9 Sanity-Saving New Year’s Resolutions and Goal Setting Ideas for Moms

ByLisa

New Year resolutions for moms and goal setting are a crucial part of helping us keep our sanity throughout the year.

After all, there is quite a lot on our plate that comes from every direction. Kids, spouse, the home, extended family, professional life, kid’s sport, church, the dog, the goldfish, the bake sale… I mean, you name it, it requires our attention!

It is for that reason that we must formulate a concise plan to help us navigate throughout the year. We do so by setting realistic goals and attainable resolutions at the begging of each year.

Does this sound familiar?

  • “My house is a mess! Where do I start?”
  • “I can barely keep up with everything I have to do each week.”
  • “I am running on fumes.”
  • “How can I create and organize goals and resolutions that benefit the entire family?”
  • “It feels like all I do is cook, clean, and deal with the kids.”
  • “I wish I had some time for myself.”
  • “I am tired of doing everything around the house by myself”.
  • “If any one asks me about what’s for dinner tomorrow again, I am going to lose it!”
  • “Why does it feel like making dinner takes so long to prepare?”

If any of those scenarios resonated with you, then read on.

Today we are talking all about goal setting and going over New Year resolution ideas for busy moms that will help you navigate through the year less stressed and overwhelmed.

So, grab a pen and paper, and let’s get ready to take back control of the new year ahead.

New Year Resolution Ideas for Busy Moms

9 New Year Resolutions and goal setting ideas for moms

* This post may contain affiliate links. Click here for more info.

1. Get organized!

It all starts by getting your life organized… so put it all on paper!

Motherhood is crazy! I know, I am in the middle of it right alongside you.

Because there are often a million things going on at the same time, it is important you stay organized by penciling everything in.

The best resource that can help you stay organized and in control of all moving parts of motherhood is the Ultimate Home Management Binder (Printable Bundle).

I can’t tell you how beneficial this is in terms of productivity and effectiveness.

I am talking about all things:

  • Kids
  • Finances
  • Daily and Weekly Planning
  • Meal Planning
  • Health and Fitness
  • Cleaning
  • Home Maintenance
  • Goal Planning

… and MUCH more, all in ONE place!

Home Management Binder Category List
learn more!

The best part of it is that it’s yours to keep for a lifetime. You can print a new copy year after year to help you stay organized, on track, and in control.

2. Get a family calendar

Does this sound familiar?…

  • “Mom, what time was today’s soccer game re-scheduled to?”
  • “Mom, what’s for dinner tomorrow”?
  • “Honey, when is the dentist appointment you booked for me next week”?
  • “Babe, at what time did you say to pick up the kids for Friday’s early release”?
  • “Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, MOM!”

Fun fact: I once told my kids I was going to change my name to Lola, haha.

Uhhh, yeah! Let’s help ourselves prevent insanity by implementing a system where the entire family can help themselves to the previous answers by referring to the “family calendar.”

Much like your planner, mapping out the week/month for your family helps everyone feel less chaotic and confused.

The STYLIO Dry Erase Calendar Whiteboard is a popular option for this sanity-saving task.

Every month write down things that pertain to all members of the family.

Here are a few examples:

  • Soccer practice
  • Ballet rehearsals
  • Dentists and doctor’s appointment
  • Family game night
  • Daily dinner menu
  • School days off and early releases
  • Work related events that interfere with the family schedule
  • Date nights
  • Play dates

Again, every Sunday revise the week to come and make any necessary changes.

Getting the entire family in the same frequency without you having to repeat yourself every two seconds, is the epitome of a New Year’s resolution for busy moms.

3. Implement Routines

Okay, now that we have our schedules in place it is time to implement some routines.

Routines help create consistency and structure, hence reducing stress, anxiety, and chaos. In addition, they help automate and simplify your mom life!

Some of the most important kids’ routines to implement, and stick to are:

If you need help creating all kinds of children routines, I recommend you look at this course.

Family Routines: How to Automate Your Housewife Life will teach you:

  • Lunch Routines
  • Kids helping with meals
  • Morning routines
  • After school routines
  • Packing
  • Cleaning and house chores routines
  • Homework routines
  • and…clothing routines

You can check out the full curriculum here.

