How to Set Homestead Goals for the New Year
*** FREE PRINTABLE WORKSHEETS BELOW!***
Setting goals isn’t a new idea. In fact, it’s pretty common practice - especially this time of year! But I think it gets a bad rap for being pointless because most people set goals or resolutions… and then never complete them.
My process of homestead goal setting is more than just creating a massive vision board of any and every idea you have for your homesteading dreams.
It's also about looking at your resources, abilities, budget, and timeline so that you can PRIORITIZE short-term goals and create a realistic action plan. Whether you are a brand new homesteader or have been doing it for 20+ years, it's easy to get caught up in big dreams versus focusing on the first step.
The process I’m sharing in this post is something my husband and I have done together every winter for the past 5 years. And it’s amazing how the simple task of writing our homesteading goals down has truly been what catapulted our massive progress in building our current homestead. Even despite our limitations of:
Working with a single income and modest budget
Him working off farm 60+ hours a week
Balancing it all with daily chores, homeschooling, and raising 7 young children
I truly believe it’s because we've taken the time to determine our specific yearly goals this way that we have been able to accomplish more in the past 5 years than we did in the previous 7 years of homesteading on other properties.
We’ve added more:
animals
skills
infrastructure
and income streams
…than we ever have before! While still experiencing less:
stress
financial strain
and burn out
Now you may not have the goal to add more more more - and that’s totally okay! This year, we actually will not be adding much NEW to our current homestead that we didn't have last year.
Whatever your goal is though — it won’t be fulfilled on accident. You have to be intentional.
Before I get into the meat of today’s blog post, a quick tip for you:
If you want to get the most out of
goal planning on your own homestead,
there is one important step
you can’t skip over…
To really cement in your goals
throughout this process:
You HAVE to write them down.
I’m going to tell you exactly how and what to write down in a moment, but I just need to emphasize: There is something incredible that happens when you take time to physically write down and plan out your goals. It makes a HUGE difference.
You create a roadmap for yourself to follow.
A clear vision and path.
It’s been proven over and over that written goals are more often met than those left floating around as an idea. Not only does seeing them physically on paper help you narrow your focus, but it also gives you a level of intentionality and commitment that increases your motivation.
So what do you need to write down first?
First, your task is to start to create a list of goals you have for your homestead in the next 12 months based on 10 different categories:
Livestock
Garden Plot
Orchard
Yard
Infrastructure
Equipment
Skills
Pantry
Financial
Other
You can download my FREE Homestead Goal Planner Worksheet to help you do this! CLICK HERE!
How To Use These Sheets
If you have a spouse or family that you homestead with, be sure to include them as well!
There’s no rules as to how many you items you list in each category. You might have multiple for some and nothing for others - that’s fine!
Take a walk around your current homestead - whether it’s a suburb lot in the city or 40 acres in the middle of no where. And ask yourself:
What kind of animals do I want to add? How many of each?
(You may include how many meat chickens you want to raise or any new permanent livestock such as a guardian dog or a barn cat. You don’t have to be specific right now on exact amounts if you’re not sure yet.)What type of structures, fencing, or other building projects are there to be done?
(Are there new projects or existing buildings that need attention? Chicken coop to build? Maybe a raised bed? Waterlines to run? Etc.)How could I improve my garden plot and orchard?
(Are there improvements I want to make? Adjustments to my current set up? Specific plants or fruit trees I want to add or grow? Maybe transitioning a small garden to a big garden?)What type of upgrades would the yard benefit from?
(Even though your yard isn’t necessarily a “productive” part of your homestead - it’s still an important space to consider)What equipment or tools would we like to invest in?
(This can be anything from a chicken plucker to a pressure canner to a tractor!)What skills do I want to gain?
(There are dozens of skills homesteaders can earn no matter where you live - from butchering to canning to making dairy products, etc.)What pantry goals do you have?
(Maybe it’s having a specific quantity of certain items or maybe it’s finally creating a better space for food storage!)What financial goals do I have?
(Maybe it's to start making a certain amount each month... or to increase an already existing revenue stream...)What OTHER goals do I have?
(Anything else you might have in mind that doesn’t fit under the other 9 categories - maybe you want to host an on farm workshop or event!)
My only rule is that you must add at least ONE item to your list that is just for fun and not production based. Even something small! We have found years where we do nothing “just because” it’s much more challenging to keep our momentum.
In my Setting Goals for your Homestead Online Workshop - I walk through how to take this goal list and start to narrow down what’s actually attainable goals. We do this by assessing personal resources — which are your time, money, skills, materials, etc.
After that - I also cover the best way to create actionable steps for the most important things this upcoming year and how to keep you motivated/on track even when things get busy during the growing season.
One more thing…
Remember, it’s one thing to make a list and talk about doing something.
It’s another to actually TAKE ACTION and actually do the thing. We all have limitations. Ignoring that reality is only setting yourself up for disappointment.
You CAN accomplish your homestead goals even with limitations, it just takes intentionality, commitment, and a little creativity. That’s my goal - to help you turn your homesteading dreams into reality despite limitations!
Print this free planning worksheet.
Dream. And fill it out! It’s a simple but great way to use this slower winter season before the hard work and spring busy-ness comes. And it doesn't take a long time.
Wishing you an incredible next year on your homesteading journey!
And or a glimpse of what we included in OUR list -- follow me on Instagram and check out my recent reels for a summary!
CLICK HERE FOR YOURS!
