Setting My 2017 Goals Using Powersheets

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As I have said many, many times before – I am not good at resolutions.
I am not really good at goal setting/accomplishing at all really. My problem is that I tend to add-on too much all at once (the January 1st phenomenon) and then I give up as soon as I start to falter under the weight of all I have heaped upon myself. So my goals are never met and I wait until the next January to do it all over again.
This year, I wanted to be more ‘purposeful’ with my goal setting. I have followed Lara Casey’s blog ever since I read her book “Make It Happen” a few years ago which is a deep dive into goal setting in an intentional and realistic way. Lara Casey’s company also produces a goal setting workbook each year called the Powersheets. These Powersheets take you through a step by step goal setting process and then give you a template to work on those goals month by month throughout the year. The workbook is also beautifully designed and uses the most joyful colors, so that is a huge plus as well!

One of the things I love about the Powersheets is the ‘prep section’. It is created to get you to focus on reflecting on the past year and taking several steps to help you draw out what is important to you for the coming year. You go through and write down your fears, your favorite things, and what you will be saying yes and no to this year (YES: Weekends full of family time; NO: Scrolling through social media). It really is a great process to uncover what is most meaningful to you, so that you can better tailor your goals around your true priorities.
Powersheets: What Fires Me Up
Goal setting with Powersheets is flexible and messy which I love. There are great template pages to help you plan out what your yearly goals are and the action steps to get there, but what you will get the most out of are the monthly ‘tending’ lists. Each month, you are prompted to write out monthly, weekly and daily goals. I keep this page open on my kitchen counter (currently without a desk since my home office became a nursery) so that I can see my goals every day and be prompted/inspired to take action.
The tending lists also have progress bars for each goal so you can fill it out as you make progress on your goal. You won’t complete every goal with 100% perfection each month, but that isn’t what it is about. It is about making small, purposeful changes, so that you can continue growing in to the person you want to become. And the Powersheets are just a tool in that process.
Powersheets: Tending List
Every month also comes with a gratitude page that you fill out at the end of the month. I love filling this out because it helps remind me of all of the great things that happened over the last 30 days. Then you can look back at the end of the year and have a record of the sweet things (big or small) that you loved about each month.
My most favoritest (yep not a typo) thing about the 2017 Powersheets, is the goal reset every 3 months. There is a section for every season change, (this is metaphorical if you live in Houston where the seasons are just ‘Hot’ and ‘Less Hot’) where you reflect on the last quarter and then rewrite/redo your goals for where you are at that part in the year. THIS IS TRUE GOAL FREEDOM for someone like me who tends to waaaaay over set goals in January (because I think January makes me Super Woman) and then realizes I wasn’t realistic (because there are only 24 hours in a day) by the time February 1st comes around.
This reset is perfect for me because I can feel like I am getting a fresh start every 3 months. It is like getting the magic of January 1st all throughout the year!

MY YEARLY GOALS

With my Powersheets, I was able to set some purposeful goals for 2017, and for the sake of accountability, I wanted to share them with you here:
Goal 1: Read the Bible in 1 year
This will be the THIRD year that I have set out to do this. The farthest I have made it was 4 months on a reading plan. But this is the year y’all. Even if it takes me over a year to do it, I will read the Bible in its entirety, dang it. I am currently following the She Reads Truth 365 Plan (find it on the app), which is helpful to me because I can check off that I read each day and it gives me a % completed progress bar (currently at 4%). Which is perfect because the Powersheets constantly promote ‘Progress, not Perfection’.
But please pray for me when I get to Numbers because that book is where I really lose focus.
Goal 2: Pay off our debt & be better budgeters
Eric, my husband, and I don’t have a ton of debt (our two cars), but with monthly daycare costs starting this year, it would be a good idea to get those payments out of our monthly expenses.
The two of us sat down for a couple of hours right after Christmas and planned out our financial goals and plan for the year. I highly recommend having a family finance meeting with your spouse at least once a month (or weekly if you don’t talk about finances now!).
We use EveryDollar to help set and keep track of our monthly budget, debt payoff and saving progress. I highly recommend it!
Goal 3: Read 1 book a month
I feel like I am generally a good reader, but in actuality, I am just a really good book purchaser. So this year I am going to read some of the books I have bought in the last year. I have already finished one book, “Baby 411” (this was mostly out of desperation to learn to survive with a newborn).
Goal 4: Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight
9 months on, 9 months off, right? Not really looking forward to the work that will have to go in to this goal, but I know I will enjoy how it feels to be back in my normal clothes! Any workout programs that I should look in to? Help me out with suggestions in the comments below!
Goal 5: Keep my home organized
I am terrible at home organization. Probably the worst. But with a baby, things are getting messier much more quickly. In order to reach my goal, I have put together a list of things that need to be cleaned up, put away, or cleaned out on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. I am using that list as a way to help form new habits that will help me keep my house clean and organized.
Goal 6: Love Others Well
This is my all-encompassing goal. This includes spending intentional time with my family, growing my friendships, and serving others. Aside from family Saturdays and dinners with friends, I also want to spend my time volunteering and using the testimony that God has given me to help others.
And those are my yearly goals!
I love using the Powersheets to help me keep track of my progress and to remind me that perfection isn’t necessary in achieving your goals.
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Using Lara Casey's Powersheets is the best thing to ever happen to my goal setting. Check out how to use Powersheets to create and achieve your goals!

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