Okay listen, let's just get this out of the way right from the beginning. There is nothing magical about 2020. I'm not going to pretend that all of my goals will finally be accomplished and THIS will be THE YEAR. Ya know? But here's what I do know: being intentional about my goals will help me be more successful this year. That's why I love my 2020 PowerSheets! Let me show you the new PowerSheets from Cultivate What Matters, and share my 2020 goals with you.
*This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Sweet Tea & Saving Grace through your purchase!
This is my eighth set of PowerSheets. EIGHT! And each year, they get better and better! Why do I use and love PowerSheets from Cultivate What Matters?
Well, I think it’ll be better to show and tell, so let me give you a tour of the 2020 PowerSheets goal setting workbook, and I’ll explain along the way.
2020 PowerSheets
First of all, yes, I could just write down some goals in a notebook and try to work on them throughout the year. But I personally haven’t had much success with that, have you?
PowerSheets are different because they give you space to reflect on where you’ve been, and plenty of room to dream big about where you want to be (59 pages, in fact).
The 2020 PowerSheets by Cultivate What Matters got a major facelift this year. The cover and binding got upgraded, and the preparation pages got updated a bit, too. There’s even a pocket on the inside cover.
Let me show you last year’s PowerSheets next to this year’s PowerSheets for a quick comparison:
2020 PowerSheets Prep Pages
If you’re brand new to the idea of PowerSheets, the thought of 59 pages of prep might make you uncomfortable, and maybe even a little impatient.
PowerSheets are definitely not for someone in a hurry to set arbitrary goals that they probably won’t work on throughout the year. (Don’t worry if that’s been you in years past. I was there, too, which is why I started using PowerSheets!)
If you’re tired of setting the same goals year after year, and you’re ready to finally see progress, PowerSheets help make that happen.
I started my prep pages on Thursday, December 12, 2019 and worked on them for an hour or two each day. I finished them and had my 2020 goals set on Christmas Eve. TWELVE DAYS to work on my prep pages with prayer and intention.
Why go through so much work to set goals? Because if you want good goals, goals that will mean something in 2020 and when you’re 80, you have to take time to figure out why you’re setting those goals in the first place.
So, you’ll start by writing down goal ideas. This can literally be anything in your brain that you want to work on throughout 2020. You’ll spend the next 30+ pages uncovering what worked in the past and what didn’t, what fires you up, things that are holding you back from moving forward, and so much more.
You go deep, folks.
One really powerful section, in my opinion, is the Cultivated life Evaluation. This is a section you’ll do at the beginning of the year before setting your goals, and again every quarter to refresh your goals.
You essentially give yourself a rating on eight aspects of your life: health, friends, spouse/significant other, family, finances, spiritual/personal growth, work, and recreation. After you rate yourself, you explain why you gave yourself this rating. This helps you see areas of your life where you may need to focus when setting goals.
As you continue your prep pages, you journal about lessons learned, and get honest about things that are still confusing or unresolved in your life, as well as people you’re grateful for.
You’ll write out your “big picture” – things that will matter and won’t matter when you’re 80. And you’ll also write out your legacy.
2020 Word of the Year
All of that prep work is leading up to two things: your goals for the year and your word of the year.
To choose your word, you should go back and read through all the things you journaled on the previous pages and find common threads.
My word for 2020 is PROPAGATE. Here’s what I wrote:
The act of propagating plants is an intentional process that requires cutting off from the energy source in order to grow roots and create a new plant. I feel like I’m propagating in a lot of ways – helping Marley take root as an adult, growing a new photography business, and more.
2020 Goals
Finally, you get to the goal-setting pages. Hooray! There is a two-page spread where you’ll write out all of your goals for the year, but the real magic happens on the action pages.
For each of your goals, you’ll fill out a two-page action plan. Here’s how it works:
First, you write your goal, followed by why this is a goal, or essentially, why this matters. Then, you’ll write down the good things that could happen if you work towards this goal, and the not so good things if you don’t push forward with this goal.
Next, you’ll journal the things that need to happen between now and the day your goal is accomplished. These things can help you with the next part – mini goals!
For each major goal, you’ll have space to create three mini goals and the action steps to accomplish each of them, along with a date to make them happen.
So what are my goals for 2020, you ask? I’m happy to share them with you!
Goal #1: Enrich my spiritual life & share my faith.
