more powerful this goal is than something like, “declutter the house”?!

Here’s another example of a powerfully-written mom goal:

I feel so connected and intimate with my husband as we spend at least two screen-free nights a week together for the next three months.

Isn’t this so clear and much more motivating than “spend more time with my hubs”?!

Write your goals out in the Spaces Planner

An absolutely amazing place to record your goals is inside the Spaces Planner!

spaces planner

This is the planner I’ll be using throughout 2021, and I’m so amazed at how well it works for all things mom life.

With customizable weekly spreads, gorgeous monthly overviews, and a “big plans” section in the back (perfect for writing your goals!), you will get so much use out of this. Click here to check it out in full detail!

Step 6: Display your goals

Once you’ve written your power-packed mom goals, do NOT tuck them into a drawer somewhere that you’ll be sure to forget them!

Instead, put them on display somewhere will you will see them daily.

(You can use page three of the Goal Setting for Moms printable pack for this!)

goal setting printables

Here are some spots around the house that are perfect for displaying your goals:

  • on your bedroom or bathroom mirror
  • on the outside of the refrigerator
  • take a photo of your goal sheet and make it your phone wallpaper
  • on the wall near your nightstand
  • next to your desk
  • on the sunshade of your car

A famous study of Harvard MBA students found that only 3% of students had written goals. But what is even more astounding is that after ten years, that 3% of students were earning 10 times the other 97% percent of student put together!

Step 7: Read and review your mom goals daily

Once your goals are written and posted somewhere prominent in your home, take time every day to read and review them.

You can read them aloud, or make a recording of yourself reading them. The more you read these goal statements, the more your mind will begin to accept them as fact.

And as you convince your mind, your actions will begin to follow, and you’ll be able to crush your mom goals.

goal setting quote

Final thoughts on setting and achieving your mom goals

I know so many moms who feel unfulfilled with motherhood. Sure they love their kids, but they also feel that they’ve lost themselves and their sense of identity somewhere along the way.

If this is you too, let me tell you that I know how it feels!

After being a mom for about ten years, I had no ambition and no goals. I was so busy dealing with day to day diaper changes, laundry piles, and feeding my family that I’d forgotten how to dream.

For me, everything changed when I had a spark renewed in me to start setting goals again.

While it might seem at first that you are adding more to to your to do list, setting goals is so different. As you set quarterly goals, you’ll see outcomes and rewards that don’t come in the day to day of motherhood.

Related articles about mom productivity:

How to Start Time Blocking for Moms – Mom Life Hacks 101

How to Create the Best Stay at Home Mom Schedule

3 Easy Steps to Creating Your Amazing Monthly Meal Plan

How to Be More Productive as a Mom

how to set mom goals

What are your thoughts about this method for setting mom goals?

7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals

Hi there! I’m so glad you’re here. I am a mom of five kids who believes you can find joy in mom life – mostly by learning how to simplify motherhood!

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