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Happy new year, friends! And welcome to the very first post of Moments Made Co. – a creative lifestyle blog focused on DIY, home, holidays, and parties. I am so excited to be launching this blog at the start of the new year. Launching Moments Made Co. has been a yearly goal of mine for a while and I’m so excited to finally be doing this.
I’ve attempted to launch a blog in the past, but stopped within a few weeks of starting. Truthfully, I have a bad habit of getting overly ambitious and trying to do too much and burning myself out before I even really begin.
But I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that sometimes life has different plans in store for you. Maybe the last time I tried, the timing was off and now is the moment for Moments Made Co. to shine. In the past 2.5 years since I’ve tried the blogging thing, a lot has changed:
- I’ve gotten married and learned a thing or two about planning events (something I hope to integrate into Moments Made Co. and build upon in the future)
- Changed careers (twice) and have learned a lot about digital marketing (especially SEO)
- Have given myself the freedom to dream big but set realistic, yet fulfilling expectations
As 2022 came to a close, I found myself thinking about all the things I’ve put off for so long. I found myself tired of waiting for the next big life milestone to accomplish a goal that’s been in my head for far too long.
I saw a woman named Katie (@tri_ing_to_live) on TikTok, who picked 22 hard things to accomplish in 2022. They were things that she had been putting off for years and was scared to do. But she did them and it inspired me to think about why I kept putting off these big, beautiful, wonderful dreams of mine… dreams that I am worthy of. So here I am, starting a new year with heartfelt intention to serve myself and my dreams with equal amounts of respect.
My mantra for 2023 is “Be scared, and do it anyway” because at the end of the day I’m the only person accountable for me being happy and fulfilled in my life. So I made a list: 23 Hard Things to do in 2023.
Setting Yearly Goals for 2023
I also have come across a ton of people utilizing the 12 Week Year method to plan their goals, and wanted to try and implement this same strategy this year. Since I have a habit of getting overwhelmed quickly, I’m using this method to establish goals in 3 month time periods (hence, the 12-week year).
The premise of this method is to focus on shorter time periods to accomplish more. I started by envisioning my 3 year goals. In other words, I wrote down in broad terms how I wanted my life to look 3 years from now.
Then I established 23 yearly goals for the 2023 calendar year that fit into these visions.
Last, I came up with smaller goals for the first 12-week period (January-March) that would help move the needle towards accomplishing my big 2023 goals and ultimately my 3 year vision. These 12-week goals are smaller and more attainable with simple planning, and in the long run will help me achieve the life I want to live.
The key to establishing your 12-week goals is to make them SMART:
- Specific: A specific goal answers questions such as:
- What am I accomplishing?
- What steps need to be taken to accomplish the goal?
- Measurable: A measurable goal is quantifiable, which makes it easier to track progress.
- Achievable: This is when I analyze if the first two points are achievable, or am I setting myself up for failure. Goals should be realistic (we’re avoiding burnout, remember?)
- Relevant: Ask yourself if the goals fit into the big picture?
- Time-Bound: This is when you want the goal to be reached.
How I am Keeping Track of My Yearly Goals
Once I completed that exercise, I came up with a daily checklist and imported the checklist into ClickUp (a tool I use to track and manage my entire life). I use this resource alongside my planner to make sure I’m implementing the strategies to accomplish my goals.
Each Monday, I plan out my week using ClickUp and my planner. At the beginning of each day I do a quick skim of the day and make adjustments as necessary. At the end of each day, I mark each item complete and plan for the next.
3-Year Visions
So what are my 3-year visions? I came up with five categories of my life that I’d like to focus on: Health & Wellness, Personal Growth, Hobbies, Wealth, and Community.
- Health & Wellness – Gain habits which focus on improving my physical and mental health while helping me to love myself more.
- Personal Growth – Step outside of my physical and emotional comfort zones to learn more about myself, the world, and the people around me.
- Hobbies – Grow my skillset to build upon the hobbies I enjoy.
- Wealth – Challenge myself to start financial and business ventures that allow me to work for myself and have freedom with my time and money.
- Community – Continue to foster my relationships within my community and find new opportunities to grow my circle.
From there, I built out 23 hard things I’d like to accomplish in 2023 outlined below.
Health & Wellness
Goal Description: Health & Wellness – Gain habits which focus on improving my physical and mental health while helping me to love myself more.
In the Health & Wellness category, I want to accomplish the following this year:
- Run a 5K
- Run a 10K
- Attend 23 exercises
- Follow the 80/20 rule when eating
- Try 23 new healthy recipes
Priority Goal for Q1: Run a 5K by April 15, 2023.
I know that April 15 is technically next quarter. However, I’m very (very) out of shape and we’re all about being realistic this year.
Strategies to Accomplish Q1 Goal:
- Follow morning and evening routines
- Follow a 5K training plan
- Drink 120 oz of water daily
- Meal plan and stick to 80/20 rule
- Meal prep every Sunday
- Stretch my body daily
Personal Growth
Goal Description: Personal Growth – Step outside of my physical and emotional comfort zones to learn more about myself, the world, and the people around me.
In the Personal Growth category, I want to accomplish the following this year:
- Travel somewhere new
- Complete a home renovation project that scares me
Priority Goal for Q1: I’m saving this category for Q2 as both require some funds to accomplish both, and my husband and I just bought a house so funds are lacking.
Hobbies
Goal Description: Hobbies – Grow my skillset to build upon the hobbies I enjoy.
In the Hobbies category, I want to accomplish the following this year:
- Learn how to sew
- Read 23 books
- Grow a garden
- Learn how to embroider
- Learn how to needle punch
Priority Goal for Q1: Learn how to sew beginner sewing projects.
Strategies to Accomplish Q1 Goal:
- Research and select 3 beginner projects to sew: cocktail napkins, throw pillow, and a bag
- Sew a set of cocktail napkins
- Sew a throw pillow
- Sew a bag
Wealth
Goal Description: Wealth – Challenge myself to start financial and business ventures that allow me to work for myself and have freedom with my time and money.
In the Wealth category, here are my yearly goals:
- Launch Moments Made Co.
- Make & Maintain a Budget
- Make $23,000 from side hustles
- Host a Crafternoon
- Make an investment
- Earn my PMP Certificate
Since I don’t have a priority goal for Personal Growth this quarter, I picked 2 priority goals in this category.
Priority Goal #1 for Q1: I will launch Moments Made Co. by January 12 and gain 1,000 page views a month by the end of the quarter.
Strategies to Accomplish Q1 Goal:
- Complete site set up by 1/10 (complete!)
- Create content calendar based on SEO research and post on momentsmadeco.com 1 time a week.
- Develop free resource library as an opt-in option and promote via email, social, and Pinterest.
- Post on Pinterest 3 times a day
- Select email service provider by 1/15 and email list 1 time a week
Priority Goal #2 for Q1: I will earn my PMP certification by June 2023.
Again, I know this is the end of Q2 but a PMP certification takes a while so I plan on making this a priority in the next 2 quarters.
Strategies to Accomplish Q1 Goal:
- Create study guide using video study course and PMP study book (complete)
- Study for a minimum of 1 hour per day
Community
Goal Description: Community – Continue to foster my relationships within my community and find new opportunities to grow my circle.
In the Community category, I want to accomplish the following this year:
- Foster the relationships that I have within my existing community
- Make a new friend
- Volunteer 23 hours this year
Priority Goal for Q1: I will foster relationships within my existing community.
Strategies to Accomplish Q1 Goal:
- Host Book-It Club 1 time a quarter (this is something a couple of my friends and I do; we get together and read for about 8 hours straight one Sunday every quarter and we LOVE IT!)
- Send birthday cards to family and friends at the beginning of every month
- Call long-distance friends and family members at least 1 time a month
- Schedule a drink or coffee with 1 friend for 1:1 time once a month
Free Goal Planning Worksheet
That’s it! I know it’s a lot of yearly goals and ideas to accomplish this year but I’m so excited about the opportunity to live my dreams.
Want to create your own 12-week year plan to accomplish your yearly goals? Sign up to receive access to our free resource library where you’ll get access to free printables, worksheets, SVG files, party plans, and so much more!
