“The Holidays” are a busy time of the year for many of us. Why is it busy? We have a lot of activities with extended family and friends. We make a lot of food. We buy a lot of presents. We have a lot of traditions. There are church events, school events, work events. We also have our normal lives, and for us we have basketball season! So, lots going on.
Because of the busyness of this season, when we hit The Holiday Season we have to be incredibly purposeful about planning for the next year. We have also learned that we have to simplify our process and lower our expectations for what is a Win in this season. We have boiled our annual goal-setting process down to 2 events and 4 documents. Would you like to see what we do?
Event 1: Family Night
We set aside one night where we reflect as a family about the year that just passed, and the year that is to come. This is our Family Goal Setting Night. It’s not complicated…we have some tasty snacks, we shut off the devices, and we go through the 3 documents listed below! We take a few hours to do this, but you can make it as long or as short as you want.
Document 1 – Year In Review:
This is so fun! We spend some time thinking back over the events of the year. We look through pictures to remind us of the fun year, and we look through the calendar. It is always amazing to think back over all that has happened and the memories that have been made. We also realize that time really does fly!
Document 2 – Kid Interview:
This is like a time capsule that you fill out every year. Investing just a few minutes on this activity each year keeps a record of each child’s development. But more importantly, we believe that as parents we should be students of our kids. We should know what they love and we should be interested in the things that interest them. Asking them these questions helps you to know them a little better and gives you insight on how to spend some time in their world.
Document 3 – Goals (Kids or Teens or Personal)
Now we’re getting into the true Goals part of the process. No matter how old or young we are, we can each have goals for the next year. Not sure how to lead your children through the process? We wrote a post to help you!
How do you help your kids make goals? – Our Purposeful Life
(Technically, there are 3 documents here…one for Kids, one for Teens, and one for Adults. We need to set goals too!)
Event 2: 24 Hour Planning Time
We find 24 hours on our calendar where Dana and I can get away and leave the kids with the grandparents. We spend time together having fun, we reflect on the past year, and we plan for the year ahead. I can’t stress enough how important it is to start the year on the same page with your spouse! It makes all the difference! You may feel intimidated about attempting this, but don’t be! Here are some of the conversation starters you can use to get started!
Conversation Starters for Marriage and Parenting – Our Purposeful Life
Document 4 – Marriage and Parenting Goals:
Marriage is hard, but worth it. Parenting is hard, but so rewarding. We use this document, along with our Conversation Starters, to tiptoe into the somewhat scary waters of “how are we doing?” We usually start with doing something fun together, and then discuss some of the logistics of the year that is to come. Then we use this document to help us go deeper in our relationship. You can do it, and it’s worth it!
Why Goals?
You may wonder if it is really necessary to have all of these goals. Why is it so important? Here are some of our thoughts about WHY goals can transform your parenting, your marriage, and your personal life.
Personal Goals
God Ordained Adventurous Life
New Year – New Start!
We pray that as we close out this year and start the new one, may the next chapter in your story be merry and bright!
