It’s a new year. Which might mean you’re thinking about things to change in your life. You know, so you can end 2011 a perfect person. Or at least, more realistically, a better person.
I myself have just started a new “becoming better” kind of series over at just Lu:
{start shameless self-promotion} I, with the help of many fantastic guests, will be spending a year trying to become a Housewife MacGyver. What does that mean? In a nutshell, achieve more self-reliance by using my resources wisely.
If MacGyver can escape from a prison camp using only a shoelace and some rubbing alcohol, I figure that I can do some great things with the resources that I and my family have available. π You can get more information here and see (and join!) our first challenge here. {/end shameless self promotion}
Whether your goals involve a one Mr. MacGyver or not, it can be a trick to stay motivated and reach those goals. But, guess what? The interwebs can help, just like always. π
Joe is the man when it comes to tracking (and therefore hopefully changing) habits. Who is Joe? I don’t really know, but I love both his logbook and his goal/habit tracker. Both are free and simply fantastic.
Use Joe’s Goals (personalized with your own goals, of course) to track your daily success (or failure) at changing good and bad habits, as many habits as you want to track.
For other goals or just for journaling, use Joe’s Logbook. Create as many logbooks as you like for tracking exercise habits, remembering blessings, recording milestones, and anything else you can think of.
If you’re looking for a goal tracker that is a little more involved, try GetGoaling. For goals big or small, GetGoaling helps you create sub-goals to reach an overall goal, as well as a task list to help you reach those sub-goals.
For example, if your goal is to lose 15 pounds (ahem, those holiday treats do no favors!), then your sub-goals (called action plans) might include 30 minutes of exercise daily and eating healthier. Add join a gym and buy carrots and apples to your task list, and you’re well on your way to achieving your goal, with your goal, sub-goals, and task list all on one convenient page for each goal you have.
A free GetGoaling account limits you to 5 goals and doesn’t allow you access to the task list and a few other nice features. A pro account is $25 a year and gives you access to everything, including the task list, journaling, graphs of your goals, and goal reminders.
And if you’re very inspired by goals but don’t love the annual quest for perfection, extend it a little: use the Day Zero Project’s 101 goals in 1001 days to keep you motivated and hone in on some amazing goals! Unfortunately, the official site is down right now with some technical yuck, but it will hopefully be back up soon — the developer is backpacking through India right now. Oh, the life! π
In the meantime, check out action plans for many common 101 goals at 101goalsin1001days.com. Start your 101 goals list on your own and you’ll be able to add it to the official site when it’s back up. As you make your list, remember that 101 goals in 1001 days is accomplishing a goal every 10 days (just under) — so don’t make all of your goals the BIG goals. Balance out your 101 with some smaller, easier goals, too. π
Happy goaling!
Lu (or Lorene if you prefer) is the mom of one squirmy boy and the wife of a singing and dancing elementary teacher. She is the proud author of this weekly Wednesdays on the Web (WotW) segment here on Housewife Eclectic and spends the other days of the week blogging about crafts and whatever else comes up at just Lu.
thanks for the great resources. I'm not good at personal goals. Work stuff – great. personal – boo.
Nice work! I'm off to make some goals!!! Thanks!
Lots of yummy love,
Alex aka Ma What's For Dinner
http://www.mawhats4dinner.com
Great ideas! thanks
Love to you
Kelly
I've Become My Mother
Amazing Salvation
Kelly's Ideas
Great links, Lorene. I'm liking Joe's Goals. I like the smiles and check marks.