Being SMART with Your Goals During The Week, So Your Weekends Are Blooming

Watch how your productivity soars.

My painting is no Vincent van Gogh, but even he had to start somewhere. My daughter and I are doing just that. We are beginning a journey of watercolor painting together.

My daughter suffers from anxiety and the truth be told, who doesn’t? It’s a state of overthinking. Some of us do it more than others. Maybe this is why I have journaled for 23 years and write every day.

We have only been able to paint together a few times, but if we had it our way, we would do it every day all day. Time really does fly when you are having fun. Honestly, even when we’re not having fun, time is still ticking. This is why we must be intentional about our days.

So, by being more intentional during the week; your weekend can be open for more fun.

Everyone needs some avenues to unwind and just dedicate themselves to their inner person. We can’t keep giving to everyone else’s needs without treating ourselves with the same respect.

My above watercolor painting looks like a seven-year-olds. However, I can’t wait to see my inner child bloom. As I let her shine on paper, her talents will have a place to heal and develop.

Set challenges

This week I challenged myself to write a little more to open up more time for fun over the weekend. Who knows what this weekend might produce? Action breeds more action; this is why you must take action, quickly.

It boils down to setting SMART goals. Use this acronym and achieve even more. Applying these goals of being specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based are all game-changers.

Sunday mornings are a great day to plan your week. I used to work for a company where the new week started on Sunday.

I always felt a sense of accomplishment and was one step ahead for the week. Our weeks do start on Sunday; look at any calendar.

Sunday is a day of rest. So, I’m grateful not to have to work on this day any longer. However, I sometimes write on Sundays because, for me, writing is a passion. In addition, journaling my goals is a daily event in my life that helps me achieve more.

Plan your weekdays

Focusing on weekdays to have more time to relax during your weekend is imperative for mental health.

Having time to do things you love is vital for everyone’s happiness. Even if you have a job you love, you still must allow your creative side a place to create.

When you nurture this part of your brain, it allows a new way of thinking to show up in your life.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”

— A Proverb

The above quote is very accurate. Without time off from work or chores, you will become bored or at the risk of becoming boring.

Planning your weekdays will look different for everyone, but we all have Monday through Friday in common. If you work more than five days, it’s a bonus. However, your risk of becoming bored or just plain burned out is high.

How can you set goals for yourself using this acronym, SMART?

• Be SPECIFIC to your own needs and responsibilities. You must personalize these goals for YOU.
• Are your goals MEASURABLE? What is it that would make you feel accomplished for the week? Maybe focus on three important goals daily while filtering in those smaller goals.
• What is going to help these goals become ATTAINABLE? Keeping your goals suitable for you is critical. Nobody knows your abilities more than you. Make them achievable and not lofty.
• What is RELEVANT for your goals? Keep your goals closely connected to your week's mission. What are your priorities for the week?
• Setting goals with TIME-based is man-made, yet it’s the world in which we live. It’s the only way that we can work and still have fun without feeling guilty.

Is this why your own passions or dreams get suppressed? Plan some room for them to bloom this next weekend.

Plan your weekends

If you don’t plan your weekend, they will plan you. However, as much as we would like these days to be all about fun, we must face that there is still some household work to be done.

How about calling these weekend goals FUN goals? Using this acronym of family, unplug, and needs. Let’s work this goal-setting acronym backward.

• What are the chores that you NEED to accomplish this weekend? Is there something you could achieve during a weeknight to allow time for other things during your weekend?
• This acronym puts UNPLUG before family, yet they go hand in hand. However, if you don’t unplug by letting your passion serve a purpose, then you won’t fully be present with your family time. Let’s face it burnout can burn up your time with family because you’re not fulfilled and just going through the motions.
• Your days are what you make of them. We each have a clean canvas every week. We work hard for our FAMILY life, yet it can seem to take a bit of a back burner at times. However, by being laser-focused on intentionally setting goals appropriately, your time with family will be the highest of quality time.

If you have had a great week, repeat. Otherwise, go back to the drawing board.

Plan your next week

Is there something that didn’t go as planned? We will always have those moments in life. However, did your week leave you feeling more or less productive, while still having family time and fueling a passion?

If so, hit repeat. If not, take your pen and make some changes to your calendar.

Was there something that you could do before bed that would allow some extra time on the weekend?

A new challenge I’ve been trying is to clean each room in my home for 15 minutes a day. Our home is small, so if I do the math. Fifteen minutes times five rooms equal an extra hour and fifteen minutes of fun on the weekend.

Don’t get me wrong; my house is tidied; I’m talking deep cleaning for fifteen minutes. Anyone else up for a challenge?

Plan your month

Let’s face it; the month is going to fly by quickly. We always feel like we will have time for fun when we get older or retire. We must stop thinking like we have all the time in the world. Life is short, and the time is now to make some changes to how we live.

What is one big goal that you would like to achieve this month? Now times that by 12 months. Where will you be? Does this monthly goal help you get there? If not, your goal is not big enough.

Do you want to write a book, become a doctor or nurse? Do you want to redecorate your home? Do you want to lose weight or become an astronaut, or how about being the next famous painter? No matter what, it all starts with goals. No matter if you work them forward or backward. Living with intention is critical.

Take it all in

Our days are what we make of them. We each have the same canvas, but our technique will be much different.

The biggest question is, are you happy with your life? Are you satisfied with the choices you are making? If not, throw away your yearly planner and set some new intention-seeking goals.

Work your week so that it doesn’t overwork you. Let your inner creativity find an outlet to fulfill your dreams and desires.

My daughter’s anxiety doesn’t have a place when she’s painting. She’s now 29 years old and wishes she would have found this passion long ago.

I figure if she keeps creating more opportunities to paint, eventually, her anxiety will no longer have a place in her life. It will only have a blank canvas to express itself. Our styles are much different, yet this passion of ours is very soul-soothing.

Allow your inner self room to create. How will your weekly canvas look? Isn’t my daughter’s style beautiful? Plan for a lovely week and watch your weekend bloom.

I’m sharing this story as a thank you note for my new hobby of painting. It is bringing my daughter and me much joy.

I’m also grateful for Trista Signe Ainsworth for her healing publication, Thank You Notes.