My 2016 Goals and How I'm Accomplishing Them

This year, I have eleven goals. They consist of spiritual, productivity, health, and professional goals.

Now, why am I setting goals and talking about scheduling? Shouldn't I just rely upon God and let whatever happens happen? Well, in short, no. God calls and expects us to take dominion in our lives, and to glorify him in those tasks. He expects us to be good stewards of the time he has by grace given to us, and expects us to bring creation into submission for his glory. If you have the chance, sit down and read the Book of Proverbs and notice how much the writer talks about planning and not being a sluggard.

So this year, my goals are on paper, and they're reviewed everyday, so that I may better glorify God in my day-to-day by taking dominion.

Here are my 2016 goals:

1. Write and publish a short commentary on a book, letter, or section of the New Testament consisting of 50-100 pages. (By July 1st, 2016) 
2. Publish 36 blog posts on Federal Man by posting at least three articles per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. (By December 31st, 2016)
3. Read the Bible in 365 Days by finding a plan on the YouVersion app and set daily reminders. (By December 31st, 2016)
4. Achieve 10-12% body fat percentage and achieve a normal BMI by running 10 miles per week, and only taking in 2,000 calories per day. (By July 27th, 2016)
5. Read 12 books per year month by reading one book per month. Do not start another until the first is finished. (Read one book by the end of every month, 12 books by December 31st, 2016) 
6. Book and take two vacations - One in-state vacation per year and take one out-of-state vacation per year. (Book by January 31st, 2016)  
7. Save $3,000 per year - $30,000 per decade - by saving $250 per month and placing it in savings before any other payments come out. (Place in bank account at the end of each month, and by December 31st, 2016) 
8. Increase the value of my home by beautifying the land by installing a Koi ponds, flower beds, and planting a garden. (By August 31st, 2016) 
9. Become a COII at work by attending work faithfully. (By April 30th, 2016)
10. Join the DJS Honor Guard by contacting Lieutenant and conveying interest. (By April 30th, 2016)
11. Join one Martial Arts discipline, and obtain a rank by the end of year. (Join by January 31st, 2016, and rank by December 31st, 2016)

Now, these aren't extravagant goals. They're do-able, and that's a good thing. They're SMART goals. I find the more specific I am, the more likely I am to accomplish what's on the to-do list. Though not extravagant, they're relevant to the season in my life, and they're easily broken down into daily tasks that chip away at the goal. 

For example, at the beginning of the month, I examine the book that I'll be reading, and calculate how many chapters I must read per day to meet my goal of reading the book in the month. So, my to-do list at the beginning of the day looks something like:

• Read one chapter of such and such book before bed. 

To accomplish my goal of writing a commentary, I set aside time everyday to read, take notes, and read other commentaries on a portion of Scripture everyday. At some point (to which I need to set a date), I will start putting those notes on a Pages document and start editing what will become a commentary. On my to-do list, this practically works out to look like:

• Read one chapter of the Gospel of Matthew and take notes before bed. 

There are some things that I didn't put in here. Thats just because they're already a part of my regular week. For example, my wife and I have a date night every Friday night. That may be going out to the movies, going out to dinner at a nice restaurant, or it could just mean watching a movie and eating at the house without the distraction of cell phones and computers. I don't need to put that in my goal list, because it's already a part of my weekly to-do list. 

I'm putting all these daily tasks in a Bullet Journal system. For me, it works the best. I've used apps on my iPhone. I've used reminders. None of that works for me. I have to physically write it down on paper into a Moleskine, and use the Bullet Journal system. I keep that Moleskine with me all day long, and in the back pocket I carry a copy of my goal list so that I can revisit it at anytime and refresh my memory. 

If you're interested in learning more about my daily system, consider watching this short overview of the Bullet Journal system.