I love making big goals - and you’ve seen me do some of them here with things like the Soaring Mothers Summit. But this year, I wanted to try something that I read about years ago in Atomic Habits: making 1% Better Changes.
Each month of the year, I’m picking one tiny thing to focus on, and so far, the impact has far exceeded my homes.
When I’m deciding on what to focus on each month, I start with this question that is found in the quarterly review pages of the Thriving in Motherhood Planner:
“What is the ONE thing that will make the biggest difference in all areas of my life?”
It allows me to get honest with myself about what my current habits are and where I would like to make things better for myself.
What I love about this question is that whatever season of motherhood you’re in - even the super hard ones - you can find things to make 1% better instead of staying stuck and feeling like a victim.
Here are the changes I’ve made so far in quarter one of 2023:
January: Charge my phone away from my bed at night.
February: Daily exercise (with a low bar of what counts)
March: Track our spending in a spreadsheet
The changes are simple, but by moving my phone away from my bed at night, I not only went to sleep earlier, but I also started off the day by doing all the things that matter to me before picking up my phone.
Daily exercise for me is crucial to decreasing pain, and I’ve made a lot of improvements in that area.
Tracking our spending turned into bigger conversations about how much we’ve saved and want to save for our kid’s college, retirement and how we can tackle our mortgage more quickly.
For more details of why I’m focusing on little things and the results I’m seeing, listen to this week’s episode of the podcast!
Why Doing a Monthly Review is So Important for Moms [Episode 318]
How I Decided Our Learning Priorities For the Summer [Episode 317]
I used the Thriving in Motherhood Journal for 30 Days - What I Discovered [Episode 316]
Goals vs Projects vs Habits in the Thriving in Motherhood Planner [Episode 315]
My Number 1 Priority For Cleaning My Home [Episode 314]
Homeschooling in Hard Seasons | Library System for the Best Books [Episode 313]
Embracing the Struggle and Adventure of International Travel with Kids with Synthia Simonsen [Episode 312]
Discover Your True Priorities with 3 Questions [Episode 311]
Figure Out What to Do Next When You Have A Lot to Do | After the Brain Dump [Episode 310]
Reflection and Travel Tips From a Family Road Trip + 5 Day Hotel Stay [Episode 309]
Overwhelmed? Write a "Yes" List [Episode 308]
The Power of a Do Something List with Monica Packer [Episode 307]
3 Thriving Thoughts For Hard Days [Episode 306]
Creating Rooms You Love with Myquillyn Smith [Episode 305]
7 Steps To Plan Your Meals for the Week | Meal Planning [Episode 304]
6 Great Books I Read In January [Episode 303]
11 Ways To Prepare for a Difficult Pregnancy [Episode 302]
A Guide to Getting Started With Children's Audiobooks [Episode 301]
My Vision for 2024 [Episode 300]
Goal Planning Guide for Different Seasons of Motherhood [Episode 299]
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