How I'm KILLING It When It Comes to My Goals (FREE DOWNLOADS)

**Link to the downloads are at the bottom of the post-- just click the black buttons**

Hey you! I have something very special today I'm sharing with you.... 

I've decided to spread the planner-love and make the calendars and worksheets I created available to the world! 

So here recently I broke down and had to make these. And here's why: All too often I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed by what I wanted to do on any particular day. I had a daunting list of things I'd like to get done, along with big dreams I wanted to accomplish ALL while being a good mom and wife. 

Most days, because I wasn't clear about the next step in getting anything accomplished, I ended up chasing one task, then would get distracted, and go after another. Then my baby would need me and then I was basically screwed for another hour. Then 5 o'clock would magically arrive and I had. not. got. anything. done. NOTHING.

Then I would work ferociously after my kiddo was asleep, and still felt like I was lost. 

So if this sounds anything like your life.. have I got something for you. I've created some simple calendars and worksheets that have helped me get crap done and gain some CLARITY when it comes to what needs to get done and when.

Now I know that my way may not work for everyone. So don't feel discouraged if these just aren't your thing or don't work for you. I do challenge you though to seek after what does work. And maybe you could utilize certain parts of the system below and apply it to your life so it works for you. The important thing, I think, is that you take some control over how you go after your goals and how you get stuff done. Because if you don't take responsibility for your dreams and your daily life, then other factors will take over and you will be subject to whatever's in front of you on that particular day.

So the first thing I'm going to talk about are the worksheets I've created. Sure, they're just a couple of words on top of a rectangle. But let me tell you how I use them. So first, if you don't have an idea of where you want to be or your goals for the year, then you are going to be wondering around aimlessly guessing what you want to be doing with your life. And when you aren't chasing after anything specific, you will be distracted easily. So that's why I created a few sheets where you could gather some of your thoughts around what and where you would like to be. 

I thought the above sheet, the "brain dump" sheet, would be great for the absolute beginning of determining what you'd like out of the year, or really just life in general. If you've never done a brain dump, then you're missing out. It really helps you work through your thoughts in a way that is kind of like word vomit-- except this just brain vomit. Just put anything and everything you'd like to get done. And then after you get it all out, whittle it down to a couple big things you'd like to work toward. Example: for me, I am working on an e-course for the Fall, along with trying to make an substantial income out of my business.

I also created multiple other blank sheets like the brain dump one. I made one for inspiration, ideas, dreams and even made a blank one that could be filled out with anything that could be helpful to you. 

I thought the inspiration and ideas sheets would be a great way to have one spot where you could put those things that inspire you or random ideas you may get in the middle of a project. So when you're working towards another task, you won't go off onto another rabbit trail (am I the only one guilty of that??). Like for reals, I could be working on a blog post and in the middle of it get this brilliant idea that I need to learn how to make shoes, so I spend entirely too long browsing through Pinterest on how to connect leather onto a sole. haha! That may or may not be a entirely true story...

So with these worksheets you've got the chance to get it out of your head without getting distracted.

Next I'll go in on how I use the monthly calendars. So once I've got my couple of big things I'm wanting to accomplish for the year (in this case, it's the second half of my year), I'll go in on the monthly calendar and put a date on when specific things should get done to accomplish my "big things". Remember, mine were to make an e-course and to make substantial money blogging. So I'm planning blog posts, because making content is how I am going to start making more money. Also, planning when the e-course will launch as well as deadlines along the way so I can make the final release date.

These things will be more broad. Like deadlines and a rough layout of how you'll accomplish your "big goals". You'll get even more in depth in the weekly sheets I've created...

So onto the weekly sheets. These are probably my favorite, and they were the first thing I created for when I was struggling so much with day in and day out tasks.

I really wanted something that could offer me an overview of the week, and also provide me with a space to write all the big things I was setting out to accomplish for that specific week.

So when you're looking at your week in this format, you're always going to be reminded of why you're doing what you're doing for that specific week. So when you're working on one of the little tasks during the days, you're not wondering why in the heck you're doing what you're doing. All you have to do is look at the top of the page-- and it will bring you back to your why.

P.S. You can also see my planning doesn't always go perfectly. I had to move one of my tasks to the next day and ended up writing a curse word. haha oops!

In that spot, you'll write what must get done that week. And that is based on your monthly calendar. So it's kind of like all of these sheets will work together to help you get where you need to go (YESS!!).

Then on the daily slots for the week, you're going to write a couple of things you'd like to accomplish for that particular day. Let me tell you how I do this: So the night before the specific day I'm filling out, I write one big thing that I can do that day that will help me accomplish one of my big tasks I'd like to get done for the week (what you write on the top of the page). 

THIS HAS BEEN A COMPLETE GAME CHANGER. 

I believe I heard this tactic over on the Courage and Clarity podcast (which by the way, you should listen to if you're a business owner-- super inspirational and informative stuff). When I focus in on at least one big thing for the day, I'm setting myself up for success, because I make it a task that's completely doable. Not necessarily something trivial like go to the post office, but something that will take some time. It doesn't even have to be a super hard task either. So like today for me I wanted to take photos for this post and write it as well as test a pattern I'm working on. And that's it-- not really that overwhelming when I look at it like that. But if I were thinking of allll the stuff I needed to get done to achieve my goals, I would certainly be overwhelmed. And would try to go after too much, or would feel defeated and just do nothing. Which is what I think many people get stuck in.

Now, along with my one big thing I also add additional things I can focus on if I get the time after I accomplish my big thing for the day. And if I get to those things, awesome. But if I don't, I don't sweat it, I just move it onto the next day. Because hey, I accomplished one big task!

Another thing when it comes to the weekly calendar is that I don't get too in depth when it comes to my various little tasks I need to get done during the day. Like for instance, chores, errands or little stuff like responding to an email or fixing something on my website. For the little things, I use Post Its. And that's just a personal thing I've done because I can add as I go, and also just have them be kind of separate from my bigger tasks. Plus they can move easier than a big piece of paper if I need to take them somewhere. I dunno, that's just the way I do it, and it works great for me!

The best part about it all? Is that you can hole punch them all and stick them into a three-ring binder where you can move them around and go back and view your various sheets. This is ultimately what I wanted-- something that could be editable. Because it was hard for me when it came to planners, the system they usually have just wasn't exactly how I wanted it, plus if I messed up or changed my mind I couldn't fix it. With these downloads, you can print off as many as you'd like and organize them however you'd like. And that is a total win for me.

I personally like to keep the current week sheet on the top and then the monthly sheets following. Then I put the "blank sheets" at the back. Whenever I'm done with a week, I just put that sheet in the pocket of my binder-- I'm keeping them to look back and see what all I've accomplished, I think it's going to be super empowering. :)

So that.... is how I've managed to gain some clarity and ownership over my days. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and defeated, I'm feeling accomplished and empowered. And I want other people to feel that way too! I truly hope these help you out. And if you have any questions whatsoever, comment below, and I'll answer ASAP. 

P.S. Make sure your printer is set to print the calendars on "landscape" so they'll print length-wise on your paper. 

The downloads are below:

Have an awesome, awesome day,
Meg