If you clicked on this blog post I think you’re a little like me. You have dreams for yourself, and you want to achieve big goals, but in this season of motherhood, the how escapes you.
Maybe you’re in the “popping-out kids” phase like me, and you’ve got babies, a household to run and a job to hold down.
But that hasn’t stopped you from looking up from what’s in front of you into the future and wanting to accomplish more for yourself and your family. It’s difficult to figure out how you’re going to find the time (and the energy) to do it.
That’s where the 12-week year comes in. This is a new concept for me, but I am just a couple of weeks in and I believe in it already.
Gone are the days in the past when you could spend an entire day working on your vision board, deciding on your word for the year, and writing your goals down in perfect penmanship.
Now, you are grabbing whatever quiet time you can spare between naps, loads of laundry, and the kids’ bedtime to sit down and think about what you want, and what you believe God may have for you this coming year.
Where I think the problem lies, is trying to plan for an entire year when truly during this season we can only see a few weeks, maybe a few months ahead. That is why this 12-week timeframe is perfect for goal-setting for moms.
It allows us to still work towards achieve big goals, but in a shorter more focused time frame. Let me show you how this will transform the way you set goals for yourself.
The 12 Week Year: A Smarter Way for Goal-Setting for Moms
“Most of us have two lives: the lives we live and the lives we are capable of living.” – Steven Pressfield
When I first heard of the 12-week year I was intrigued. I had done 90-day sprints towards goals before but I didn’t realize that I could structure my whole year in that way.
As I read the book The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington I started to feel less overwhelmed about what I wanted to accomplish, because I actually had a map to get there.
The way the year is structured is 4 12-week periods with one week break in-between. During these 12 weeks you pick a few goals to focus on, select measurable tactics you will use to accomplish those goals, and due dates for each.
For example:
Goal: Read 1 book
Tactic: Read for 30 minutes before bed 5x per week
Due Date: Week 12
I will share with you a little later the spreadsheet I created to track my progress towards my goals.
Maybe previously you had a big overarching goal for a previous year, but there weren’t any concrete steps listed that you could track, and by the end of the year you had either given up on or forgotten about your goal entirely. This method will change that.
Not only will you set your goals, but you can track your consistency in moving towards them.
Why Busy Moms Need a Shorter, More Focused Approach
This is perfect for busy moms like you because life changes quickly when you’re a mom, especially a mom to really young children. 3 months is all it takes for your children to be in a completely different stage of development and this method allows you to account for that.
There are a million things running through your head each day and to also keep track of a goal due by October is bound to slip by. But if you know you only have 12 weeks, that’s a short enough time frame, and enough incentive to stay focused.
Clarity and Focus: Why This System Helps You Prioritize
This system will allow you to focus on what matters most to you in the current season that you are in. If you are newly postpartum, that may not be the time to set a major fitness goal.
If you are in the newborn stage, joining the 5 am club may not make sense. If you are going back to work, completing a huge passion project may not be the right time.
You get to decide what makes sense for you and your family during those 12 weeks.
Making Progress, Even When Life Gets Chaotic
One of the downsides of motherhood is feeling sometimes that you’re not accomplishing anything. You do the same thing day in and day out. Another load of laundry, washing the same dishes, changing an extraordinarily stinky diaper, and so on.
By setting goals in smaller timeframes and giving yourself ways to track them, you can feel a sense of accomplishment in moving towards something every day when most of your daily duties stay the same.
I think the feeling of moving forward is something that is overlooked when it comes to motherhood, and by having these goals, you may feel a little less stuck during the everyday routine.
Why You Don’t Need to Do More—Just What Matters
The intensity of the goal is up to you. Whether it is reading one book, increasing your fitness level, managing finances better, or a larger goal around business or your children’s routines, it is doable, just not all at once.
The recommended amount of goals to focus on is 1-3 per 12-week period. I personally have 4 these 12 weeks, but my next 12 weeks may have less. The goal is not to overwhelm yourself.
If you can only focus on one major goal during the 12 weeks, that is okay. One season you may be able to handle more and another you may be able to handle less.
What is beautiful about this, is by the time the end of the year comes around you would have at least accomplished 4 different things, and that will feel amazing, and a big step up from getting to the end of previous years feeling like you accomplished nothing at all.
How to Implement the 12-Week Year
Step 1: Define Your Annual Theme: What’s Your Vision for 2025?
I believe this can be looked at in a variety of different ways. A lot of us have a word or intention for the next year or something overarching that we want to see happen in our lives.
My word for 2025 is Reconstruction. During the past few years, I have experienced a lot of change that has worn me down and left me feeling broken in different areas of my life. 2025 is a year that I see myself starting to rebuild and the tactics that I have set for myself support that vision for achieving my goals in 2025.
Step 2: Set 1-3 Clear Goals for the Next 12 Weeks
One of my goals during my first 12-week period is to write 10 blog posts for this blog. One of the areas I want to reconstruct or rebuild is my creativity. This goal is something that I can measure once the 12 weeks are up. Either there are 10 posts on the blog or there aren’t.
