How to Set Goals For Your Homestead

"I have dreams and ideas but I can't seem to get anything done!"

You have a million ideas for what you want your homestead to be and you want it NOW but everything seems to take too long and it’s just so overwhelming. Where do you even begin?!

I hear you! There are many times where my ideas and dreams seem too many for what I have time for! (And let’s be honest, going off-grid first thing is just a little impractical!)

There’s an easier way to get it done, I promise.

We’ll start at the beginning, and make sure you get to the end because that’s where the kicker is that links it all together.

Don’t skip any steps either. This method will finally bring clarity and ease to your days and before you know it, you’ll have made more progress in two months than you have in the last two years!

Practical Planning

I’m sure you’ve heard it before; set goals. Make sure they’re SMART. But what the actual heck does that mean??

I know, I was so lost for so long. ‘SMART’ goals seemed weird and fake. Every time I did it, I didn’t stick to what I wrote. I wasn’t invested in it and I couldn’t grasp how to be.

All these successful people talking about how they laid out their daily goals and got it done.

But HOW?!

Well, I’ve finally figured it out and ugh! It’s so much better. Yes, I’m going to break it down in a way that finally made sense to me.

If you’ve been struggling with goal setting and actually actioning to completion,

And it wasn’t because I studied it or anything, it was simply because I had something I wanted bad enough and needed to prove I could do it. So I sat down and wrote.

What ended up coming out was SMART goals because I broke it down to the ridiculous.

What is ‘SMART’?

SMART is an acronym used as a way to break down your goals into items that are specific, manageable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented.

Each element of the SMART framework works together to create a goal that is carefully planned, clear and trackable.

If you’re anything like me, you may have a habit of going gung-ho and then stopping. It’s not exciting anymore. You don’t know what you’re supposed to do next so you kinda just throw pasta at the wall and chase what sticks. Or get bored and frustrated.

Lightbulb: the goals set in your past that were difficult to achieve were because they were too vague, aggressive or poorly framed. Working towards a poorly-crafted goal can feel daunting and unachievable, or overwhelming.

Short Term Goals

Short term goals need to be set in order to meet the long term goal.

Ideally, you break your long term goals down so minutely, they become actions you take daily. They are so routine they become a habit. They become who you are.

Your short-term goals are your action steps to achieve that bigger goal. And I’m not talking super big. Go too big and it gets messy.

The more narrow the goal, or the more “first step,” the easier it is to define and work towards. Ultimately, you can’t help but end up achieving it.

RELATED: How to Gain 2+ Hours To Your Day, Without Losing Sleep

Make Your Goals As Specific As Possible

Be as clear and specific as possible with what you want to achieve. The more narrow your goal, the more you’ll understand the steps necessary to achieve it.

A brain dump is a great way to make each step as specific as possible. You’ll repeat it at each level to see everything that needs to be done and flush out any hurdles. Do not skip this step!

For example, let’s say you have a goal of wanting chickens. Well that’s pretty vague. Why do you want chickens? What will they be for? Meat, eggs, pets? When do you want them?

I want to raise enough meat chickens to supply a year of food for our family in 2021.

Ok, that’s a better start. We know it’s meat chickens, enough to feed a family for a year, and for the year 2021.

Here’s where the brain dump becomes handy. You’ll add to it at each stage so go ahead and ask yourself all the questions someone might have about raising chickens for consumption.

e. What predators do I need to protect against, how many birds do I need, what breed is best for what I want, what sort of space do they need, what and how will I feed and water them, will I hatch them myself, how will they be harvested, etc.

You may find by doing this brain dump some more areas you need to research so you can get very specific and see the action steps needed.
You’ll also begin to see the T stage taking shape.

Make Your Goals Trackable

M = Measurable or trackable

What evidence will prove you’re making progress toward your goal? If you want enough meat chickens for a year supply, what evidence is there to show you’re on your way?

This could be preparing a chicken tractor for them to live. Or finding out how you will source them. Or actually getting the birds. These are the STEPS you’re going to take to get to your goal.

These steps are milestone check-ins. Can you see how the brain dump lays out mini projects or goals to get you to your overall goal?

