4 Simple Steps to Getting What You Want & Need in 2012!

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I sat at the kitchen table the other night with my hubby Phill to set our goals and priorities for 2012 and I thought I’d share the process with you as it was a really useful one to go through!

The last 12 months have been a real roller coaster ride for us – We’ve gone from an incredibly difficult place financially (i.e. being on benefits and living on a diet of beans of toast) and time management wise (i.e. NEVER having enough time to get everything done and feeling TOTALLY overwhelmed and exhausted!) to a place where we can honestly say we can see ourselves getting 100% out of debt in the first half of 2012 AND believe me, I racked up a LOT of debt before we got married… then of course Phill was declared bankrupt, he lost his business, we lost our home and all that challenging stuff happened…

One of the biggest challenges for us in 2011 was the fact that I was sooo committed to sorting out our financial situation that I ended up working way too many hours, doing things that really didn’t have that high a return but that made me feel like I was ‘doing something’.  To put it bluntly, I made myself a busy fool, chasing money when there is a MUCH better way of doing things!

After going through this process what we’ve now got is a really solid plan to help us focus on prioritising the highest return stuff in each area of our lives so we can get it all done AND achieve BOTH our goals.

Here’s what we did:

Step One:

First I wrote down the 4 most important roles that I will play in my life in 2012.  Mine are Mother, Business Owner, Wife (and Friend) and ME!

Step Two:

Next I decided what my Goals for each of these roles were… so to give you an idea, here are a few of the things that are on my list:

Mother - make breakfast for everyone in the morning, spend an hour at lunchtime with Yumi and Phill (Tate will be at school) and be available from 4pm (when Tate is home from school) to do dinner, playtime, homework, baths and bedtime stories EVERY DAY!  Weekends OFF!  TOTALLY!

Business Owner - Free Time Saving App for Mums created by end of January, Free Time Management Video Course for Mums created by end of January, Book finished by March 30th, event for mums in business in July, 3 product launches, 2,000 subscribers by the end of the year and to quadruple my turnover in 2012 (the first step to achieving your goals is to think big!)

Wife and Friend - To be having one date a week with Phill by end of January, one weekend away with Phill every month by June 2012.  As a friend I want to schedule the time to call one friend for an hour every week for a catch up and to see (or help) another friend once a week by going for dinner or maybe babysitting for them so they can have a night off!

Me - Lose 2 stone by end of March.  Zumba 3 times a week for FUN and fitness!  To keep up daily ‘morning pages’ and ‘Lifestyle Dates’  (introduced to me by my mentor Dr Joanna Martin which have REVOLUTIONISED my life!!  Maintain daily walk in nature with my dog Tallulah which helps me reconnect, inspires me and allows me time to process my thoughts.  I HAD to pop a piccy of her in here… isn’t she just the cutest thing you ever saw?

Step Three:

Next I sat down and worked out what ACTIONS I would need to take to ensure my goals were met… for this bit I went through a process with Dr Joanna Martin which helped me to hone in on the 20% of the activities I do which get me 80% of the results – and… I got rid of everything else!  Yup!  All the stuff that I am rubbish at that takes me forever, all the stuff that just keeps me busy but gets zero or very few results – it’s all gone… and I’ve got to tell you!  It’s pretty liberating!!  The 20%, super effective things that I do in each are of my life that get me BIG results (like bathtime and storytime with the kids or a weekly date with the hubby… or a big event or product launch, – those things are all factored in… the rest is gone.

Step Four:

Then I sat down with the hubby (who had also completed steps One to Three) and we then mapped out a way to fit all those things into our weekly schedule.

Of course, Step Five will be STICKING TO THE SCHEDULE but I’ve got to tell you, at the moment it’s looking pretty darned great!  If we maintain this EVERYONE gets what they want!

• The kids get loads of quality time with mummy and daddy,
• Mummy and daddy (isn’t it funny how parents talk about themselves in the 3rd person?  Lol!) will be happy and fulfilled because they’re both doing the things they need to do to keep them that way!
• Our relationships with each other and with our friends will be stronger!
• Our Bank Manager will be happier!

Now, don’t get me wrong… I’m not under any illusions that this will be easy…  every family with young children is going to experience times when things crop up that we haven’t factored in… we know that, but the point is that we now have a workable system to keep EVERYONE in the family happy and on track with their own personal goals and needs.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this lil system so come and say hi on Facebook or Twitter and tell me some of your goals in the most important areas of your life!  I totally LOVE hearing from you!

Ooh – and if you’re not already subscribed to my newsletter you’ll want to do that (see the little box, top right hand corner of your screen?  Yup!  Just pop your name and email address in there!) and then keep your eyes on your Inbox for more news on my Free app and Video Course to help you manage your time better!  As you now know, I’ve got it all scheduled in to be complete by the end of January!