5 Easy Steps to Setting Goals: Home Edition

Happy New Year y’all!

Every January I try to take time out to think about the year ahead and goals I want to set and achieve. That includes: personal, professional (my design biz + my day job), relationships, and family goals. A portion of that exercise is focused on planning house projects. (Client work is covered under “professional”). This year, we have a newly built and moved into house with a TON of projects I want to tackle – so this process will help me focus!

Okay, jumping in. My process is super simple with only 5 easy steps to set your goals. It can be applied to any goal that requires time, money, mental energy, and focus. I like to tackle this as part of my new year routine to get organized for the year ahead.

• LIST ALL IDEAS – brainstorm a list of all ideas pertaining to your topic. I keep a running list in my iPhone Notes titled “House Projects”. This is the most convenient place for me because I can share with Tom and I always have the note with me when I am travelling, shopping, or working. You should select a format and location that works best for you. Let your ideas free flow without regard to time, money, or competing priorities. Just write them all down.
• DETERMINE PRIORITY – whether or not you are working through this individually or with a spouse/significant other/parents/housemate, it is important to decide what your priority is for the year. For example, this year we have just moved into our newly built house. There are many aspects of our house I don’t find aesthetically pleasing but, some rooms aren’t functional to us as they are currently configured
• ADD TIME – for each of your goals add your best guess on time required to complete. If you need help determining how long a project will take, I suggest asking around/searching the internet or shoot me an email. I always add a 20% buffer to my time allotment to be safe. Don’t get stuck in this step – you will have an opportunity to change at a later step. Just get your best guess down so you can move onto the next step.
• ADD BUDGET – this is when reality smacks! I save this step for next to last because honestly I don’t want to stifle my creativity by cold hard reality. Go through your list and add in budget needed for each goal. Again I always add a 20% buffer to be safe and realistic. Projects always cost more to complete than you think they will at the start so, plan ahead and set yourself up for success by doing your homework here.
• LOOK AT A CALENDAR – once you have prioritized, know approximate amount of time and have a budget for each item in your list it is time to pull out the calendar. When I work through this process I am working on personal, professional, travel, etc typically all at once. I take time to enter anything already set in stone (work trips, family vacations, weddings, conferences, etc) before looking at adding more. Ultimately, your calendar + budget will dictate what can feasibly be accomplished. So, take your prioritized list and start looking at free periods of time and tentatively schedule. My tip is to take the first 3 items on the list – if they fit into your annual budget, time needed and you have a spot for them on the calendar then set those goals!

Sometimes the process of goal setting gets messy and the time and/or budget you have available does not match up with your top priorities. In these cases, I usually choose to either wait until I have the budget to accomplish my highest priority item or move onto a lower priority item I know I can achieve for the year. The first choice is available because of the way my family is compensated in our careers so, I know there are times in the year where we receive a lump sum payment. Another example would be teachers who have the summers off but not the winters so, a summer project may be selected and moved up due to having the time available. Hopefully that makes sense.

Once you have your short list of home goals for the year share with friends and family – or me! Sharing projects you have upcoming with those you love or share a common interest with feels good and provides an opportunity for you to get support and hold yourself accountable. Pro tip: schedule a party, out of town guests, or holiday close to a deadline to up the anxiety, I mean accountability, and chance to show off your hard work.

If you have questions when setting your house goals reach out by sending me an email or come follow me on Instagram @abroadandabode to see my goals and progress throughout the year.