Setting vague unmeasurable goals is where many of us get stuck and aren’t sure if we’ve made progress. If you say your goal is to be a better runner, that’s all well and good, but what does that mean exactly?
A better way to write the goal would be: to run 2 miles without stopping or run a mile in under 7 minutes. That is something that you can measure and keep track of.
While thinking of your goals for the 12 weeks keep in mind the season of life that you are in so that you don’t set yourself up for failure. I have 1-year-old twins with one on the way. It would make zero sense to have a goal of setting my lifetime best in the mile right now.
Set goals that stretch you but that are able to be accomplished, especially within the timeframe of 12 weeks, and you can always build upon them in the future.
Step 3: Break It Down: How to Turn Big Goals Into Weekly Actions
Let’s stick with the goal of running 2 miles without stopping. How would you write tactics for that?
A few tactics could be:
- Attend 5 running sessions per week
- Test 2 mile run once per week to see how long I can go and record time
- Weight lift twice per week (upper body and lower body)
- Only have sweets once per week and cut out soda
The idea of the tactics is that those are the activities you are going to focus on in order to accomplish your goal. So while the goal is set, that is not what you are focused on day-to-day, it is the tactics. The tactics you choose must be measurable and actionable.
Step 4: Reflect and Adjust: The Importance of Weekly Reviews
At the end of each week or the beginning of the next, review each of the goals you have and the tactics you committed to doing. Make sure you have tracked all of your activity throughout the week and you will be able to see your level of consistency.
What I love about this is it keeps us honest and gives us a real look at what we are doing. It can be easy to “feel busy” but are you actually doing the things that are going to get you to your goals?
This time is also used to adjust. Using the 2-mile example, maybe you attempted to get your runs in in the morning before the kids woke up but it left you feeling trashed for the day, or it only worked on certain days. Make the adjustment to schedule it at a different time and see if that works better.
Step 5: Celebrate the Wins: Building Momentum for the Long Haul
Every tactic that you complete for the day and for the week is a win. You made a commitment to yourself, and you deserve to celebrate that. All of the tiny wins are what set you up for success over the long term, so don’t overlook what you do today, even if it seems small, it matters.
Overcoming Common Challenges
What to Do When You Feel Stuck or Behind
I want you to remember to Give. Yourself. Some. Grace.
You are doing so much and I think sometimes we don’t give ourselves enough credit for that.
When you’re feeling like you aren’t where you want to be acknowledge it, but then use it as a source of motivation to readjust your goals instead of something to beat yourself up with.
Take a breath, and go back to the basics. What is my goal? What am I doing that’s measurable and actionable to get there? Do I need to make adjustments?
Staying Motivated: Progress Over Perfection
Motivation is fleeting, discipline is what allows us to accomplish what we set out to do. That being said, I’m not against having a hype playlist for those days when you just don’t feel it.
What is one action? What is one step you can take?
Did you miss all your tactics today? Okay, acknowledge it, and adjust for tomorrow. Double-check your schedule and make adjustments or concessions where needed.
There is no set it and forget it. When you have a household, a husband, children, and a job, things will constantly be moving and you will need to be flexible.
Making Time for Goal-Setting When You’re Already Busy
This can be tricky, it is usually the getting started that is the hard part. As difficult as it may be you need to set aside some time to think. Whether it’s at nap time, after bedtime or sometime in between you will need to think about what your goals are and come up with your own tactics on how to achieve them.
Setting a good foundation is the best way to ensure you’re successful in the long run.
Why This System Has Been a Game-Changer for My Goals
I am a few weeks into my 12-week year journey so far and the thing that I have found is that I actually feel like my goals can be accomplished.
What I mean is, that I have sat down, written the goals and the tactics, and weekly I have put on my calendar when I will work towards certain goals and I have realized that I do have the time.
It may not be the most idealized version of a schedule, and yes there are interruptions when a certain someone has lost their pacifier. But if I commit and really work the schedule, and cut out the scrolling, I actually can do this. And that’s something that has been really encouraging to me.
Below is a screenshot of a week in my Google calendar to show you how I have set aside time weekly in my schedule to accomplish my tactics for my goals.
Each tactic isn’t shown because certain ones have different timetables during the 12 weeks.
If you aren’t using some type of planner or calendar I highly recommend it. There is something about being able to look at the day or the week and the month in its entirety to really see where your time can be spent working on your goals.
You’re Ready to Start: What’s Your First Step?
If you haven’t already I would either start reading or start listening to the book The 12 Week Year. I listened to it over a few days while folding laundry or doing dishes to give me the basis of what to do.
I prefer physical books though so I have it on my shelf as a reference point whenever I have any questions or want to go over any details to help me move forward.
Take Action Today: Download My 12 Week Year Tracker
If you want a simple tracker for your goals and tactics you can download my template here.
I want you to know that you can do this. It may seem overwhelming now, but if you break it down, you will see that you can accomplish more than you thought was possible by setting a small number of goals, supported by actionable and measurable tactics.
I would love for you to share in the comments, what is one goal you will be working towards during your first 12 weeks.
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