You should have multiple milestones. Not just one. You’re not just going A-C, you’re most likely going A-N.

Here’s a basic look at some of the milestones for our example and different steps that need to be completed to achieve each of those milestones which will get you to your goal.

Hatching– what do I need to do that, how, how to keep them alive, what die off to expect, any issues to watch for

Housing – requirements, making housing, cleaning, proper bedding, predator proof, food

Culling – what is needed, how to do it humanely, can you physically/emotionally do it, where to outsource or learn from, packaging, storing, tools required

Setting milestones along the way will give you the opportunity to re-evaluate and course-correct as needed.

Remember that each milestone will have SMART goals within it. Its it’s own SMART goal.

When you achieve your milestones, go ahead and do a little happy dance! It’s important to reward yourself in small but meaningful ways to keep your daily habits enjoyable as you progress towards your goals… because we all know being consistent and taking hurdles isn’t easy!

Make Your Goals Achievable

A = Achievable or Actionable

Have you set an achievable goal? Is it something you are capable of doing or learning to do?

Listen, if you want a cow, but live in the city, that’s just not achievable.

Setting goals you can reasonably accomplish within a certain timeframe will help keep you motivated and focused.

By starting out with your goal, as you break it down into specifics or milestones, you’ll discover if it’s an achievable goal in the time frame you set.

This usually comes to light when you brain dump in the Specific and Measureable stages.

Using our meat chickens example, you should know the requirements of what’s needed in order to produce your own chickens for food.

Before you begin working toward a goal, decide whether it’s something you can achieve now or if you need to do more preliminary work to be better prepared.

When I started laying out what I wanted to achieve over a 2 year period and what animals I wanted, I quickly began to see that not all would be achievable in the time period I was looking at.

I also determined that some of my ideas were no longer ones I wanted to pursue, based on the research I started doing in order to set my milestones.

One of the many benefits of setting SMART goals! I saved myself a bunch of time, headache and failure.

Make Your Goals Relevant

R = Relevant or Realistic

Whenever you set goals, make sure they are relevant to the task you’re trying to achieve. Do they line up with your values and larger, long-term goals.

For example, if you’re looking at most chickens but ultimately want to change your diet to a plant-based diet, those two goals are at odds with each other.

If your goal doesn’t contribute to your broader objectives, you’ll need to rethink it.

When setting your goal, make sure you ask yourself how it plays into achieving your long term goals. Is this a stepping stone or milestone towards those goals, or is it going to take your time and effort away from your long term plan?

Ie. Is this necessary for me to focus on?

Attach a Time Commitment to Your Goal

T = Time-based

What’s your time-frame? If you’re setting a long term goal, don’t go further than 5 years out, even 2 years. Otherwise it becomes too vague and will change too much over time that you can lose focus.

Your time frame should help provide motivation and prioritize.

In my milestone SMART goals, I like to do up to 2 weeks of a time frame. Anywhere from something to achieve that day, to something to do daily over two weeks.

It keeps me focused and blitz through what I need to do. You have to be prepared in order to get it done!

RELATED: How to Review and Evaluate Your Goals for Success

The Outcome

Homestead monthly goal setting – if it’s not planned, you won’t go it. Just like you plan your day or week, you MUST plan your goals and projects.

The things you do daily add up.

Break it down to the ridiculous- ridiculously small and easy to do. Like waking up and getting dressed- you KNOW you can do that every day

Goals are achieved through changing your daily habits. You find space in the small moments of the day.

My favourite habits book is Atomic Habits by James Clear. Read it!

I’ve moved so much closer to my goals and I see how I will achieve them.

I can now visualize it, taste it, smell it. It’s already achieved in my head.

Use this to map out your goals. Get detailed. Find the hiccups, find the solutions on paper.

Lay out the plan and start putting it into action. Review your plan daily. You will begin to eat, sleep and breathe your plan.

If you break it down enough, you have no choice but to succeed. Your mind will see it as already having happened and your body will follow suit on the actions.

Can you see it?

Share with me what your goals are. I want to cheer you on!