Sometimes all we need is a fresh set of ideas we can easily implement to what we already do daily but in a more efficient manner.

4. Delegate more

If you want to get more off your plate as part of your New Year’s resolution, it is time to start delegating some responsibilities to the kids.

I not talking about sporadically telling them to tidy up their room… I am referring to creating a meaningful and intentional chore chart for kids with a schedule, rewards, and/or allowances.

Putting in place a chore chart will not only take a few things of your place, but more importantly, studies have shown that children who do chores early on, “have higher self-esteem, are more responsible, and are better able to deal with frustration and delay gratification, all of which contribute to greater success in school”. (Source)

Related Article: Chores for Kids by Age (Toddler-Teens) Plus, Rewards and Allowances Suggestions

5. Schedule Self-Care

As part of New Year resolution ideas for busy moms we cannot forget about self-care.

Granted, there is a lot going on, and caring for ourselves in all sense of the word tends to take a back seat.

However, in order to give our children the attention and present parenting they deserve, we have to be in a good head space ourselves.

If you’ve ever traveled in an airplane before you might be familiar with the flight attendant’s safety speech just before your flight takes off:

“Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose first before assisting others.”

This is an important metaphor for us moms that believe that as long as we put our kids first, we are doing the right thing. Although that statement remains true for some instances, truth is that isn’t always the case.

I am guilty of that mentality as well. But after a few mom burnout episodes myself, I have learned to look at it from the flight attendant’s perspective.

If we put on our oxygen masks first, we will then be equipped to help and care for our children better.

A self-care activity doesn’t have to be something fancy or unattainable because of our already busy schedules. In fact, the Home Management Binder has a section all about Personal Goals that can help you keep track (and accomplish) all of the things you want to do for yourself!

Simple things such as:

  • Getting a manicure
  • Find a place to think clearly and do so for a few minutes
  • Going for an afternoon walk by yourself
  • Waking up a few minutes before the kids and listening to an uplifting podcast while drinking your morning coffee

… could all have a big impact on your health and well-being.

Related Articles:

6. Meal Prep and Kitchen Aid

Cooking for the entire family is one of the MANY things we worry about on a daily basis.

So, what if we could make our lives a lot easier by making a few tweaks in the cooking department?

Make it a goal this year to simplify and shorten the time you spend in the kitchen.

A few crucial things that can help you do that are:

  • meal planning
  • prepping
  • freezer meals
  • getting efficient kitchen tools, such as an electric pressure cooker and an air fryer

Having a meal game plan every week, allows you to save time, money, and your sanity.

The Home Management Binder has an awesome printable which I couldn’t do without each week. I simply write all of my meal ideas for the week and the shopping ingredients on the list provided. That way, when I go grocery shopping I don’t overbuy or overspend.

Weekly Meal Planner Printable

Here are 2 great resources to help you with both meal planning and meal prepping: 

Note: This is the best money you will ever spend in your life!

In addition to meal planning and prepping, using kitchen-efficient tools cut your dinner time in the kitchen considerably.

For instance, my electric pressure cooker is a lifesaver!

After receiving it as a gift by my in-laws a few Christmas ago along with Bob Warden’s “Great Food Fast: Pressure Cooker Recipes”, it has turned into a kitchen staple.

Check out these cook times (recipes from this book):

  • Meatloaf: 15 minutes
  • Lasagna: 6 minutes
  • Chicken Noodle soup: 6 minutes
  • Baby Back Ribs: 15 minutes
  • Meatball: 8 minutes

Another trendy, handy, and healthy kitchen tool is an air fryer.

Air fryers are essentially plugged and set. All you have to do is place your food in the basket, set the time and the temperature and you got yourself a crispy and healthier meal/snack in minutes.

It uses circulating hot air to cook food, instead of deep-frying or adding oil to the food.

The air fryer’s cooking chamber radiates heat from a heating element near the food, thus cooking it more efficiently. (Source)

Air Fryers have the ability to:

  • Cook multiple dishes at once
  • Cook a meal within minutes
  • Cut back on the use of fatty oils

One of the most popular and affordable Air Fryer is the Ninja Air Fryer (1550-Watt).

