30 Days to Organized Day 19: Yearly Goals & Your Weekly Plan

30 Days to an Organized Life Day 19

Yesterday we talked about the benefits of creating a weekly plan and your task was to create a simple plan for yourself.

After looking at my weekly plans Reader M. wrote me to ask:

“Can I ask you about the goals/plans process please? How do these 5 areas in your weekly plan link back to the yearly Goals and Actions list you posted in January 2015 (see My 2015 Goals post here and my 2015 Goal Update here).

For example:

First step – big, yearly overall goals under big categories (My Children – maintain close relationships with my kids)

Second step – break down the above big goal into action steps to meet the goal (Daily chat time, etc.)
Third step – ?

I am not sure how the action steps then come under the 5 planning categories of personal/people/passion/purpose/project. Do these link back to the yearly goals/actions?
Are the yearly goals/actions broken down and fit into the 5 planning categories? Is that how we keep track of goals/actions?”

Great question!

First of all, the way that I plan may not work for you so feel free to find a system that suits your lifestyle and personality.

Basically my process is this:

Create yearly goals.

This is the big picture of where I want to be in 1 year and what I want to accomplish. I use descriptive language that paints a picture in my mind so I can visualize the end result. Here are my goals for this year:

SPIRIT – maintain a close spiritual connection with God on a daily basis

BODY – lose 30 pounds, tone arms, feel more energetic

MARRIAGE – enjoy a vibrant relationship with my husband

CHILDREN – maintain a close relationship with each of my children

MONEY – continue building $1000 emergency fund; pay off medical bills; save additional $3000 this year

HOME- enjoy a peaceful and comfortable home

BUSINESS- reduce expenses; increase income by 25% by the end of the year

Translate yearly goals into action steps.

Once I have determined my yearly goals I think about what specific action steps will enable me to reach my bigger goals. For example, one of my goals this year is to lose 30 pounds so my action steps are to exercise a minimum of 4 times a week (usually a walk), join a gym and lift weights 2-3 times a week, eat protein for breakfast, stop eating by 8 p.m. and drink 6-8 glasses of water each day.

Schedule action steps into a weekly plan.

Each week as I create my plan I look at my Yearly Goals and Action Steps, incorporate them into the plan for the week and then schedule them in my calendar.

I prefer to write my weekly goals in my 5 P’s format because it reminds me of my true priorities (personal care and relationships first).

PERSONAL – habits that keep me healthy and happy so that I can function at my best

PEOPLE – activities that promote relationship with the people I love

PASSION – activities and experiences which refresh me and enable me to enjoy life

PURPOSE – tasks that enable me to fulfill my purpose in life (wife, mom, encourager, etc.)

PROJECTS – priority tasks that need to be finished this week

Here’s how I breakdown the yearly goals into the 5 P’s according to my priorities:

#1 Self Care (so that I can meet all of my responsibilities) – The My Spirit and My Body sections of my yearly goals go in the Personal and Passion categories of my weekly plan.

#2 Marriage and #3 Children – My action steps for these relationships go into the People and Purpose categories.

#4 Money/Financial Goals, #5 Home, #6 Business – The action steps for financial, home and business goals go into my Project category. Keeping this category at the bottom of the page helps me to remember that they fall below my top priorities of self-care and relationships with my immediate family. These are the areas of life that I need to have control/mastery over before I branch out into other things.

Of course you should do what works best for you. You could simplify the weekly plan into Personal, People and Projects or use the same categories that you use in your yearly plan. Some seasons of life will require more focus on certain priorities such as taking care of a new baby or training toddlers but you should always make self-care a priority so that you can do what you need to do for those around you.

The key is to find a format that works for you and enables you to live intentionally taking care of what is truly most important in your life.

Today’s Task 1: Print the annualGOALS sheet from your planner and write down your goals for this year. Add an action step for at least two of your annual goals to your plan each week.

If you have questions about planning or setting goals and priorities leave a comment below or email me.

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