Several years ago, when my boys were still in preschool, I changed up how I think about my businesses. I made two changes. First, I changed how I think about the year. As a working mom, it made sense to align my business with the school year. And I focused energy on goals and intentions, not simply goals. We’re talking about both on this week’s blog. 

Why talk about this now?

As a mom, you might naturally think through changes as the school year starts. Making changes is hard to do in the summer when your routine is often out of whack. The new school year is an easy moment to point to and say, “This is when we will make this change.” You and your kids are back into the swing of things with a normal routine. Back to school is a good moment to create a new infrastructure to empower and enable you to make changes.

Maybe this summer you started thinking about changes you want to make this school year, especially after how things went with remote learning in the spring and everything else you’ve dealt with over the past 18+ months. Yes, the pandemic has been hard on working moms. But summer is a tough time to make significant changes for the entire school year.

Perhaps you’re realizing that you want to make professional changes because you have a newborn or you don’t need to provide a shuttle service for your kids to activities as they start driving. Or maybe you’ve shifted to online activities and have more time. Your own parent could need more time from you. Or maybe you had downtime this summer and spent more time with kids and realize you simply want more of that. The pandemic has helped us understand what is important, so that could be your catalyst. Whatever the reason that the school year is a good moment for change, go with it!

I’ll add that I get that January is often when people are looking at what they want to achieve for the calendar year. It makes sense to focus on change as the new year starts. If that works for you, stick with it.

Goals vs Intentions

The second part of what I mentioned might give you pause. Wondering what the difference is between goals and intentions?

You might already embrace the concept of goals. Goals are what you want to achieve in whatever timeframe works for you. You can figure out steps and check each goal off your list. I am very much goal-oriented. I like the sense of achievement and always have – even before becoming a mom. To be honest, this is pretty central to my approach to my career and life in general. Achieving my goals is based on my terms and no one else’s. Are you a goal-getter too?

Intentions are more of what guides you. Intentions can be for a season or a year. For example, one of my intentions this school year is to be more present when it comes to my health. I have specific goals, but I’m trying to be more aware of what I eat and when I work out. I am focusing on daily, consistent effort in small moments.  

Last year as a working mom with two young boys who are doing at least some remote learning, my intention was to be more present with my boys when they were doing remote learning. I would wake up earlier to get work done. That way I would have flexibility when the boys were doing school work. And I’m was trying to be more present in the different areas of my life instead of focusing on the next move in my productivity puzzle.

Create a plan

Setting goals and intentions isn’t enough. This step is important, though. Goals and intentions are the what you want to achieve. They are what you’re moving towards.

You also need to figure out the plan, the how you will get to those goals and intentions. How will you get your goals done? What changes will you make? This step is helpful to look at on different levels.

I break down goals into yearlong, quarterly, and monthly. And then each week I plan for the week and each night I plan for the next day. The idea is to create consistent steps that build up to those big goals. And that way they aren’t as overwhelming or unattainable. And you can check in each quarter or month to see how things are going. Remember, you can make changes at any time.

For example, you don’t lose weight in a week (at least not real weight that you keep off). It often takes months or (maybe years). You make consistent daily effort, though. You change daily eating habits and you create a new workout routine that you can do regularly. It’s the same with any goal or intention. Look at the steps you can take over time.

And let me know if you’re struggling. I might have some ideas to move you past a stumbling block.

Is it time for change?

You’ve looked at your goals and intentions and your plan to bring these ideas to life. Do you need to make changes to make this all happen? If so, you’re not alone.

Often people associate making changes with a new year. Here’s the thing. You can make changes at any time. The start of a new school year is an excellent time to change things up.

Need to change some habits? This can be challenging, but you can do it. Check out Atomic Habits from James Clear to help with this side of things. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Know that you might want or need to talk to someone to make some of these changes happen. You might have worked with a trainer or nutritionist to get your health on track. You can also work with a mindset coach, career or business coach, or, yes, even a work-life balance strategist (yep, I do 1:1 sessions!). 

Ask for what you need

We must each figure out what we need to do to make our intentions and goals a reality. Don’t wait for people to help. Feel empowered to make changes in all areas and ask for what you need.

Do you need support from your significant other? Ask for it. Need to outsource some things? Start looking for those resources. This is a great time to tap into your tribe. And by tribe, I mean your significant other, friends, colleagues, mentors and/or sponsors (more on these roles in your tribe), family, etc. If you’re looking to make changes in how you and your partner work together or at work, I created several templates that might help.

Share with your tribe & network

You’ve set your goals and intention. Now what? Take it a step further. Share these with your tribe. 

For starters, it creates accountability. People know what you’re working on and can help motivate you. They can support you in moments when you most need it. Your tribe can give you ideas to achieve your goals and work on your intentions. 

Let your tribe give advice and ways that you can attain your goals such as engaging a new resource or even a new person in your network to better align with your intentions. And don’t forget that sometimes you must ask for their help so they know what you need from them. Mind reading is pretty hard for all of us.

Sharing your goals and intentions with your tribe also puts your intentions out into the universe. I know it’s a bit woo woo. Consider how sharing will help you start to make small decisions, ones you don’t even notice. These small shifts and changes, often made subconsciously, will help get you closer to what you want. (This last bit is a great perspective from one of my mentors.)

Setting yourself up for success

Setting goals and intentions isn’t enough. It’s helpful to make some changes to help set yourself up for success. I’m sharing 7 tips to help you as you make this happen:

• Write them down. It’s not about having an idea in your head. Write them down. Put them in a place that you see them regularly — your bathroom mirror, an easy spot to see on your desk, even the cabinet where your coffee/tea cups are that you open every day. You want your goals and intentions to be top of mind.
• Consider how your habits help/hinder your goals. Your habits should make it easier to get to your goals. If they aren’t, they are creating an obstacle for you, probably pretty regularly.
• Be intentional with time. Know how you want to spend your time and how that relates to your overarching goals. If activities don’t get you closer to your goal, decide if they are worth your time. They still might be, but only you can decide if that’s the case.
• Say No to Say Yes. Be comfortable with saying no because that ultimately lets you say yes to something else. And remember that “no” is a complete sentence. You often don’t have to provide further explanation unless you want to.
• Get your family on-board. Once you know what you’re trying to achieve and what your goals and intentions are, consider sharing it with your significant other and even your kids. They can all help keep you on track and accountable. And they might even be able to help you reach your goals or achieve your intentions. 
• Build momentum. It can be hard to get started, but often, once you start, you naturally move to the next step. Allow this flow. Sometimes you need to figure out how to build momentum. I have a “did” list in addition to a to-do list. The did list shows me how far I’ve come as I’m striving for something much bigger down the road. It helps me build momentum. And I keep an “I Rock” folder to include my weekly big and small wins. 
• Celebrate. It’s not only about writing down your big and small wins. Actually celebrate when you’ve reached your goals or when you’re consistent with your intentions. Celebrate progress. It’s important to acknowledge your effort and your achievement in a meaningful way.

My question to you is what goals and intentions are you going to set? Are you working on your work-life balance? What changes will you make now that impact school year?