It comes with a programmable base for air-frying, roasting, reheating, and dehydrating and it has a 4-Quart ceramic coated basket.

The Ninja Air Fryer is usually sold along with the “The Skinny Taster Air Fryer Cookbook: The 75 Best Healthy Recipes” which is perfect to get you started using and enjoying your Air Fryer.

7. Wake up before the kids

You might be reading this seventh New Year’s resolution idea and thinking, “this lady just lost her marbles, sleeping in a few minutes with the kids is what gets me through the day”.

I know, I know. Snoozing a few minutes every morning until the kids wake up feels kind of nice… until you, all wake at the same time and chaos erupts!

Waking up before the kids is a fundamental step in starting a stress-free school morning routine.

In fact, an early rise is a crucial aspect of productivity.

Waking up earlier than the kids allows you set time aside for yourself, hence helping you start the day cool, calm, and collected.

Some things you can do in the early morning to reset your mind and start on a positive note:

  • Eat a healthy breakfast
  • Drink your morning coffee in peace while listening to an uplifting video
  • Get a few minutes of exercise
  • Spend some time with God by reading a few Bible verses or a Daily Devotional

Waking up extra early to do any of these things might sound more of a sacrifice at first. But as you remain consistent you will start to see the incredible difference that it makes to the rest of your day.

★ Related Articles:

8. Practice Goal Setting

Living every day in the hamster wheel of motherhood can leave us feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

That is why it is important to set goals and establish personal challenges that keep us inspired and motivated.

Waking up every day with something to look forward to and knowing that you are closer to that goal makes all the difference.

Feeling driven and determined are qualities that fuel your daily momentum. Your daily routine and hard work doesn’t seem as grueling when there have “set goals” you are looking to accomplish.

Personal goal setting idea for moms include:

  • Lose weight
  • Read a book a month
  • Read a Bible verse everyday
  • Start a side hustle
  • Star a blog
  • Learn something new
  • Pay off a debt

Set a personal goal (or a few), write them down on your planner, and set realistic dates and expectations to reach them.

9. Strengthen your body and mind

If you recall the flight attendant’s speech in New Year’s Resolution idea #5, strengthening your body and mind is the number one way to live by that metaphor.

When you make time to strengthen your body and mind you are able to perform better, hence you are able to parent better.

I want to also emphasize that this article isn’t written by an automated machine that has no idea what being a mother entails. I know firsthand how hard it is to find time to care for ourselves and our bodies daily.

I’ve been on that struggle bus a few times in my motherhood journey, and I have to actively and purposely work on some of these principles every single day.

Here are a few mind and body strengthening ideas I have picked up throughout the years that can help you do just that….

Body Strengthening Ideas

  • Go on a daily walk (with or without the kids)
  • Use the stairs whenever possible
  • Drink 8 glasses of water a day
  • Wake up earlier that the kids and do a 15-home workout
  • Plan and prep healthy meals

Mind Strengthening

★ Related Articles:

In Summary

It could often feel overwhelming setting goals and creating New Year resolutions as a busy mom.

After all, motherhood comes with a million roles!

We are their providers, nurses, chauffeurs, personal assistants, maids, chefs, counselors… I mean, you name it, we cover it.

However, in order to meet all of those demands and keep our sanity, we must be strategic and realistic when goal setting.

Don’t forget to take it one week at a time.

Remember, New Year resolution #1?

By using the month-by-month and week-by-week outlook of your planner it will get you to stay focused, organized, and less stressed.

But most importantly, give yourself grace!

Motherhood is a journey, not a destination. Schedules are important but flexibility and self-care just as essential.

Trying to achieve a balance is the secret sauce.

What New Year resolutions and goal-setting ideas are you looking forward to implementing?

Don’t forget to pin for later…

9 New Year Resolution Ideas for moms, goal setting ideas for moms

    4 Comments

    2. I loooove morning planner and couldn’t stay organized with it. Need to get back to delegating chores for my kids this new year!

      1. I honestly couldn’t do it without my planner, and definitely, having our kids contribute in the house chores sets a really important foundation to the rest of their lives.

    Comments are closed.