Thinking about Goals in a New Way

I am a goal setter.

This news probably does not come as a surprise to any one who knows me well. You see, I am a life long runner and have been setting goals for myself for as long as I can remember. Setting goals gives meaning and direction to my running and helps me develop a plan on how to get there. Even now as my times have gotten slower, one thing has remained the same - my desire to push myself to achieve something which is just beyond my comfort zone.

Needless to say, when The Nester recently posed the question “Do you have goals for your home?” I was intrigued. For me goals have always been something reserved for running. Sure I constantly think about things in my house I would like to change (an ever growing and evolving list) or the next project to tackle but these ideas are never written down and certainly not planned out well in advance. We just kind of do them as they come.

Perhaps it is time to treat my home like running? Goals are a great motivator. They provide a roadmap to where you want to go, boundaries to help stay on a path to success, and a sense of accomplishment when achieved - all great things when applied to any aspect of life.

The hard part of creating goals for your home is to avoid making a laundry list of complaints and new furnishings to purchase. I don’t believe this is what The Nester intended. Rather, I think setting goals for your home is about appreciating your surroundings and using what you have to its fullest potential.

So, after thinking about the upcoming year in a new way, I came up with a few very simple home goals for 2011.

Be a tourist in my own town

I am blessed to live in a wonderful community. I need to do a better job of taking advantage of all it has to offer – parks, historical sites, museums, etc.

Organize and clean out

There is no point in keeping something I no longer use. The fact that there is nothing wrong is the reason it should be given away. Better to have someone else enjoying it than having stuff sitting in a closet collecting dust.

Plan my garden before planting

Our garden usually consists of tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs – all planted randomly as they are purchased. Brooke from Velvet and Linen planted a kitchen garden this past year and I love the idea of making the garden (even though it is vegetables and herbs) a more formal space. This year I will make a diagram before heading to the farmers market and buy plants which are designated on the plan. (Well, maybe one or two extra ones as well!)

Use the herbs I plant

The second part of the garden goal is to use what I plant. Herbs grow very well in my garden space so I tend to try out new varieties every year. The problem is I don’t use them for cooking. Sure they look and smell nice but the point of planting them is to cook with them.

Learn how to use my sewing machine attachments

I have had my Singer Featherweight since college and have yet to use any of the attachments. This is the year to try them out.

Learn how to use my camera settings

Same deal as my sewing machine. I have owned my camera for over a year and have yet to use anything but the auto settings. Centsational Girl has great directions on moving past the “auto” setting and I plan to take her advice.

Lastly, and most importantly, continue to remember a house is just a house. It is the people who live inside and the friends who come to visit which are most important.

Wish me luck on this new adventure. I will keep you updated as the year progresses and my goals are achieved (hopefully!)

How about you? Do you set goals for yourself and or your house? I would love to hear your plans for the coming year! Thanks Nester for the inspiration.