Let’s talk about goals. I suck at them. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve written a blog post full of goals only to immediately forget about them as soon as I hit publish. Not to mention how many lists of goals I’ve written just to lose the list a week later. A change has to be made. No good business person (hell, no good person in general) can go through life without goals.
The solution on how to make better goals became clear after seeing PlanwithLaken’s YouTube video reviewing the Cultivate What Matters Planner. It hit me like a ton of bricks. This could be the tool to answer all of my goal setting problems. The holy grail to get my ass into goal-setting gear.
When my gorgeous planner arrived stickers greeted me. Always a good sign. A planner that has its own stickers knows what’s up and who they’re catering to. In my excitement I showed Alex the planner expecting him to be like, “Yeah, yeah. Another planner…” Shock is the only word to describe my reaction when he seemed genuinely interested in this one. I tentatively asked if he wanted to work on it together. He said yes…and I did cartwheels in my head.
Fast forward a few months and here we are now. Every week Alex and I meet to do a few more pages in the planner. I talk about this a lot more in the YouTube video below if you’re interested in how it’s impacted my relationship. I want to keep this post more review based. But seriously, it’s been marriage-strengthening.
The first 40+ pages are all about figuring out who you are, what you think is holding you back, what matters to you, and why you’re taking steps to make better goals. It’s fabulous and difficult at the same time. Each page breaks things down in a clear, concise way, but the entire planner is designed in a way that you can easily set it down and pick it up based on your schedule.
Once you’ve completed the initial pages and have your goals, you move into the action plan stage. This is where you figure out the hows and whens of your goals.
The planner helps you break down a large goal into smaller, bite-sized pieces. It takes something that can feel incredibly overwhelming and makes it seem doable.
My favorite part? It checks in on you. It doesn’t just help you make some goals, pat you on the back, and says, “Good luck.” Every month you can review how they’re going, what progress has been made, what might need to change, and what happens next.
The monthly (and quarterly) check-ins are exactly the type of things I need to keep me accountable. It stays with you the entire year.
There are a ton of other accessories and items on the website to look over if you’re interested including this gorgeous goal-setting sticker book. I love it because it includes stickers you can use in your main planner to remind you to check back in on your goals.
My biggest complaint about the planner is the coil and cover. I wish they were a bit more heavy-duty and sturdy. It’s not the type of planner you tote around with you every day, but one you leave at home to check back in with a cup of tea and an evening free.
I’ve enjoyed the process with Alex so far and can’t wait to dive in deeper and start really developing our goals for 2019. It’s the perfect time to snag yourself one of these Cultivate What Matters planners with the new year right around the corner. Maybe we’ll finally be able to keep our New Year’s Resolutions after all?
