7 Ways to Thrive with Stay At Home Mom Goals

Being a stay at home mom can be both wonderful and difficult. It’s easy to get distracted, discouraged, and lose focus on what you’re trying to accomplish when you spend all your time watching your kids. But there are many benefits to setting stay at home mom goals.

In this blog post, we will discuss 7 reasons why stay at home moms thrive with goals and how to set meaningful goals that work for you! (Plus 13 examples of SMART goals for moms.)

7 Reasons Stay At Home Moms Thrive with Goals

1) Setting goals gives moms focus and drive.

Give up your mom-judging! Every mom’s experience is different. But in general, being a stay at home mom means that a lot of the time, your days wash together. When your pure purpose in life is to care for your child, you begin to lose a little bit of yourself.

Learning to set goals counters that. Goals help you retain your sense of identity and give your days purpose and direction. Yes, it is your first priority to care for your kid, but pursuing goals helps your own mental health.

2) Stay at home moms have time to think about what they want.

Without a commute or work day, moms that stay home have plenty of time to think about their goals. No, being a stay at home mom isn’t a walk in the park, and you’re busy a lot of the day.

But while the baby is nursing, or the toddler is napping, you can be thinking about your goals. Depending on how many kids you have or the demands of your own particular children, you might not have the time you want to work toward those goals, but you can at least get the creative juices flowing.

Of course, don’t over-plan. Make sure you pause to make time for the simple things that bring you joy!

Make sure you also read: 23 Calm Evening Routine Ideas for Moms

3) They can structure their days and focus on goals that matter.

Another thing that stay at home moms have a lot of control over is the structure of their day. Want to sleep in until 9? Prefer to get up at 5 to work out? It’s all up to them.

Granted, little ones have schedules and demands of their own, but if I can get up at 3:00 am 6 days a week for three years to work part time online, then you can find time in your schedule for goals for moms that matter to you!

If you’re having a hard time with structure and need some self-care to bring you back down to earth, try putting together a stay-at-home mom survival kit.

4) A stay at home mom’s schedule is flexible which can (sometimes) make it easier to try new things

Not sure what you want your goals to be? Being a stay at home mom gives you the flexibility to try new things. Like anything else on this list, there is the caveat that you can’t go anywhere you can’t or shouldn’t take your new baby or child.

But there are still tons of places you can. Or you can have something delivered to you and try something new at home!

5) It’s important for moms to contribute to their own personal growth

Throughout the history of the world, moms have been there to help support their family, feed them, and care for them. But what we often forget is that it has only been the in the very recent past that mothers have had the time and freedom to devote themselves entirely to their children.

A mom can gain confidence, a sense of importance, and life satisfaction from dedicating herself to creation, community, and herself!

6) Stay at home mom goals help keep your household organized.

When a stay at home mom keeps goals and uses them to structure her days, her household is going to benefit as well. Stay at home moms who set goals need to stay organized. But not just organized with your goals, but with your whole life.

You need to organize meals and chores, delegate tasks to your husband or older children, keep the house clean, and keep the kids’ activities on the calendar. Setting your own goals gives you direction to do this.

7) The overall well-being of the family increases.

When moms are happy, the family is happy. Life is better. Research shows that goals for moms can be a major factor in increasing their well-being.

When people are happy with their lives, they have less stress and anxiety. When this happens to stay at home mothers, it can go a long way into making them more productive and happier overall as parents.

Assessing Stay at Home Mom Goals to Set

Stay at home moms can feel overwhelmed with kids, the house, their own health, and giving to the community. With all the different facets of life, how do you know where to start?

The first step is always taking inventory and evaluating our current situation: what’s working well for you as a mom; what needs improvement; but also paying attention to those parts that could use more time or energy from you as they may require a bit of extra care now before moving onto other areas.

One way I find helpful when trying to get an overview is by using this 10-section Life Assessment Wheel (you’ll see me refer back to this wheel throughout). It helps keep your thoughts organized because each section corresponds with a part of your life.

Those sections are:

• Relationship / Marriage
• Health and Fitness
• Career / Business
• Family & Friends
• Faith / Spirituality
• Physical Environment
• Recreation & Fun
• Giving & Contributing
• Finances
• Personal Development

Take some time each day for your self-reflection with the following exercise: Rate each area 1-10 (1 being low or bad) and color in how you think things are going at this current moment.

The object of this isn’t to score a perfect 100 but rather see where any gaps might be in your life so make sure you take care of those first before continuing along the path ahead.

Using SMART Goals

What are SMART goals?

S: Specific – stay at home moms should be specific about what they want to achieve, for example “become physically fit” is vague. Instead say something like ‘I will exercise every day’.

– M: Measurable – stay at home moms need to measure their goals so that they know when it’s time to give up. For example, if stay at home moms want to work on their physical fitness they could measure it by how many miles they’ve run each week.

– A: Attainable – you need goals that are realistic and can be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time.

– R: Relevant – stay at home mamas need goals that are important to them and help them stay motivated.

– T: Timely – stay at home moms should set time limits on when they want their goal accomplished, for example “I will run a marathon by 2020” or “I will get in shape before the holidays”.

The Benefits of SMART Goals

Setting SMART goals is beneficial to stay at home moms because it helps them stay motivated. SMART goals are also helpful for stay at home mamas because they help them plan their day and week ahead of time.

Because SMART goals are measurable, they help you know exactly when you’ve reached your goal. But SMART goals don’t have to be complicated.

13 Examples of Stay at Home Mom Goals

Here are some samples, using the above categories, of what SMART goals you might set as a stay at home mom. Some are big goals, and some are small. Some have weekly time requirements, and others are dependant on what time you’re willing to give. Start with what works for you.

1. I will research and join a local group for stay at home moms by November and meet with them once a week.

2. I will get up at 5:00 am on weekdays to work out, eat a healthy breakfast, shower, and get myself ready before the kids wake up.

4. I will take care of myself with monthly special self-care like a spa day or day trip with a friend.

5. I will lose 10 pounds over the next 3 months with exercise, proper diet, and plenty of sleep.

6. I will be able to run 3 miles by March and I will choose a 5K to participate in this spring.

7. I will join a yearly savings challenge to save $10,000 in a year.

8. I will start a side hustle selling knitted hats and scarves on Etsy. I will save $400 for my child’s 529 by December.

9. I will plan and go out on a weekly date with my partner from October through March.

10. I will research and join a community sports team (like softball) and play through one full season.

11. I will dedicate 10 hours a week to my church.

12. I will volunteer at the Animal Shelter for 1 hour every Monday and Thursday.

13. I will start a voice over acting business. I will have my business launch in 3 months on August 12th.

Need some ideas?
25 New Year’s Resolution Ideas for Personal Development
18 Healthy New Year’s Resolution Ideas

Conclusion

There are plenty of reasons why stay-at-home moms need something to focus on. It drives their purpose and organization and helps add value to their day and to their kids’ lives.

Remember, learning to set goals doesn’t have to be complicated. Make sure to use SMART goals, because they are more manageable than other goal-setting systems.

Use these examples to inspire your creative side and start to set goals for yourself!

Also check out the Top 120 Most Empowering Words in the English Language.

This amazing planner (you can find it in the Products section) that can help you reassess your goals every 3 months and make sure you’re on track. It even includes those affirmations you just collected above, and a place to write down your goals EVERY DAY to make sure you stay focused.

Also read: How to Follow Through with Your New Year’s Resolution

Related:
Using Affirmations to Crush Your New Year’s Resolution!
Execute Your New Year’s Resolutions Like the Boss Lady You Are!

7 Ways to Thrive with Stay At Home Mom Goals