Mom Goals vs. Mom Tasks. What’s the Difference?
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So, you want to make a change in your life. Maybe you want to lose weight, save money, or start a business. Maybe you’re exhausted, burnt out, or tired of feeling like you’re running around in circles.
You’re certainly not alone.
Whatever the reason, it’s important to understand the difference between goals and tasks before you get started. This especially true for moms since many of us moms have so many hats to wear. At first glance, goals and tasks may look similar. But, it’s important to realize that there are some stark differences between these two things – and that can have a significant impact on your progress. Let’s take a closer look at mom goals vs mom tasks so that you can set yourself up for success!
When it comes to making goals and tasks happen as a mom, there’s nothing that is more important than planning them out. Make sure to grab our FREE Planning Templates For Intentional Moms HERE (pssst. you don’t have to be a mom to use them!)
What are mom goals – what are mom tasks – and how do you know what to use when?
Mom Goals = Big Picture Thinking
A goal is the big picture, and the same is true for mom goals. It’s the end result that you’re striving towards, the why behind everything that you do. Goals should always be, concrete, something you can measure, and time-bound so that you can track your progress along the way. Think of it as setting sail on an ocean voyage. In this way you know where you’re headed (your goal) and how long it will take to get there (a timeline for that goal). Having a clear goal as a mom will also help you stay motivated and focused on what you’re striving for – whether it’s a personal goal or a goal related to your family.
Mom Tasks = Break Mom Goal Down
Once you have your mom goal in mind, it’s time to start identifying your specific tasks. Tasks are individual steps or milestones (I love thinking about milestones) along the way to achieving your goal. In addition, tasks are actionable items that need to be completed in order for your goal to become reality. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight, some tasks would likely include things like tracking what you eat, exercising regularly, and measuring your progress as often as possible. These smaller pieces will eventually become part of a larger puzzle—your goal!
Creating Goals – What does this look like?
It’s no secret that setting and achieving goals can help you reach success. Unfortunately, that is much easier said than done. How do you set the right goals for yourself? Let’s break this process down so that you can create realistic, achievable goals.
Step 1: Ask yourself what matters
Before you write down any goal, take a minute to think about what’s important to you. What really matters to you and why? Also think about – what would make you happy? What do you need in order to feel content and fulfilled? This is where it all starts—getting real with yourself about what actually matters will help you form a goal that you truly want to reach.
Step 2: Brainstorm your big goal
Once you know what really matters, you’re ready to start brainstorming your big goal for the next few months, years, or even further out on the horizon. To brainstorm your goal, start by writing down anything and everything. Don’t worry about being realistic at this point. Also, don’t qualify what you write here. Don’t think about whether it makes sense or is possible – just be creative! Think of the possibilities and let them flow onto the page.
Step 3: Break your goal down into manageable chunks
Now that you have your big goals written down, break each goal into smaller chunks that are more easily achievable over the course of a few weeks or months. This way, when life throws something unexpected at you, you can more easily get back on track. If one of your tasks takes longer than expected, you won’t be totally derailed from reaching your goal either. Tasks are essentially small victories along the way to keep you motivated!
Step 4: Set a timeline and get organized
Take a look at each chunk of your big goal and figure out how much time each task should take. Then, you can organize these tasks in order of importance and start setting deadlines for them—but be realistic here! As you work on this, make sure to give yourself some grace if something doesn’t go as planned. We all know that life happens, and when it does don’t let it completely derail your progress! Staying organized with your goals will help keep everything on track. Even when life gets in the way.
Now that we’ve laid out the process it takes to set smart goals, we’re ready to keep moving forward.
Watching our goals come to fruition can be one of the most satisfying feelings ever—just remember to actually enjoy that satisfaction when it comes! Setting manageable goals helps us break our larger ambitions into smaller asks of ourselves so that these goals don’t seem so daunting at first glance.
But just setting our goals isn’t always enough to motivate us into action. That’s where tasks come into play! If a task has been assigned, then it needs to be done in order for success to be achieved. It doesn’t matter if it’s difficult or not; without taking action on these individual steps, our goals remain just dreams and nothing more.
The hard truth is this: there are dreams and there are goals.
These are not the same thing. But, a goal without tasks as stepping stones in those goals you simply don’t have a goal – you have a dream.
With tasks written out that serve as stepping stones, you can still make progress towards your goals, even when life gets hard.
Wondering How To Work On Meeting Your Goals When Life Gets Hard?
