I’ve been writing down monthly goals  to help me focus in on what is important. Many of the things listed are daily habits I’m seeking to maintain or grow in. The goal is not to obtain perfection, but to make steady progress…and months when there isn’t any progress, to give myself grace and start again the next month. That is my hope for you too as you strive to implement daily/weekly/monthly habits.

Untouched Goals

Going over how I’ve done in the previous month also helps me make adjustments and reconsider some of the goals. I didn’t even attempt any of these goals:

• Check out a small group in our church.
• Painting one of the boys’ bedrooms. I have the paint – I just have to do it! (NEW-ish)
• Work at least 15 minutes in the basement with hubby.  Our 1 in, 1 out rule has been sabotaged for the basement contents in the last month and it’s been difficult for me to even want to deal with it. But we’ll start anew again next month.

Tracking Daily Habits

I’m also going to start tracking my daily habits (prayer, gratitude, movement, tracking expenses, and sleeping) – not for anyone else to see, but for me to know how many days of the month I’m actually doing a habit. I have a vague sense of how I’m doing, but I could be completely off base! So starting in March I’ll be collecting data. This might help me maintain my habits as a Questioner. If you didn’t take the quiz to find out which of the four tendencies you are, you can go here to take it!

The Habit of Prayer

I went on a retreat with our church in February and came away with several different methods of prayer.  The types of prayer were contemplative rather than prescriptive and I’ve been practicing them since then during my daily times of prayer.

I enjoyed them all, but in particular I enjoyed “holding people in the light,” which has roots in the Quaker tradition. The speaker encouraged us to picture those we love in our minds, or to write their names with colored pencils on a piece of paper, and while doing so – to hold them up to Jesus, the light of the world. I particularly enjoyed this because I frequently don’t know what to pray for a person. Instead of praying what I think this person needs, I rest assured that God will work in that person’s life according to their need as I hold them in the light. This type of prayer might sound foreign to you, but it might also be very freeing. I would encourage you to try it.

februARY’S TOP 3 LIST:

As part of these monthly recaps and goals, I’m sharing the top 3 posts and top 3 things I was grateful for this past month.

TOP 3 POSTS IN February

1. 10 Lessons Learned After a Year of Decluttering
2. Editing Clothes with the KonMari Method, Part 1
3. Stress Free Meal Planning for Beginners

TOP 3 THINGS I WAS GRATEFUL FOR IN February

1. Weekly yoga classes at work
2. Being debt free so that our reduced income isn’t quite as scary.
3. Finally making the decision about where our oldest son will go to high school.

MONTHLY GOALS FOR March

SPIRITUAL GOALS:

• Continue to follow my 5x5x5 Bible Reading Plan
• Pray for my husband, children, and loved ones daily “holding them in the light”
• Continue to ask God for specific verses to pray for my husband and children individually
• Take 10 slow, deep breaths in the morning. Silent prayer and meditation.
• Check out a small group in our church.

PERSONAL GOALS:

• Exercise 5 days (running at least 2 of those days if possible with the weather).
• Sleep at least 6 hours a night.
• Write down 3 things I’m grateful for daily

HOUSEHOLD GOALS:

• Meal Plan dinner for the weeknights
• Maintaining the decluttered areas
• Painting one of the boys’ bedrooms. I have the paint – I just have to do it! (NEW-ish)
• Work at least 15 minutes in the basement with hubby. We’re planning on tackling the basement with renewed vigor in the new year.
• Budget and track daily expenses using the free EveryDollar app. (NEW)

WRITING GOALS:

• Get organized with a blogging editorial calendar for the month! (NEW – ish)
• Post at least twice a week on my blog
• Develop longer pieces I’m working on to submit to various online sites (NEW-ish)
• Contribute an old post on Huffington Post. I was so excited to become a contributor to Huffington Post. You can find my entries so far here.

 MONTHLY GOALS:

• Date night with hubby (where we actually go out of the house together…without kids)
• One on one outings with each son.

What are some goals that you have for March?

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