7 Incredible Tips to Help You Set (and Actually Crush!) Your Mom Goals (2024)

Just a quick note: don’t let yourself get stuck here in perfection paralysis for Step 1!

Choose a word after thinking about it for a day or two, and then move on to Step 2.

Step 2: Craft your vision

Once you’ve decided on your word of the year, the next step in setting mom goals is to picture your ideal situation across a variety of categories.

Because moms wear so many different hats and have such a wide variety of things we do, casting a wide net with our goals can be very helpful.

Take a little time to get an ideal vision for these seven different categories:

home – think about how it is organized, how routines function, decluttering, upgrades and renovations, and more.
marriage – consider how connected you feel to your spouse, how often you make time for each other, how your communication could improve, etc.
parenting – think about how you speak to your kids, the level of respect, responsibility, and kindness they show to you and others, the life skills they’re learning and more
fitness – consider your current diet, whether you’re sleep deprived, whether you feel comfortable with your body shape and size. Remember to consider your mental health as well!
finances – whether you’re working your way out of debt, making ends meet, saving for a future event or retirement, think about what your ideal bank statement would reflect
business/education – think about how and what you want to learn this year – budgeting, a new language, starting a blog or home business, taking online classes, listening to more podcasts, etc.
spiritual – consider how much time you spend reading or studying scripture, whether you feel connected with God, the depth and sincerity of your prayers, and more.

Now, don’t get overwhelmed. You don’t have to set goals in all of these areas at once! But getting an ideal vision for all areas of your life will help you prioritize your mom goals.

(You can use this page in the Goal Setting for Moms printable worksheets to make this steps two and three super easy!)

Step 3 for setting your mom goals: Brainstorm possible goals

Once you’ve established your vision by writing it out (remember, the Goal Setting printable worksheets are free for you in the Free Printables library!), it’s time to start brainstorming actual goals you want to achieve.

I highly recommend writing down at least three possible goals in each of the seven categories. These goals can be small things you want to achieve in the next 90 days or gigantic goals you want to reach in the next few years – it is completely up to you!

Ideas for home goals

declutter the entire house before Spring Break
establish a chore system for the kids and stick to it for at least 12 weeks
re-finish or paint the dining room table
create a house cleaning routine and keep it going for 6 weeks
organize the kids’ closets and their schoolwork bins

Possible marriage goals

go on two dates per month
spend two nights a week together without screens
go on a marriage retreat during the summer
look for opportunities to thank your hubs at least once a day for a month
celebrate several smaller “anniversaries” this year – the anniversary of your first meeting, first kiss, first date, engagement, etc.

Parenting goals ideas

Spend at least 15 minutes in each of the kids’ rooms everyday to connect with them
Create a solid bedtime routine and stick to it for six weeks
Help your kids write thank you letters for their birthdays and holidays throughout the year
Start a family gratitude practice and keep it up for two months (if this is one of your goals, read this article here!)
Learn parenting techniques to handle your toddler and create more peace in your home (this article is a great place to start!)

Fitness goal ideas

Run a 5K, 10K, half marathon or a marathon by the end of the spring
Find a gym buddy and go to the gym at least three times a week for the next quarter
Start meal planning and avoid fast food for the next two months (here’s another helpful article for you!)
Lose ten pounds so you can feel more confident wearing a swimsuit in public this summer
Get seven hours of sleep at least five times a week

Goals for finances

Get out of credit card debt by July
Give ten percent of your income to a tithe or worthy charity every month
Save $2000 for your next vacation
Cut down on grocery spending by $300 a month
Increase your monthly income by $500 a month by starting a home business

Business/education goal ideas

Grow your client list by five new customers a month
Start an online learning program and finish it according to the suggested timeline
Read one non-fiction or classic literature book every month
Start making four, five or six figures a month with your business by the end of the year
Join a book club and attend regularly

Possible spiritual goals for moms

Wake up 30 minutes before your kids everyday to have a morning devotional or scripture study
Start a gratitude journal and write down five things you’re thankful for everyday
Have a kneeling prayer every morning and night for 30 days
Be on time for church every week for a month
Meditate for ten minutes three times a week

Step 4: Narrow down your list of mom goals

After you get at least three goals per category – it’s time to narrow down your list!

Start by choosing the most compelling goal for each category.

It’s a great idea to review your word of the year and your big-picture vision to help you choose your goals!

Once you’ve picked the goals you’re most excited about from each category, assign each of these goals a time frame.

If they are long term goals, come up with a sequence of several smaller short-term goals that will be essential to achieving your larger goal. These short term goals need to be things you can accomplish in about three months.

At the end of this step, you want to have an actionable set of seven mom goals that you can focus on for the next three months.

Step 5 – How to Write Your Mom Goals

This often overlooked step is so important!

Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles, writes at length about how important it is to have strong, actionable goals written in the first-person. (If you love non-fiction, I definitely recommend this book by the way!)

How do we do this?

First, begin each written goal with the word “I.” This helps you to take ownership of the goal.

Next, attach a feeling to each goal – this is very easy to do by thinking about your word of the year that you picked in Step 1.

Also, write every goal in the present tense, as if it is currently happening.

Finally, give yourself a time frame for each goal. While reaching the goal within the specified time may or may not really matter, it will increase your sense of motivation and accountability.

Here are a few examples of powerful mom goals:

I love our completely decluttered home and feel at peace when people stop by unannounced. I’ve accomplished this before the kids’ Spring Break from school.

Do you see how much more powerful this goal is than something like, “declutter the house”?!

Here’s another example of a powerfully-written mom goal:

I feel so connected and intimate with my husband as we spend at least two screen-free nights a week together for the next three months.

Isn’t this so clear and much more motivating than “spend more time with my hubs”?!

Write your goals out in the Spaces Planner

An absolutely amazing place to record your goals is inside the Spaces Planner!

This is the planner I’ll be using throughout 2021, and I’m so amazed at how well it works for all things mom life.

With customizable weekly spreads, gorgeous monthly overviews, and a “big plans” section in the back (perfect for writing your goals!), you will get so much use out of this. Click here to check it out in full detail!

Step 6: Display your goals

Once you’ve written your power-packed mom goals, do NOT tuck them into a drawer somewhere that you’ll be sure to forget them!

Instead, put them on display somewhere will you will see them daily.

(You can use page three of the Goal Setting for Moms printable pack for this!)

Here are some spots around the house that are perfect for displaying your goals:

on your bedroom or bathroom mirror
on the outside of the refrigerator
take a photo of your goal sheet and make it your phone wallpaper
on the wall near your nightstand
next to your desk
on the sunshade of your car

A famous study of Harvard MBA students found that only 3% of students had written goals. But what is even more astounding is that after ten years, that 3% of students were earning 10 times the other 97% percent of student put together!

Step 7: Read and review your mom goals daily

Once your goals are written and posted somewhere prominent in your home, take time every day to read and review them.

You can read them aloud, or make a recording of yourself reading them. The more you read these goal statements, the more your mind will begin to accept them as fact.

And as you convince your mind, your actions will begin to follow, and you’ll be able to crush your mom goals.

Final thoughts on setting and achieving your mom goals

I know so many moms who feel unfulfilled with motherhood. Sure they love their kids, but they also feel that they’ve lost themselves and their sense of identity somewhere along the way.

If this is you too, let me tell you that I know how it feels!

After being a mom for about ten years, I had no ambition and no goals. I was so busy dealing with day to day diaper changes, laundry piles, and feeding my family that I’d forgotten how to dream.

For me, everything changed when I had a spark renewed in me to start setting goals again.

While it might seem at first that you are adding more to to your to do list, setting goals is so different. As you set quarterly goals, you’ll see outcomes and rewards that don’t come in the day to day of motherhood.