How to Set Family Goals that Keep Everyone Motivated
Goal-setting isn’t often thought of as a family activity. When most people think of goals, they think of individual objectives, business profits, or personal missions. While I’m a big fan of goal setting and its impact on productivity and success, I’m also a big proponent of setting goals as a family and working together to reach shared objectives.
Creating goals as a family can help build a strong bond and foundation. Here’s how to set family goals that keep everyone motivated.
Make it fun
Even the most dreadful tasks are doable when they’re fun, and goal-setting is no exception. As a mom, I know that to gain my daughter’s full and undivided attention, she has to be engaged in the task or activity. When sitting down to set family goals, brainstorm some ways that you can make the experience fun for everyone involved.
Maybe that means outlining your goals while enjoying a treat at your favorite ice cream parlor. Maybe you book a staycation for the night and draft your goals while snuggled on a hotel room bed. Whatever fun looks like for your family, incorporating some of it will result in a more engaged and excited group.
Keep it positive
Goal setting can take a turn for the worst when you’re solely trying to fix things you believe are going wrong. While setting goals around your challenges can be one way of creating meaningful goals, it’s not the angle you want to take with your family, especially when young children are involved.
Instead of focusing on the negative and what can be improved, consider aiming for the exciting stuff. Whether your family wants to work together toward saving for a trip to Disney World, renovating the house, or spending more time together, approaching this project with a positive outlook can help keep everyone motivated and excited for what’s to come.
Focus on a select few
While goal-setting can be an exciting project to work on as a family, it can also be an overwhelming experience. Brainstorming one goal can easily lead everyone to come up with dozens more than can be equally as important to the group. Although it can be tempting to create a laundry list of goals for your family to work toward, this can often lead to stress and disappointment. Instead, agree on a maximum of three goals. Once you’ve reached those, feel free to work on others from the list.
Make it visual
As a creative individual and visual learner, I love having a visual reminder of the things I’m working toward. That’s why I love vision boards so much. It’s easy to convert your goals into a vision board. All you’ll need is a bulletin board, some push pins, and photo representations of your goals. Once complete, place the vision board somewhere everyone will see it every day. This board will help keep the family goals top of mind while navigating everyone’s busy schedules.
Celebrate progress
Rewards and recognition are a vital part of the goal-setting process, especially when kids are involved. While you’re busy working toward your goals, don’t forget to take the time to pause and celebrate the progress everyone has made. Celebrating throughout the journey emphasizes the importance of enjoying the process and not just the result, a valuable lesson for children to learn at an early age.
What goals will you be setting with your family?
