Watercolor lettering by Marlene Franco
So, have you set any home goals yet? Many readers told me they used the Home Goals worksheet, filled it out and now have a plan. If you haven’t done it, print the worksheet and spend some time thinking about it today. It’s a simple first step that helps you focus and feel good as you begin to make progress. Home goals can be project-based, about decluttering and organizing, or about improving family life at home.
I’ve been considering my home goals for this year for a while. To be candid, I’ve struggled to pin them down because this year will be very busy and I don’t want to take on more than I can manage. That in itself is a goal—staying sane—so I’m putting that at the top of my list. Writing this out helps me clarify and motivates me to move forward.
I want goals that genuinely inspire progress and feel worthwhile, rather than a list of things I think I should do but don’t actually need or want to pursue.
Consider this when you set bigger home goals:
Are you prepared—financially, health-wise, time-wise, emotionally, family-wise, and stress-wise—to invest time or money in this goal? If it isn’t the right season, is there a simpler way to make progress without sacrificing other important priorities?
Success often depends on motivation and the ability to stick with a plan. Thinking ahead about potential barriers and joy-stealers will help you be realistic and avoid frustration.
Lettering by Jessica of Coco & Mingo
That said, it’s important not to let fear become an excuse for avoiding goals. If you decide not to set goals or keep them too small because you’re afraid of failing, you limit yourself and reduce the chance that meaningful change will happen. Setting a goal can spark creative thinking about how to tackle something that seems daunting, instead of giving up before you try.
One useful reminder: do, rather than say “I’ll try.” Often “I’ll try” is code for “I’ll do it if everything falls into place perfectly,” and perfection rarely happens. Most real achievements come from steady effort—putting one foot in front of the other. If a miracle happens along the way, great; but don’t wait for miracles to make progress.
If a big goal feels overwhelming right now, break it into smaller tasks. Small goals are incredibly motivating: clean a closet, paint a single wall, or update a light fixture. Those wins build momentum.
My home goals, in brief
I’ll share the details over time, but my overarching intention this year is simple and purposeful:
I want to invest in the well-being of our family.
That sense of well-being covers many things. While I aim for contentment with what we already have, I’m also inspired to improve how we manage our home, schedule, and organization for the benefit of my family’s health and happiness. Filtering potential projects through the question “How will this affect our well-being?” helps me decide which projects deserve my time and resources.
Lettering by Molly Jacques
If a project will cause too much stress, overextend us financially, or fail to improve our well-being in a meaningful way, I’ll scale it back or postpone it. There are many things I’d love to do around the house that may be better suited for another season of life.
With the family-well-being lens in place, here are a few specific goals I’m including this year:
1. Continue to declutter and organize: Focus on the positive impact these changes will bring rather than dreading the work. I have several projects demanding attention and will share details on those soon.
2. Master bathroom project: This could be a fresh coat of paint and new decor or a larger update. I’d prefer the more extensive option, but I’m weighing pros and cons carefully. We won’t take on more than we can handle, but we’re determined to make progress in some way. I’ll share before photos and options in a future post.
3. Master closet revamp: This was planned last year but got postponed when schedules became busy. I need to tackle it this year despite an even busier calendar, and I’ll explain the reasons and approach in an upcoming update.
4. Healthy family habits: These goals involve small home changes and new routines to help us stay strong, healthy and, yes, sane. I’ll share an easy one this week and more ideas in the weeks ahead.
That’s a start. Now it’s your turn: what are some of your home goals? Share them here—write a post, link it up in the comments, or simply tell us what you’re working on. I’d love to hear and cheer you on.