by Ashley Logsdon

Back To Basics – with Goals and Life! (Episode 129)

  • Home
  • -
  • Blog
  • -
  • Back To Basics – with Goals and Life! (Episode 129)

Did you start this year out with great intentions...and already feel the fizzle? It's time to get back to the basics of it all. Taking a goal and breaking it down to the acronym of BASICS is a great way make sure your goals are not only measurable and attainable, but that you stay motivated to stick with it!

The BASICS of Goal Setting make it step-by-step

Listen to this episode on iTunesSpotifyStitcherGoogle PlayTuneInYouTubeiHeartRadio or your RSS Feed  *Now also on the Pandora app and Radio.com!

Ah, those new years resolutions...

The end of a year is a great time to evaluate - to reflect on the current year and finalize plans for the new year. Yet maybe you’re like me, and December can quickly get out of hand with great intentions and not enough time.

"Research conducted by Strava, the social network for athletes, has discovered that Saturday, Jan. 12, is the fateful day of New Year’s resolutions.

After analyzing more than 31.5 million online global activities last January, Strava was able to pinpoint the date when most people report failing their resolution." (NY Post)

Wow - not even a full month! So, is this you as well? Are you struggling with your goals, fizzling out, or maybe were so busy you didn't even make any?

Pin for later:

Where are we this week?


The last of the grandparent parade has come, and we've been enjoying some great quality time with Grammy, Nathan's mom! 

She gifted the girls an awesome drum and some Big Life Journals that were such a hit for Christmas, and we had a great time taking her to our favorite drum circle to play! 

Follow us on our journey on Insta as the FieldTripGypsies!

Get back to Basics

It comes down to focusing on the BASICS. Sometimes, when big visions get overwhelming and you aren't sure how you're going to get to that end goal, it helps to simplify and break it down a bit.

And this isn't just about business goals. Whoa. Have you even thought about that? About setting any goals for your family? For yourself? Have you already laid out a family vision so you are clear on what you want to be in your family, or is all of this something you haven't considered?

I got this breakdown from my friend Deb over at StrengthLeader, who produces so much great content for understanding how personality styles affect leadership in the workplace. I love taking her insights and translating them to how it affects your home life as well. 

Let's break your desires down into a simple acronym: BASICS

What are your 3-5 big goals for the new year?

If you say you have twenty or thirty, it is unlikely you will reach them. But 3-5 is a great target - enough to create significant progress and certainly achievable. These big goals should be quantifiable and stated in terms of an action.

Examples may include:

  • Increase quality time with my children by having a weekly “story hour” on Sundays where we read together aloud.
  • Develop my event planning skills so parties aren’t reactive.
  • Create a system for managing chores where every family member knows their responsibility.

Words like “increase,” “develop,” and “create,” are indicative of big goals. You can think of this at home and at work. Especially as an entrepreneur, you may have a ton of goals – but if you can narrow them down to 3-5 to start with, you are way more likely to attain them.

Look closely at your list of goals and ask what resources are needed to achieve each one.

To increase quality time at home, do you need to let go of another commitment? Is this your year to say no to more outside obligations to make more space for time at home?

To develop your skills in throwing a Rockstar party you actually enjoy, does this mean you need to start laying out NOW the big 10th birthday bash for your child that happens right at spring break? What would help you best – is it ideas, organization, or just not procrastinating?

If you want to create a responsibility sheet for your family, do you need a template or art materials to get crafty? Do you need to look at ideas or just block off the time to make it happen?

Today’s world is full of sidetracks. It is easy to get pulled completely off track - and often to a point that you end the year with a lot of tasks accomplished, but no goals reached. To stay focused, write the big goals down on a 3 x 5 card or note them on a sticky note that you keep in front of you.

Ask yourself often: “Is what I’m doing related to my goals?”

Go back to all those senses - can you incorporate them to help you stay focused? Putting up quotes and words to inspire you, creating some rituals where you invoke sound, smell and touch...what can you add? 

While some individuals have a hard time staying focused, others may be challenged with getting started. This is where knowing the personalities and styles of your family comes into play. Some individuals (usually D’s and I’s) are natural catalysts. They make things happen. Once the ball is rolling, and about the time the I’s loose interest or are distracted, the S’s and C’s will kick in to finish what was started.

If you have a family that is balanced across the D-I-S-C spectrum, you have a powerful engine that will start - and finish - big goals…yet it’s critical you voice them, lay out the expectations, and work together! That leads us to the most important thing here...

There is one major key to success, and that is communication. Communicate goals, communicate plans, communicate issues, communicate praise. When it comes to your life and any goals beyond your personal benefit, communication is absolutely key.

Also key is knowing HOW to communicate with each family member. I’ve talked before about how to present things to your children – is it important to make it fun, to do it together, to be super clear on all the details, or to pose it as a challenge?

The Namaste personality snapshot provides powerful insight into the various communication styles, and we have them for as young as 5 years old.

Understanding your family’s individual strengths and best environments for productivity allows you to set your them up for success. It helps with correct placement and also with creating the right atmosphere for each person to work at their best. That means if we’re going back to that desire for sharing household responsibilities, you aren’t going to place an expectation that your 4 year old will dry and put dishes away with no help to begin with, or that you’ll require them to manage the grocery shopping.

Some individuals thrive in a quiet, orderly environment, for example. Others would find this type of environment stressful and would be more productive in a more creative, interactive space.

Don't just set the bar high and forget that oh-so-critical step of actually clearly communicating how it needs to happen. It may mean you work alongside family, coaching them on how to do it right before you look at them doing something independently. It may mean you need to scale back and start with the basics before you build it up to the full task. Go back through this BASICS list to assess if your goals match your family's personality styles and abilities. 

Your Weekly Challenge:

As you reflect on the year ending and the new year, run through this BASICS checklist.

Get realistic on what is really important to you and your family this year, and communicate!! Get on the same page with your whole family. 

Go through these:

  • Are your 3-5 big goals defined?
  • Do you have what is needed to reach those goals?
  • Are you and your family on the same page?
  • Do you have definitive start dates and your family knows roles to initiate action?
  • Are you communicating clearly with your family and friends?
  • Are you setting your family up for success in the new year?
  • Nathan and Ashley Logsdon

    Questions or comments?

    Personality styles, marriage/intimacy, parenting, education, minimalism or travel - what is pressing on your mind?

    Or, dig even deeper with personal coaching with Ashley!

    About the author, Ashley Logsdon

    administrator

    Ashley Logsdon is a Family and Personality Styles Coach and Lifelong Learner. She and her husband Nathan are RVing the States and unschooling their 3 girls. Her mission is to shift the mindsets of families from reaction to intention, and guide them in creating the family they love coming home to. Looking deeper than the surface, we assess the strengths, triggers, and simplifying your lifestyle so you truly recognize how the uniqueness in each of us strengthens all of us.

    Join the Mama Says Namaste Facebook Group

    Follow Me Here

    Leave a comment.

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}