How High Performers Balance Goals and Tasks
Picking up the same toys for the tenth time. Feeding kids who are hungry again forty minutes later. Ending the day feeling like you ran nonstop and got nothing done. If your weeks feel like running in circles, there’s a way out.
Goals and tasks are not the same thing
A task is something I do every day. Making food. Doing laundry. Cleaning the house. Feeding the baby. Putting her down for naps.
A goal is something I don’t do regularly. It’s longer-term, and it doesn’t always happen the day I write it down.
Some of my recent goals:
- Picking out my garden plants
- Baking bread
- Cleaning the basement (that one happens about once a year)
- Finding babysitters so we could go out
Some of my weekly tasks:
- Meal planning every Thursday
- Laundry
- Feeding the kids
Goals don’t always get done the week I want them to. They might roll to next week, then the week after. But if I write it on my planner, I know it’s in my brain. I’ll get to it because I want to cross it off.
How to know if you’re a task person or a goal person
You can usually tell in conversation.
My husband is 100% goals. He loves to dream and think long-term. I listen to him and get depressed because I’m thinking we’re never going to get there.
I’m task. He’s goals.
Here’s a simple way to tell:
- If you get overwhelmed by big pictures, you’re a task person.
- If you love to dream and think five years down the road, you’re a goal person.
Neither is wrong. But knowing which one you are changes how you plan your week and how you decide what to do next.
What survival mode actually looks like
Survival mode is doing the same task over and over in the same day.
Picking up the toys ten times. Feeding the kids, cleaning up, and they’re hungry again forty minutes later. Just running in circles.
That’s not a sign you’re failing. It’s a sign that tasks are eating your whole day and nothing on your goal list is moving.
How high performers handle both
The other day I wanted to get a task done. My baby was crying and following me around. I didn’t want to take the time to sit and rock her—I just wanted to finish.
But I stopped. I’m not going to have a baby forever. Soon she won’t want me to rock her.
So I took the time. I rocked her. I put her to sleep. Then I got my task done peacefully instead of with her screaming behind me.
That’s the whole thing. High performers don’t pick goals or tasks. They notice what matters most in the moment and pick that.
How to break a big goal into next steps
When you’ve got a big goal, sit down and actually think through it.
Take a house remodel. We’ve talked about it a lot. To move from talking to doing, I needed to break it down:
What can we do this year to get closer to it? That might mean saving money. It might mean cleaning out our storage room first.
Write it down. And make sure you’re excited about it. If you’re not excited about your goal, you’re probably not going to get it done.
The morning that anchors everything
I love getting up before my kids.
The first cup of coffee. Complete silence. Time to read the Bible before anyone else is awake.
If it’s a stressful morning, I’ll turn on something peaceful—piano music, not loud, obnoxious music. Just something soothing.
It doesn’t always happen. But if I can do coffee, Bible, and peaceful music, I’m set.
Simple ways to connect daily tasks to bigger goals
My goals aren’t business-owner goals. My goal is keeping my family fed and our home peaceful and joyful.
Here’s what I do:
- Meal plan. If I know what we’re making for supper, the evening isn’t stressful. The kids can even help me, because I know what I’m doing.
- Sit down in the morning and ask, “What do I have to do today?” Start with the easiest one so you feel like you’re at least moving.
- Write everything down. I can’t remember anything—even something as simple as washing my hair. If it’s not written down, I won’t do it.
When I’m in a good mental state, I don’t react to my kids in a bad way. Meal planning protects my mental state. That’s how a small task connects to a bigger goal.
How to plan a realistic week
Every family is different. Every season is different.
For us, being gone too many evenings doesn’t work. The kids get grumpy. I get grumpy. So we cap it at one or two nights a week.
Be intentional about what your kids need this season. Then say no to fun things, even good fun things. It’s hard. You have to do it anyway.
Routines that bring more peace
A few that have stuck for me:
- Wake up before the kids
- Coffee, Bible, peaceful music
- Eat well. If I’m eating junk food, my mental space is worse and my whole week goes worse.
- Have a prayer partner. My friend Mary and I message each other almost every week to ask, “How can I pray for you?” If I’m sick or need extra prayer mid-week, I text her.
- Take a break that puts you back together.
Every other Wednesday when we don’t have church, my husband gives me the evening. I’ll go to a coffee shop and read a book, or sit and play games on my phone. It’s just an hour or two. I come back ready to be present again. I hate the words “me time” and “self-care.” But that’s what it does—it puts you back together so you can be a mom again.I hate the words “me time” and “self-care.” But that’s what it does—it puts you back together so you can be a mom again.
When everything feels important, do the easiest one first
I know that sounds backwards. But when you’re overwhelmed and frozen, the win isn’t picking the most important thing. The win is doing something, checking it off, and feeling like you’re moving.
When life gets unpredictable
Whether it’s a hard week, a financial setback, or something bigger, here’s what helps me stay on track without guilt:
Remind yourself what matters most. For me, that’s my family and making sure they’re taken care of. As long as my family is okay, the rest can wait.
What to do when you don’t know where to start
Pray. Literally pray it out loud:
“God, what do you want me to get done? I feel overwhelmed. What should I do next? Help me get my brain in order.”
Then do the next right thing. Even if the next right thing is sitting and holding your baby, or combing your hair, or going outside for ten minutes of fresh air.
Just don’t sit and do nothing.
The reminder I want you to walk away with
To everything there is a season. This stage you’re in isn’t going to last forever. You’re going to get out of this slump.
You’re not going to be the perfect Pinterest mom or the perfect Instagram mom. That’s not the goal.
God gave you your kids for a reason. You’re the perfect mom for them.
So do the next right thing. Even if it’s small. Even if it’s just sitting and holding your baby for ten minutes. Just do something.
