This is one of my favorite seasons of the year. I love Christmas—the cozy cuddles, the happy surprises, and the joy of family traditions. But as soon as it’s over, I find myself eagerly dreaming and planning for the new year. To guide my planning, I reflect on a set of key questions and align my goals with what I call our "personal essentials" and "family essentials." This book can help you understand what Essentialism means. (#amazonlink)
Download our free Family Vision Planner to help you develop your own family vision.
Family Essentials
Our family essentials are foundational values and activities that bring us joy and connection. They include things like travel, quiet time, debt-free living, togetherness, and helping others. We developed these essentials by simply listing the things we love to do as a family. When we noticed recurring themes—like spending time outdoors, traveling, and deepening our spiritual lives—our family essentials became clear. Writing down our family vision and essentials helps us stay focused and create meaningful goals for the year.
Before diving into goal setting, we take time to brainstorm as a family. We ask ourselves what we want to try, read, learn, and see in the coming year. This brainstorming process helps us uncover shared interests and dreams. To make it easier, we use a worksheet that’s part of our annual planner. It’s a fun and collaborative way to kick off our goal-setting process.
Goal Setting
Once we’ve completed our brainstorming, we move on to setting concrete goals. Our planner includes a monthly goal-setting worksheet with 10 categories: home environment, personal development, physical health, spiritual health, homeschool, professional development, play, friend relationships, family relationships, and finances. Here's how we approach each category:
Home Environment
Goals in this area might involve better home care habits, simplifying belongings, or learning new skills like bread making or gardening.
Homeschool
This category is for setting goals around our children’s learning and projects. Ideas might include memorizing poetry, mastering math facts, or completing a hands-on project.
Spiritual Health
I often set goals for devotional reading, fasting, giving, or other spiritual practices to nurture our faith.
Financial Health
These goals might include paying off debt, reducing spending, or starting an investment plan.
Professional Growth
This area encompasses work-related goals, whether for income or personal enrichment. It can also include parental development or teacher training.
Personal Growth
This is where I jot down goals for books I want to read, hobbies I want to try, or other ways I hope to grow personally.
Family Relationships and Friend Relationships
In this category, I create goals for building deeper connections, like prioritizing eye contact, scheduling date nights, or practicing gentle responses.
Play
Play is essential for a healthy, balanced life. Here, I list fun activities like daily nature walks, beach trips, or family game nights.
Physical Health
Goals in this category focus on taking care of my body. Examples include starting a new exercise routine, following a gluten- and sugar-free diet, or completing a cleanse protocol.
Reflecting and Adjusting
After filling out the monthly goal categories, I revisit the yearly goals we set at the start of the school year. I also review our calendar and weekly planning sheets (available in The Peaceful Press Planner) to ensure we haven’t overscheduled ourselves. This step is crucial for preserving the time and energy needed for our essentials.
Taking time for quiet reflection and planning before diving back into our school routine is a worthwhile investment. It helps us build a sustainable and peaceful life.
If you’ve found the joy of homeschooling has diminished, check out our Parent Guides. Designed to minimize planning and maximize joyful connection, these resources can help you rediscover the heart of homeschooling.
Restoration Home Community
If you would love ongoing support in nurturing peaceful days with your family, join us in the Restoration Home Community in 2025. Each week we send a new themed lesson (click for a free winter solstice lesson) with prompts for connecting with all of your children, and every month we meet online to discuss life giving books. We also include helpful habit challenges designed to curate a peaceful home.