This is the million dollar question, isn’t it?!
It’s fun to dream big, but it’s a much different story when life gets hard and those lofty ambitions become much harder to reach. Whether you’re a working mom, a retired woman, or just trying to make something of yourself, we all face roadblocks that can derail our progress. But instead of throwing in the towel and giving up on your dreams, why not try to use these hardships as a chance to dig deep and find the strength and determination you need to reach your goals?
Here’s a few tried-and-true tips on how to keep going on your goals, even when life gets tough.
Make a Plan and Stick With It
When things get difficult, it’s easy to forget what we were aiming for in the first place. That’s why it’s so important to sit down and write out exactly what we want, from small, daily tasks that will help us move forward on our journey to long-term objectives like getting that degree or starting that business.
Once you have a plan written down, don’t let yourself drift away from it – at least not too far and not for too long. Make sure that you stick with your schedule as best you can, no matter how hard it is or how many obstacles are thrown in your path. This hold-the-line mentality will serve you well throughout your journey towards success. You may need to adjust at times, but trying to stick to the plan from the beginning can help you stay on track.
Start Small With A Task You Can Achieve Quickly
When times get tough, we can be tempted to throw up our hands in frustration and give up. But it’s important to remember that small wins are essential! So instead of focusing on the big picture right away (which can be so overwhelming), start by tackling smaller tasks one step at a time. This will help you stay motivated because every smaller goal brings you closer to achieving the bigger ones. For example, if your goal is losing weight, try starting with eating one healthy meal per day or exercising three times a week—something that can be achieved quickly and without altering much of your life. Gradual changes beat trying to make big changes every time.
Remember Your Original Purpose Behind Setting a Particular Goal
We all have different motivations for wanting success. Maybe yours is financial freedom so that you can provide for your loved ones, or maybe it’s simply so that you can do something meaningful with your life. Whatever the case may be, remember why YOU are here, in this very moment, trying to reach your goals. And when things get hard (which they inevitably will), remind yourself of those reasons and use them as inspiration to keep going. This is especially important if failure seems imminent–don’t give up just yet! You never know what could happen once you push past those moments where everything seems to be crumbling around you. So take a deep breath and keep moving forward—there is nothing more rewarding than achieving something against great odds!
It may be hard to face, but failure is a part of reality. Know that there will be times when you get off track—but the important thing is getting back on track with your goals while reevaluating if they are still good goals to work on.
Wondering How To Get Back On Track When You’ve Failed At Your Goals?
Step 1: Reflect on What Happened
The first step is to take stock of what happened so that you can make better decisions in the future. It can be hard to do this without beating yourself up, but try your best! Ask yourself questions like:
*What was my plan?
*Did I stick with it?
*What got in the way?
*Did I give myself unrealistic expectations?
Asking and answering questions like these will help create clarity about what happened so that you can figure out how to move forward…and hopefully how to stay on track a little bit better as you try again.
Step 2: Get Realistic with Yourself About Your Goals and Tasks
We all want to be successful as quickly as possible. Sometimes, we put too much pressure on ourselves to do that by setting unrealistic expectations or timelines for our goals. That’s why it is important to reset our expectations based on our current situation and lifestyle. After all, life is fluid and so our goals must be fluid at times as well. Get honest with yourself about what is truly realistic based on the time and energy that are available to be dedicated towards achieving your goals. If something isn’t achievable given your current circumstances, it’s ok! Reframe it into something that is more achievable right now instead of beating yourself up over not reaching an impossible goal.
Step 3: Find Motivation
Motivation can come from anywhere! Whether it’s from an inspiring quote or from someone who has achieved the very thing you want, find something that drives you forward and use it as fuel when things get tough or when progress seems slow. Don’t forget that failure doesn’t mean giving up forever—it just means taking a break or finding another way around the obstacle. It also doesn’t hurt to reward yourself when milestones are reached along the way as a little pick-me-up.
Whatever your dreams may be, it is essential to set realistic goals and plan out your journey towards success. Being honest with yourself helps you decide on attainable goals, and planning out your smaller tasks will keep your momentum going. Goals and tasks go hand-in-hand when it comes to making progress in any area of life, and understanding the difference will help ensure that your plans are still on track while also giving you the opportunity to measure your success along the way.
So, make sure you’re breaking down your big picture thinking into more manageable pieces so you can actually reach your desired outcomes.
You got this!
