Team Cultivate can (and does!) give you PowerSheets® and goal setting tips all day long, but so often, the best tips come from YOU - our beloved users who've found success with the PowerSheets process, year after year!
If this is your first year with PowerSheets, allow these smart women to help you on your way with some of their best tips for doing more of what matters to them, with the help of their goal planner!
1. "My best tip: make your PowerSheets work for you! There is no right way other than what works for you. It may take some trial and error in your first years, but stick with it!" says Sandy. As an example, Kayleigh says, "I write quotes or put big stickers over the daily boxes so I don’t feel guilty about not using them."
2. "Look at and fill in your Tending List every day! Seeing the daily boxes get filled in when I'm consistent in doing them is such good motivation to keep going," says Tabitha. Adds Laura, "I leave mine open (to that month’s page) on my desk. That way I’m more likely to refer back to it more frequently."
3. "Pair a check in with your Tending List with something you always do: I look at it with my morning coffee. Check off the daily things from the day before and make a quick priority list for that day. It takes me just a few minutes, and it's become a natural part of my morning rhythm." - Sandy
4. "Set your Word of the Year by doing your Prep Work well, rather than choosing something out of thin air or that sounds good. Your Word can really influence your year ahead, so it's worth it to get it right." - Joanie
5. "Redefine success! At the end of the month, ask, 'what can I learn from what did or didn’t get done?' If you’ve learned something about yourself and your life, you’re empowered to change the next time around - and THAT’s a successful month." - Sandy
6. "Make a mess - let your ideas flow and just get it all out without worrying about how pretty you made it." - Mary
7. "Keep going. If you miss a day or week or month or have a month where you don’t check anything off, keep going!!! Every day is a new opportunity to work towards your goals. This was my first year to do PS and last month I checked off a big goal that had been on my to do list for FIVE+ YEARS!!" - Justina
8. "Celebrate every little step. Everything is important and has a reason in your life!" - Anali
9. "I put my monthly and weekly Tending List check-ins in my daily planner - that way, I'm less likely to forget them!" - Sabra
13. "An accountability group. That has hands-down been the best tool to keep me moving forward in my PowerSheets," says Suzanne. Adds Kendra, "a PowerSheets buddy who I can check in with as often as needed has been key for me. When I'm hard on myself, she reminds me to be kind and offer grace."
14. "I keep a daily gratitude list, and at the end of the month, I look at my daily entries to create a record of 'wins' for the month (things I have accomplished... even if they are small steps). This has been key for me. Seeing my wins all in one place at the end of the month encourages me to keep moving, especially when I am struggling with unmet expectations." - Lyli
15. "No superficial goals (ones not driven by a deep-enough why). If I care deeply about everything on my PowerSheets, I'm more likely to follow through." - Kendra
16. "I have an internal goal to use every month of my PowerSheets. Some months that means the Prep Cast and Tending List and allthethings on or before the first of the month. Other times, it means only using the review page, or creating a Tending List even if it’s already the second half of the month. I can go whole months without tracking any daily habits (but still using the intentions as an impetus for awareness, action and change) or weeks without reviewing my weekly items. There’s a lot of grace in the process, and I'm still moving forward, even if imperfectly." - Julia
17. "One thing I have to remember is to not set too many goals at a time, especially when I'm working on following through. What works for me? Picking one that is super important to me and only working on that until it becomes a habit or is completed. Doing so builds positive connection pathways in your brain and changes your thoughts, which in turn activates your will to keep following through because it's rewarding!" - Leah
Your turn! What would you add to this list? What advice would you give a new PowerSheets user? We (and they!) would love to hear!
Emily Thomas
This is His Year: our first-of-its-kind workbook to let your faith inform the goals you set for the New Year.
Set, plan, and track progress toward the goals that matter most, big or small, the things you’ve always wanted to do—with PowerSheets!