Happy Fall Y’All! 🙌🏻 🙌🏻
I love October. Call me a dork, but I love the beginning of every new quarter. 😂🤣 So, that means I love January, April, and July as well.
Why, you ask?
Because it’s a new beginning! And I’m a planning nerd, so l love new beginnings! 😆
I have always taken my big yearly goals and broken them down into quarterly goals. You can read all about how I *used to* do this for blogging in my guide for setting goals for your blog.
But I don’t do that anymore!
(This post contains affiliate links, momma, which means if you purchase the 12 Week Year – and I think you should! 😆 I get a small commission. Read my disclosure policy for more info.)
Well, not exactly. See, I took The Savvy Couple’s Blogging Secrets course last spring, and in it, they recommend reading The 12 Week Year. And since I learned a long time ago to do exactly as recommended in a course, I read it!
And let me just tell you!!
As a busy stay-at-home or work-at-home mom, finding time to accomplish everything on your to-do list can feel nearly impossible!!
Between caring for children, managing a household, and running a business, it’s easy to fall into a cycle of overwhelm and burnout.
However, the 12 Week Year is a productivity strategy that could change the entire game for busy moms!!
I gave it a try in June. I had a huge decision to make – go back to work or give freelancing my all.
I had only one client at the time, and to make a full-time income, I needed three. With the rising costs of EVERYTHING and all the other things I wanted to do, I really needed that full-time income.
But I didn’t want to go back to work! 🤣😂
So, I used the 12 Week Year to get hyper-focused, and by July 4th, I had my three clients! 😂🤣
Now I’m using it to give my blog a makeover. 😁 And, of course, to manage my client load.
The 12 Week Year is a productivity system that divides the traditional 12-month year into four smaller quarters, each lasting 12 weeks. Very much like I’ve always done.
This system is designed to help you focus on accomplishing your goals in shorter intervals, which can be more effective than trying to achieve everything in a year.
During each 12-week period, you prioritize specific goals and create action plans to help you succeed.
But where I was losing steam was on my daily tasks!!
One of the benefits of the 12 Week Year is that it helps you maximize your productivity by making sure literally every minute counts!
The nature of the system encourages you to be extremely focused and intentional with your time so that you can accomplish more in a shorter amount of time.
By setting clear goals and deadlines for yourself, you’ll know exactly what you need to do each day to move forward.
I mean EXACTLY.
Another advantage of the 12 Week Year is that it allows you to reassess your goals and progress more frequently.
Since you’re not waiting an entire year to evaluate your growth and achievements, you can make necessary adjustments to your strategy and goals throughout the year.
This is especially helpful for moms who have an ever-changing schedule and lifestyle!
To successfully implement the 12 Week Year as a mom, it’s important to prioritize self-care and balance!
That means setting realistic goals for yourself that take your family and personal life into account.
But what’s so neat about the 12 Week Year is that there is room allowed for this during the weekly review process. You get the chance to assess whether your goals are realistic, or if something else happened that threw you off, and you can change course.
An effective way to make the most out of the time you do have available is to chunk it into short but intentional periods with no distractions.
Many moms have found that using timers and focusing on one task at a time while avoiding social media or other distractions helps improve their productivity.
One helpful tool for 12 Week Year success is to utilize a planner or journal to track your progress and hold yourself accountable! They do offer a planner on their website, but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for.
So, I created my own! 😆 I haven’t added it yet, but I will add it to my Daily Blog Planner. It’s on my to-do list!
Writing down your goals, breaking them down into actionable steps, and then checking off completed tasks can help you stay motivated and on track momma!!
You might also find it helpful to enlist the support of a fellow mom or accountability buddy who is also implementing the system. Email me – I’ll be your accountability buddy! (shannon@makingmommas.com)
As a busy stay-at-home or work-at-home mom, productivity is vital for making the most of your limited time!!
The 12 Week Year system is an excellent tool for increasing productivity, achieving goals, and making the most out of every minute of the year.
And by prioritizing self-care and balance, using a planner or journal, and enlisting support from an accountability buddy, you can revolutionize your productivity and start experiencing the results you desire for yourself and your family!!
