Well, hello you shiny new year! It’s nice to see you, to see you nice! I am so, soooo looking forward to this year.
I can’t remember when was the last time I engaged in New Year resolutions but this year I’m going all efficiency queen, breaking my goals into the four quarter of the year and all that. I have great hopes for 2018!
Here are two of my goals for 2018:
- Make our household OPOL (One Language, One Parent – see glossary) by September
I want to gradually build my family up to a position where, when the youngest starts pre-school in September, we have established a habit of mummy only speaking Portuguese, and the girls to reciprocate.
- Change habits and become healthier
This is important so that I feel better, more energetic, and more focused, thus able to better fulfill all my goals. I feel that health issues got on the way in 2017 and I was not as focused as I wish I had been. I want to change that.
Setting and achieving goals
Throughout my career in marketing and fundraising I’ve done my fair share of training in efficiency and management tools. Over the years I build a good system and habits to do my work efficiently and creatively, to a high standard. I thought I had it all sussed out.
Then a change of work and lifestyle this year meant that it took me a while to find my focus again. I’ve been reading up productivity to find something that works for me. A system that best supports my new lifestyle, my work goals and that of raising my children as active bilingual. In fact, I am approaching the latter project as a work goal. I know, it sounds terrible, but actually, it’s a good thing to think that way. It’s a good way to make sure it happens.
Planning and being intentional are key to achieving goals and I definitely want my goals this year to be achieved – whether they are linked to raising bilingual children or not.
I’d like to help others achieve their goals too. So, in case you’ve forgotten, here are three simple are ways stick to the plan:
- Write your goal down – this act makes it real and increases the chances of you achieving your goal by 50% . Make it specific, quantify it and add a date if you can. Treat it with respect – write it down in a nice piece of paper or card, or on a nice pad you’ll use to journal about it
- Visualise – take a couple of few minutes in solace, and imagine
- What would success look like? If your goal is linked to raising bilingual children, what is your life, and your children’s life likely to look like in 10 and in 30 years from now? Imagine that in detail, all the benefits your goal will bring
- Then visualise what would it look like, and feel like, if you did not achieve your goal?
- Chances are, this small exercise will help you stick to your goal
- Make it visible – write your goal down in a nice piece of paper or post it, and stick it by your bedside, on the fridge, the front door, work desk or mobile lock screen – wherever works best to keep you on track
- Share it – making resolutions public increases the chances of achieving it by 65%. If you make your self-accountable to someone in particular, by an agreed date, you will increase your chance of success by up to 95%.
Why not start journaling or a blog? If you don’t have time, just put keywords in bullet points or speak to the dictaphone. That very act will help organise your thoughts better and chrystallize it in your head.
One final tip to help you stick to your goal or resolution
A friend recommended this book to me, The One thing*. If the past year feels like a blur, as mine does, and you look back at previous resolutions and realise not much changed, I recommend reading this book. The premise of the book is: multi-tasking is a myth. Decide what’s the one thing that will help you move forward towards your goal and stick with it like a post stamp.
Inspired by this book and other sources I’m devising my own system to make sure stuff happens. I’m more than happy to share details with you, just drop me a line on Facebook @MotherTongueNotes
Now, I’d like to know: What’s your goal in relation to raising bilingual children this year? Share it on the Mother Tongue Notes Facebook page – make yourself accountable and get support from others in a similar position. Hope to you there!
The lovely photo above is by Sang Huynh on Unsplash
*This is an affiliate link. I only recommend products that I like. See disclaimer for details
