New Year’s Resolutions vs. SMART Goal-setting

New Year’s Resolutions.

There was a time every January 1st when I thoughtfully crafted a list of resolutions for the New Year.  However, since I am a dyed-in-the-wool control freak goal-setter, I scrapped annual New Year’s Resolutions a while back in favor of setting goals. Setting SMART goals. Setting  SMART homeschooling goals.

Rather than a list of vague things I want to accomplish, I worked on setting “SMART” goals, a concept from prior years in business:

•  S = specific
• M = measurable and defined in such a way that I can evaluate progress
• A = achievable;  i.e., challenging but not impossible
• R = relevant;  important to vital areas of my life
• T = time-based; that is, they are linked to a date

So, instead of having a goal that sounds more like a New Year’s Resolution:

Lose weight.

It would be written as a SMART goal, such as:

In the next month, I will lose four pounds by losing at least 1 pounds per week. To do this, I will exercise at least 45 minutes, five days a week, cut all grain products from my diet, and not eat processed foods five days a week.

Writing this as a SMART goal forces me to think specifically about how I would lose weight and what specific steps I need to take to do so. It also gives me a way to measure my progress toward my goal.

 

Setting  SMART Homeschooling Goals

Homeschooling is a perfect opportunity to hone your goal-setting skills! In fact, if you have not set goals for yourself and your homeschooling/child training, you have missed out on the motivating, organizing, and intentional action-causing power this process provides.

Here is a  SMART homeschooling goal from a few years ago:

I will be more organized with homeschooling by arranging for my husband to watch the kids so I can spend 3-4 hours on the weekend planning for the following week. During that time, I will:

• Read over my lesson plans for the following week
• Look through and note on my planning pages/calendar any scheduled appointments or errands we will need to run
• Plan the subjects/assignments we will cover together and individually
• Make sure I reserve my books at the library for the next three weeks
• Grade any papers that need grading before the week starts
• Plan to procure any needed material for science, history, and art activities and projects before their scheduled time

It is highly motivating and rewarding to make positive changes in your life.  Moreover, modeling for your children is crucial, especially as one of our primary goals is to teach them to become independent learners and problem solvers!

 

Perfectionists: Set SMART Homeschooling Goals with Caution

Now hear this: setting goals does not mean unproductively comparing yourself, your children, or your homeschool with others, especially if you are a new homeschooling mom.  Nor does it mean that you are a failure if you don’t meet all of your goals.

You, your children, and your homeschooling efforts are all works in progress, so realize that, like everything else worthwhile, it takes work to make changes.  And it often takes longer than you would think and certainly more than you would like.

 

First Things First: Start With Yourself

I find goal setting the most productive when I begin with myself. Over the years, I have learned that the tone I set with my demeanor and attitude, how I react to my children’s behavior, and the peace I exhibit (or not) significantly affect our school day.  Am I modeling grace? Am I flexible? Am I self-controlled? Am I emotionally, spiritually, and academically prepared for the day?

If you are having difficulty in some of these areas and you are not meeting with Jesus daily – I would definitely begin there. Start small, and remember it takes 30 days or so to make something a routine! Work on developing consistency!

 

Your Challenge!

Create one personal goal or one homeschooling goal in the next 48 hours. Assess where you would like to be and formulate a goal to help you get there. Work on it until it is a SMART goal rather than a vague statement.

For example, perhaps you would like to have more regular prayer as part of your daily morning quiet time.  Your SMART goal might read something like this:

Beginning tomorrow, I will have intentional daily prayer for my children for ten minutes as part of my daily quiet time. 

Note – you may have to set a ‘process’ or secondary goal to achieve your primary goal, so consider that as well.  You may have to reword your goal as follows:

Beginning tomorrow, I will get up 15 minutes earlier to have intentional daily prayer for ten minutes as part of my daily quiet time before the children get up in the morning. I will set the alarm to get up at __ and set it again to ensure I pray for at least 10 minutes.

If you already have that priority covered, perhaps you have other personal areas you would like to consider, such as:

• Beginning or tweaking an exercise program
• Making more time for daily personal reading (for your pleasure and edification)
• Planning a weekly letter or visit to an elderly neighbor or relative
• Finding one relaxing/social outing per week with a friend to renew your perspective
• Rediscovering a beloved hobby you haven’t taken the time to engage in regularly since you began homeschooling
• Trading babysitting time with another mom and planning a weekly or biweekly ‘date night’ with your husband
• Beginning a blog
• Volunteering at church or in your community

 

Tell someone!

If you are serious about changing your life, make your goal public.

Sharing it with someone you trust for instant accountability!

Would you benefit by setting a personal goal for yourself? Do you regularly set goals for yourself or your homeschool? I would love to hear what you are planning or about any difficulties you have setting goals.

 

 

 Next Post: Give Yourself Grace