I’m trying something a little different for goal planning this school year.  My new motto: we are not machines, we don’t have infinite energy levels, we can only do so much!  Hopefully this new method will help me reduce my stress and prioritize the right things at the right times.

Well, the month of December was a wonderful blessing.  For maybe the first time ever, I completed my shopping and wrapping before the first Sunday of Advent and we didn’t have many commitments on the calendar.  Incredible.  We’re beginning a season of transition as my oldest kids start to graduate and leave the nest, so I fully embraced this time of rest and lazy family time.  Feeling very rejuvenated and ready for the new year ahead.

Onto the goals!  Let’s review December first:

FIVE TOP PRIORITIES

1. prep for a December birthday (We have a new 8-year-old in the house!)
2. use Dom Prosper Gueranger’s Liturgical Year book for Advent as my daily Advent Reading (I loved this.)
3. thank our mail carrier
4. organize any remaining Christmas wrapping supplies (I collected all of the ribbons and tags I could and tucked them away for next year!)
5. embrace this time of rest (Done.)

FIVE “WOULD BE GREAT TO DO” TASKS

1. set up the kids’ hot cocoa bar
2. start brainstorming school plans for January (Definitely didn’t think about this until after New Year’s!)
3. research a source for better bulk compost (I think I found a company not too far from us.)
4. simmer down on my coffee consumption and wean down to a more reasonable level (Making progress in the right direction!)
5. bake a new Christmas cookie (Lots of old favorites were made, but nothing new.)

FIVE LITTLE STEPS TO GET AHEAD

1. debt reduction: earn $50+ to go toward the Car Loan Payoff Plan (Final amount earned = $102.12 and great news!  The car is officially paid off!)
2. mother academia: read Hamlet (Nope.)
3. home projects: survive the hardwood flooring repair (We got stuck in the insurance step all month, but hoping for some movement in January!)
4. hard times prep: organize and inventory the pantry (Nope.)
5. farm: brainstorm a better way to water the piglets this winter (Still hauling water and trying to keep the rubber pans from freezing for now.)

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On to January’s goals!

FIVE TOP PRIORITIES

These tasks tend to have deadlines or really should be completed this month.

1. commit to Low Spend January (using these worksheets)
2. get back to carnivore/paleo/keto (basically no sugar or bread)
3. order a new hot wire energizer for the pigs
4. brainstorm new chicken tractor construction
5. finish the house sampler cross-stitch project

FIVE “WOULD BE GREAT TO DO” TASKS

Examples of these tasks would be seasonal goals or things that just generally have less urgency.

1. embrace the slow cooker/Dutch oven for easy dinners
2. drop off donations
3. start making the 2025 garden plan
4. mend two dresses that have slits a little too high
5. send at least one piece of snail mail

FIVE LITTLE STEPS TO GET AHEAD

This area is for big, overwhelming goals that can be broken down into bite-sized, attainable steps.

1. debt reduction: earn $100+ reselling unneeded items around the house
2. mother academia: read Hamlet
3. home projects: declutter 30+ things to donate, sell or throw away (using this calendar for direction)
4. health: schedule bloodwork
5. farm: inventory remaining seed packets and make a list of what is needed