New Year's Eve Partay- Got Goals?

New Year's Eve Partay 'round here.

No chips. Gave up chips (probably for life) in September. I am no longer mourning the loss.
No soda. I gave up my weekly Diet Coke in September as well. I am still mourning the loss and have fallen off the wagon a couple of times, but the siren song weakens.
No cake, cupcakes, brownies or bars.  I was already carb-light but now it's official.
No ice-cream. I've always been lactose intolerant, but this past week I gave up any kind of milk based product (most commonly found in my morning coffee). Instead I've been spiking my daily brew with honey and Cinnamon and loving it.
No chocolate. Chocolate has never really been my thang. Unless it's chock full of nuts and Carmel (think Snickers). I've been white- sugar free (mainly) since September. No biggie (except for the traditional Apple Pie).

Maybe a large cabbage salad, a game of Catan, capped off with a chick flick with my only remaining, living at home, chick. Woohoo. Living large, baby.

Actually, all of the above have to do with actual goals I've already made, and action plans to accomplish them. Today, we'll be setting 2013 Goals, and actionable steps to get 'em done. (I've already been talking up The Art of Non-Conformity - which you're sure to hear more about- and I really like the spreadsheet Chris G. made for his Annual Review) .

A couple of quotes are guiding me this year

Self-Management is about Perspective - focus on the right thing -and

Control -the ability to effectively manage all the things coming at you.

 (David Allen, GTD)

and

You manage what you measure. (Peter Drucker).

With those things in mind, we've already changed some things up with Feeche's course work for his last semester of his Senior Year and our weekly schedule. Which is a relief. He's already happier, and when my kids are happier, I'm happier (you know, as in Momma's only as happy as the least happy child). We changed things because they weren't fitting with our goals- Feeche's personal goals or our goals for him. What areas do you set goals in?

 

Some of Mine

Health

Writing

Homeschool

Faith Walking

Family

Friends

Learning

$- earning, giving, saving.

Home Management

House Re-build

For each of these areas, I'll be making 2-5 "action steps." If I run out of action steps, I'll make "next action" steps. I am also going to write down how I know I'll have accomplished my goals. The vague, "write" will give place to "write 1000 words daily."

Some goals are super easy for me; for instance, "Learning." I am a natural and cultivated auto-didact and bibliophile. I do the 52 books in a Year challenge. This year, because of some other challenges we are taking on, along with the fact that I have some more difficult books in my stack, I'm cutting myself some slack about actual numbers. I'll still be reading very intentionally. Now that I have 3 successful years under my belt of completing the challenge, the focus has shifted.

Others are not so easy for me like health. I have some health challenges that continually discourage me. Discouragement, I have found, is one of the bans of my existence. So, I'm going to be clear about my goals, remind myself of what the next thing is and simply do the action step. I don't have to worry about the outcome. I'm going to focus on the simple and profound, "One day at a time."

Other areas are easy for me, but I don't clearly communicate to others, or don't make it "accessible" to them. For instance, the youngers are memorizing Horatius at the Bridge. I know they can do it, all beautiful, lyrical 70 stanzas. They are not so sure. I'm making a chart for them, with little squares representing each stanza that they can mark off, along with the grand poombah "YOU DID IT" award reminder at the end. I think this will help them see that they ARE getting it done, it is manageable and they are going to FINISH!

In addition to goals, I'll be making a visual reminder of what my Word of the Year is going to be along with doing some of the other exercises found over at Susannah's site.

So, how are you celebrating New Year's Eve? Got Goals, Word for the Year or Next Action steps?

For my 2012 Wrap-Up, Go Here.