How to Avoid Failing This Year

How to Avoid Failing This Year starts with shifting from rushed, unrealistic goal setting to intentional stewardship of the life God has given you. Ok, ok, but how?  Well, instead of chasing perfection or endless productivity, the following approach focuses on clarity, realistic goals, and daily non-negotiables that help you move forward with purpose, peace, and faith.

By evaluating the main areas of your life, setting fewer but meaningful goals, and creating simple rhythms you can actually keep, you really can avoid drifting through another year and instead live with intention and wisdom.

How to Avoid Failing This Year: What You’ll Learn

• Why most New Year’s resolutions fail within weeks

• How treating time as renewable leads to drifting, not growth

• What it means to live intentionally instead of reactively

• How to identify the main areas of responsibility in your life

• Why fewer goals lead to greater follow-through

• How personality, season, and family dynamics affect success

• The importance of daily and weekly non-negotiables

• How small, faithful steps create lasting change

To be honest with you, I had never kept a New Year’s resolution for more than a week or two. Goal setting? I gave up on that years before this. And friend, can you guess where that got me? Yep- you’re right, NOWHERE.

Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail

• Treating time as renewable instead of sacred

• Setting too many goals without clarity

• Confusing busyness with fruitfulness

How to Avoid Failing This Year

I was floating through the years, treating time as a renewable resource. Yes, some of it was fruitful and life certainly was “full” (aka crazy busy) but looking back, it was more of a fog than a memory book, which makes my heart sad. The way I was living wasn’t God’s desire for my life, and it’s not the legacy I want to leave behind. God’s intention for us isn’t to “do more” in life, but to “do well” with what He has given us. He cares more about who we are becoming than anything.

Living Intentionally Instead of Drifting

Ephesians 5:15-17
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

By His grace, a switch flipped for me when I took my very first online homemaking course years ago. God shined a light into my darkness. And that light showed me all of the wasted time I’ve collected and what I was left with. I saw myself sitting amidst a pile of “hopeful some-days”.

God’s Call to Steward Time Wisely

After praying through the mess, one word emerged from the rubble and grabbed my heart. ‘Intentional’

Most of all in this life, I want to be a good steward of what God has so graciously given me. In order to be a good steward, I need to be intentional in all aspects of my life. Knowing this, I went to prayer and to work and created my plan to avoid failing that year.  I was determined yet realistic 🙂

The Word That Changed Everything: Intentional

Why Intentional Living Helps You Avoid Failing This Year

• Moves you from vague hopes to clear direction

• Helps you steward what God has already given

• Keeps you grounded in your current season

5 Practical Ways to Avoid Failing This Year

1. Evaluate the Main Areas of Your Life

(Hint: Where do you have influence and responsibility?) For me, that looked like: My relationship with God, my health, my marriage, my kids, homeschooling, and my business.

2. Set One or Two Goals Per Area

Fewer goals lead to better follow-through. For each “main area”, pick 1-2 goals to set for the year. If you need a little help in this as I did, the Makeover Your Mornings course by Crystal Paine helped me to really narrow in on my goals by keeping it simple and being specific, or join our free 5-day e-course From Crazy to Calm Biblically – Refocus Your Heart and Conquer Mom Overwhelm.

3. Consider Your Personality and Season

Strengths, weaknesses, and realistic expectations matter. Go ahead and sprinkle in the “me”. It’s super important to know your strengths and weaknesses. I know that my perfectionism procrastination gets me nearly every time! I also realize that time-bound goals are a huge way for me to help combat that. You have to look at what works for you and the season you are in. I didn’t go with a specific pre-set plan; that is great if you can, but I had to craft it to my personality and set myself up to battle against my weak areas that drag me down.

4. Include Your Family and Shared Rhythms

Individual goals must align with household realities. We also need to add a dash of “us” because it’s important to take into account what your family’s strengths and weaknesses are and plan accordingly.

5. Take Small, Faithful Action Steps

Intentional means planned, not perfect. Imperfection always leads to Intentional. Intentional: done in a way that is planned or intended. You have to (and need to continue to) focus on stepping out in faith and actually take those small, specific steps that God calls you to along the way.

Working Out Your Non-negotiables to Avoid Failing

Why Non-Negotiables Matter

They truly create stability on chaotic days. In addition to reviewing what is built into your framework, you need to determine the steps absolutely needed In order to accomplish your goals. These steps become your non-negotiables. I have these broken down into daily and weekly.

Here is an example:

Daily Non-Negotiables

• Quiet Time
• Physical Therapy Exercises
• Home Care
• Homeschool
• Work
• Read/Write/Journal

Weekly Non-Negotiables

• Groceries
• Menu plan/Week plan
• Co-op class prep
• Co-op
• Bills
• Family Day
• Exercise 3 x’s
• Church
• Accountability Call

How Daily Faithfulness Leads to Long-Term Success

What a “Good Day” Really Looks Like

First, I want to challenge you to reframe success around obedience, not outcomes. When you take the steps above, you can easily create an “everyday” day schedule for those days that are actually normal! In other words, these rhythms become your anchor. They will also be a great base schedule to work off of to add in those irregular events that we always have thrown in 🙂

Because of this, your non-negotiables become more than a checklist. They become a steady guide. Even on days that feel scattered or overwhelming, they help you stay grounded in what truly matters.

And honestly, some days are just hard.

Oh, and… if the kids are climbing the walls (or each other) and every-other-thing seems to be going wrong, but I actually get in these non-negotiables – then it’s a good, good day!

Final Thoughts: How to Avoid Failing This Year in Simple Steps

To avoid failing this year, focus on intention rather than perfection. Start by evaluating the main areas of your life where you have responsibility and influence. Choose one or two realistic goals for each area instead of overwhelming yourself with too many commitments.

Create daily and weekly non-negotiables that support those goals. These should be simple, repeatable actions you can return to even on hard days. And finally, take consistent small steps forward, trusting God with your past, your progress, and the pace of your growth.

Mama, avoiding failure is not about doing more. It is about stewarding what you have been given with wisdom, clarity, and faith!

How are you going to avoid failing this year? Let us know in the comments below. If you are stuck – email me – I’m here to help!

Free Resources to Help You Avoid Failing This Year

Build an Intentional Life Framework

I’ve put together this FREE printable worksheet to help you walk through the 5 steps to help you build the framework for a more intentional life. Sign up below to get private access to all of our freebies in the Hub!

From Crazy to Calm Biblically FREE 5 Day Course

Let’s stop Mom overwhelm today! If you want me to walk you through each step, more in-depth, JOIN FROM CRAZY TO CALM BIBLICALLY A FREE 5 DAY E-COURSE!

Read: What can you do instead of New Year’s resolutions?

Experience lasting benefits of resetting your priorities, mindset, and schedule. Read how here.

Intentional Bible Study for Overwhelmed Moms – FREE Monthly Printables!

I’ve created a FREE Monthly Bible Study Printable Pack to help you! This is set up using a simple Bible Study method I use to dig deeper into His word every day. Do it in one 15-20 min session or break it down into two 5-10 minute “time pockets”.

 

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save