This is one of those goals that I set every year. I want to take intentional steps to continuing to grow in my walk with Christ, and do more each year to spread the gospel.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Practice the Sabbath – Once each week, I will unplug from the world around me and spend time in prayer and restful worship with God.
- Daily Bible reading & study – I’ll be following my own New Testament Bible Study Plan this year.
- Keep a prayer journal – This is a new one for me. I will document my prayers and be more intentional about them, as well.
Goal #2: Achieve financial stability.
Y’all, listen. I suck at budgeting. I just want to be a better steward with the money we have, be a better saver, and plan ahead for unexpected expenses. Stuff like that.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Tithe weekly – I’ll be tithing a full 10% of our income each pay period.
- Create & stick to a budget – Basic stuff. I’m not only creating a weekly household/family budget, but also a weekly budget for myself and my husband for “fun money”.
- Save weekly for Christmas – No more overspending or financing Christmas! I’ll put a little aside each week to be ready for Christmas 2020.
Goal #3: Live a healthy lifestyle.
I created some new habits in 2019 that helped me become an overall healthier me, but I have more work to do! For example, I cut way back on my sugar intake and joined the gym, and I lost 15 lbs. over the course of the year.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Meal plan for healthier eating – This is a big one. When I neglect meal planning, I eat crap. Plain and simple. I’ll be planning meals and buying healthier foods for snacks too.
- Hit the gym 3 x week – I joined the gym in 2019 and for a while, I went regularly, but tapered off. I’ll be going at least 3 times a week, and walking my neighborhood when the weather permits.
- Make doctor appointments – I don’t go to the doctor (any doctor) regularly and I need to. I’ll be 42 in June and need to be more responsible about taking care of myself.
Goal #4: Pursue a photography business.
I’m super excited about this one! I bought my first DSLR back in 2010 and started learning more about photography. I fell in love with the craft, but never felt confident enough to go full-time. I’m ready to try again.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Continue photography education – I signed up for a very in-depth photography course in November and have been working my way through it. I’ll keep going back to it as I practice what I learn.
- Set up practice sessions – I have enough friends at church who will be more than willing to let me practice on them and their families. Yay!
- Set up my business properly – Once I’m at that point, I’ll be setting up online contracts, a website, workflow, and all that good stuff so I look legit right from the start.
Goal #5: Spend quality time with my people.
This is another one that is carrying over from last year. Since we moved to Lake Oconee in July 2018, we’ve gained so many incredible good friends and we love spending time with them. I also want to make sure I spend intentional time with my family.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Plan monthly hangout with friends – Whether it’s a girls night out, a football-watching party, or a summer BBQ, I want my people around me regularly.
- Invite people to small group – I love our Sunday morning small group at church, but I’ve noticed a lot of newer faces at church that I will be inviting to join us. This ties in well with my first goal, too.
- Say ‘yes’ – Sometimes when someone I don’t know well invites me to something, I hesitate to say ‘yes’, but this year, there will be more connections made through those simple invitations.
Goal #6: Equip Marley to be independent.
Marley, my daughter, finished high school in December and will be 18 in February. She’s going to be living on her own soon, and I want to be sure she’s prepared.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Equip her through prayer – I pray for my kiddo all the time, but I’m intentionally praying for guidance for how to prepare her to be on her own, and for wisdom for her to make smart choices.
- Teach life skills – Obviously I have done this throughout her life, but some things need to be more focused right now, like meal planning and cooking simple meals, budgeting her money, taking care of her home, etc.
Goal #7: Nourish my relationship with Mark.
My husband Mark and I are crazy about each other, but life happens and we get set in our ways and don’t always nurture our marriage as we should. As good as it is, we can always make it better.
ACTION ITEMS:
- Plan date nights – We’ll have dedicated nights out together, pre-planned, and staying within our budget.
- Take a vacation together – Our last vacation, just the two of us, was a quick trip to the Grand Canyon two years ago. We’ll be celebrating our 12-year anniversary in April, and I’d really love to get away for a few days and just enjoy being together.
- Make intimacy a priority – A little embarrassed to type this but I think it’s important. I’m sure we aren’t the only couple who lets intimacy fall by the wayside because life is busy and we’re tired. It’s time to make this a priority again.
I’m planning to share my monthly goals with you here on the blog, as well as my progress throughout the year. In the meantime, I’d love to know what your goals are for 2020, and if you’re using PowerSheets!
