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For the 2nd year in a row, Chris and I took a dedicated time to sit together & recap what worked for our family the past year, what didn’t, and to set some goals for ourselves and our family.
Here’s the rough goal setting template we follow, which works really well for us to create a well-rounded list of things to work on!
2023 goals template // 2023 goals explained + my goals // my word of the year // 2023 life advice from the NYT // challenges & workshops
2023 Goals Setting Template
You don’t have to add something to all of these, but I do love the way it separates different parts of our lives. In 2022, I accomplished more work goals than health and relationship goals and that’s an action item for 2023!
Here are each goal category broken out with some ideas + my own personal goals under each category. I’m obviously not a pro but hopefully this helps!
Career
Anything related to your career ;). Monetary & ‘number’ goals are pretty straightforward but maybe learning something new, hiring a recruiter or finally starting a side hustle is on your list!
My career goals are monetary (secret) + accomplishment (secret) + I want to continue to outsource parts of my business I don’t excel in & aren’t my passions. Time is a finite resource and I want to make sure I’m utilizing mine well.
Health
I have several things on my list related to taking better care of MYSELF – really following that Oxygen Mask Theory this year 😉 have to help yourself before you can help anyone else.
Without going into too much detail, my mental health has taken a beating over the last 3 years (whose hasn’t) but it seemed to get worse this summer & fall after weaning Auggie in the spring. I truly haven’t been caring for myself – proper hydration, sleep, nutrition, stress levels – all out of control in 2022. I’m ready to reclaim my health in 2023. Lots of overlap here for me with self-care as well!
Financial
All of these are somewhat self-explanatory but financial could be earnings, savings, paying down debt, improving credit, finally putting together a will, etc.
Mine are personal this year 🙂
Personal Development
This is anything related to helping make you feel like a satisfied, content human! More of what makes you feel YOU.
My overall theme in this area is to simplify and organize – I’d like to clean out my digital presence by purging my photos/media and unsubscribing from a TON of lists. Basically I want to declutter my home, closet, inbox, car and photos.
Reading more – for fun – is on my list as well. I’ve slowly gotten out of the habit and keep skipping books I’m supposed to read for book club so that needs to change!
Relationships
Family, friends, spouses, children – really any relationship-related goal can be listed here.
For my marriage this year, my goal is to laugh together more. More benefit of the doubt, more joking around, more fun.
For the kids, my goal is to have a snack (and my attention) ready for them when they get home from school every day. It’s so simple – they are capable of walking into the pantry and choosing a snack – but at the end of a long day, isn’t it nice to walk in to a snack already made for you by a person who thought enough about you to prepare it? To not have to make another decision – to get a warm welcome home. Anyway – tangent – I don’t have to be done working every day when they get home but taking 15 to greet them properly is worth the time.
I want to visit my sister/BIL/niece in Chicago twice this year and to spend some great quality time with my parents. Watching one of my best friends lose her mom this year reminded me that time isn’t promised.
Self Care
I’m still trying to shift my thinking around ‘self care’ from surface stuff like massages, nights out with friends, and pampering (that IS self-care and CAN help) to the things that will truly impact my day-to-day health, wellbeing and happiness versus an occasional little boost. But any self-care goals that leave you feeling refreshed and recharged is great!
Prioritizing sleep, eating more whole foods intentionally, keeping my blood sugar steady, and getting my body (and mind) functioning better taking into consideration my stress levels, diet, hormones, etc are my focus this year. I’ve actually had a really difficult 2022 mentally which has led to the shift in focus to NURTURE myself so I can nurture everyone else.
Home Life
Another somewhat self explanatory one but great to have on your radar. Maybe you want to make a space more functional. Maybe there’s something that needs fixed or updated. Maybe it’s hiring a house cleaner or outsourcing lawn care or decluttering.
My personal home life goals are to keep up with (and fine-tune) the home organization systems I put into place with Sacred Spaces, to keep my car clean (2xs yearly details from Wash Boss), and to spend or regift all the gift cards we have floating around here.
Fun & Recreation
Something ideas for this – learn a new game, create a book club, take a vacation, prioritize fun time with someone, make a list of restaurants you want to visit, etc.
Mine this year is to learn how to play pickleball & hit the Four Seasons rooftop pool & spa sometime this summer for a quick staycay!
My 2023 Word of the Year
I think it’s nice to have a general WORD that the year ladders up to – an overall theme, if you will. My word of 2023 is NURTURE. The ability to have the time and resources to properly nurture yourself and your family are a gift and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I’m (trying to) shift my thinking from resenting having to be the primary caretaker to embracing the parts of being the primary caretaker I love and outsourcing the parts I don’t because I am drowning trying to do it all.
What a luxury to have the time to take care of yourself. To create a space you really love. To make your people feel comfortable and safe. That’s really the goal, right?
I want our home to be a sanctuary where my family can feel safe, happy, comfortable.
It feels like a shift in my parenting and in my role/ instead of creating life (pregnancy), sustaining life (breastfeeding), and making sure they stay alive (toddlerhood), we’re now shifting into a stage of growth and nurture – making memories with little people who are becoming more and more ‘them’ every single day. It really is cool (and really fuck!ing hard) to have kids in so many different stages.
I’ve been on autopilot and in survival mode the past 3+ years (and probably before that but the whole newborn in a pandemic with 3 other kids thing really didn’t help) and simply reacting. I’m ready to start trying to climb out of that hole by nurturing myself, my family, and our spaces.
2023 Challenges & Workshops
A few of my friends have some fun challenges happening this month if organizing your home or moving your body in a totally doable way are on the list! Never too late to join. If you’re in St. Louis, also wanted to share a great upcoming workshop I wish I could attend (we’ll be out of town). Tap below to see what they’re all about 🙂
My friends are co-hosting a declutter challenge in January! arin’s post on decluttering // jen’s post on decluttering
Stephanie from Olive & Tate is hosting a Grumpy Walk Challenge – love her relatable sense of self-care with this one! a great low-pressure challenge to move your bod
my friend Mika is a relationship coach and is hosting an AMAZING in-person day-long retreat here in STL on 2/4/23. get $30 off a ticket with code LOVELYLUCKYLIFE – you’ll leave with tons of actionable ways to feel more seen & heard at home
2023 Words of Wisdom from the NYT
this post was worth a read – some gems:
