Monday, January 19, 2009

New Year's Goals

Well, it's taken me long enough to get this post up . . . :) I ended up with 12 major goals for this year, which seems reasonable since it works out to working on one per month. Of course, I'm going to be working on many of these for the whole year; still, it seemed like a good amount and these are all things I want to aim toward anyway. So here they are:

1. Become a member of the "5 am Club"--rise early.

2. Finish reading through the Bible. I did great through about 2/3 of the last year, then got bogged down in the major prophets . . . but it should be easy to finish up this year, if I keep plugging away!

3. Have consistent daily quiet times and prayer times. Besides working on my Bible reading plan, I've also just begun a study through Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I've only read the first chapter so far (and today I started into the study guide) but I think it is going to be excellent.

4. Lose 15-20 more pounds and exercise 5 times/week.

5. Read at least one good book per month. Maybe some fiction, but mostly non-fiction. Here are some that are on my list right now (some of these are ones I've started but not yet finished): Feminine Appeal, The Power of a Praying Wife, All New Square Foot Gardening, Financial Peace Revisited, The Mission of Motherhood, Teach Them Diligently, Don't Make Me Count to Three.

6. Learn about and actually plant a square foot garden.

7. Learn how to can some garden produce (if we get any produce, that is!).

8. Deep clean my house and declutter as I go.

9. Develop and actually implement cleaning routines. (I know, I know, I say this every year!)

10. Implement a chore system for the kids.

11. Develop a weekly "school"/learning routine for Sam.

12. Get creative. Spend time each week in crafting/sewing/etc.

So, do you like to set New Year's goals too? Feel free to share them in the comments if you'd like!

4 comments:

Mrs.T said...

I have nine basic goals. (9 for 2009! I didn't plan that.) Many of them are quite a bit like yours.

1. To make my daily quiet time with God ever more meaningful. To add to my prayer journal as a means of doing that.

2. To eat reasonably, exercise, and drink plenty of water every day, and get a decent amount of sleep each night.

3. To continue to grow in the areas of godly speech and diligence in work. (These goals, as well as those listed in #4, are some that I set some time ago as a result of my study of Proverbs 31. They've been on my prayer list for myself ever since.)

4. To continue to grow in the practical skills of homemaking, money management, and time management. This includes sticking with the housekeeping routines that work for me and becoming much more faithful in doing them daily. In addition, I'd like to make this the year that I finally declutter my entire house. I also have a goal to spend less money on groceries this year, remembering the principle that money not spent is money saved.

5. To continue to grow spiritually and to use my talents and my spiritual gifts for God's glory. I'd love to do more Christian writing -- articles, books, whatever -- in addition to my yearly summer devotional for kids.

6. To use my God-given interests and abilities to help bring in some household income. To this end, I want to expand my A-store and do more with it, and possibly even start an Etsy shop.

7. To be more of a help to my husband. To save enough money to be able to go on a weekend getaway a couple of times a year. To be an effective prayer warrior for him. To make our home more of a refuge for him.

8. To be more of an encouragement to all of our grown children and their spouses, as well as to our grandchildren.

9. To nurture my creativity. To try and create something every day. To finally get some of our many photos into scrapbooks. To post in my Christmas blog more often and to work on Christmas projects all year round.

That is probably more than enough! I am looking forward to 2009 with great anticipation of what God will do!

Mary Ann said...

Sounds good, Carrie! I did a little resolving of my own over on my blog. I need to work a lot more on being moderate & punctual. Good luck with your gardening ideas! I used to help my grandparents do lots of canning when I was a kid. Both my sister & brother's families do a lot of gardening & canning. I love having fresh, home-grown produce. Yum!

Jenny said...

your goals are great! I tend to set goals for the year on my birthday instead of the New Year. I set one awhile back that "by the time I'm 30..." and I realize now I have just 7 months to finish that goal - yikes!

I have so many books I need to finish reading - some of them are on your list, too! I'd also love to continue my slow and steady weight loss. I've discovered that increased protein and exercise are my (only) keys to success while breastfeeding! :-)

Anonymous said...

Well, Obama's not the only one talking about change this year (lol, sorry, I couldn't resist); our family is looking at some changes ahead. In order to stay on track with God's will for us, it is vital that I daily read His Word. I am trying to be diligent in this area. That is my one goal. I am taking each day as it comes. I feel like I can't plan ahead, because I don't even know where we'll be! But I am certain that throughout the year, God will convict me in areas I need to change through my daily devotions. So I'll take that as it comes.