(Listen to this article above or read on down below)! 

There’s something about a fresh notebook, a warm cup of coffee, and a quiet conversation with your husband that makes you believe anything is possible.

Once a year, Jason and I carve out intentional time to sit down together and talk through our family — what worked, what didn’t, what God might be inviting us into next, and what needs to gently be laid down. It’s not fancy. There’s no color-coded planner system or perfect spreadsheet. Just two tired parents, a lot of dreaming, and a deep desire to steward our family well.

Every time I share a glimpse of these planning days online, I get flooded with messages asking how we actually do it. So today, I’m pulling back the curtain and sharing exactly how Jason and I plan our family goals  and why this rhythm has become one of the most grounding practices in our home.

1. Jason was not always a big planner.

For years, I did this planning mostly on my own. I would ask for his input or run ideas by him, but he just wasn’t a natural planner in the same way I was.

I hear this often from wives who wish their husbands were into planning like Jason is now. But don’t push it. Everyone’s personalities are different, and some people naturally find more value in planning than others. Eventually your husband may come around and get on board,  but invite him into it gently, and don’t be upset if he doesn’t want to jump in right away. You can absolutly plan and goal set by yourself!

2. The timing doesn’t matter.

We do a big meeting every New Year, but we also do “big picture” check-ins throughout the year as needed. Don’t fret if this doesn’t happen on January 1st, or even February 1st. It is never a bad time to pause, plan, and be intentional with your time and your family.

3. Grab a notebook, a pen, and some coffee.

Your planning session doesn’t need to be fancy or follow any sort of curriculum. We’ve slowly developed a system that works well for us simply through trial and error.

We sit down together and just start chatting about our year. We take turns sharing what worked really well in the previous year that we want to carry forward and what didn’t work so well and needs a new solution (like eating out less, getting more consistent with school rhythms, etc.).

At this stage, we’re not looking for all the answers yet. We’re simply opening the conversation and getting ideas flowing. It can sometimes take us a while to hit our groove with planning.

4. Review last year’s goals.

From there, Jason pulls up our goals from the previous year on his phone, and we go through them one by one.

This year, there were several goals I never even started. 2025 ended up looking very different than we anticipated, and some of those goals just didn’t fit anymore and that’s okay. Release those goals and move on… or carry them into the new year if they still feel worth pursuing.

We break our goals down into categories, so we review them category by category and decide what we want to adjust or set fresh. For example, we always set reading goals. So we talk through how we did last year, which books we loved, what didn’t work, and what we want to change moving forward. As we talk, we write down the new goals for the year.

5. Every goal and idea gets written down.

You think you’ll remember everything you talked about… but you won’t. Write it all down so your goals are actually usable and not just floating around in your head.

We keep our goals in shared notes so we can easily pull them up throughout the year and review them together. It’s actually really fun to look back and see several years of goals listed out — you can see growth, patterns, answered prayers, and seasons of change.

Why Planning Has Become a Must for Our Family

As we enter 2026, life feels full and busy in the very real sense of the word. We have eight kids ranging from 13 down to 1. We’re juggling doctor’s appointments, more surgeries for Radley, eye appointments, everyday life, and school. We also run our business together, which tends to fill any spare moments we thought we had. And oh yeah — we also want to prioritize our marriage, exercise, eating well…you get it.

Life moves at a breakneck speed. And those of us who are parents know how quickly the years fly by. There’s no room to drift through life unintentionally.

A few years ago, we realized we were saying yes to almost everything,  opportunities, commitments, projects, and quietly wondering why we felt so exhausted and disconnected. When we finally slowed down and really talked through our priorities, it became clear that some good things were crowding out the best things. That one planning conversation reshaped our entire year.

Slowing down to plan together helps us stay on the same page, which is huge for our marriage and our family. It also helps us clearly see what we need to say yes to…and what we need to lovingly say no to. In a full schedule, there are so many good things that simply don’t fit the season we’re in. Planning helps us recognize that with clarity and peace.

Ultimately, our planning isn’t about productivity. It’s about stewardship. These years with our children are precious and fleeting, and we want to walk through them awake, grateful, and aligned, trusting God to guide our steps even when the plan changes.

Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing what our family goals are for 2026 as well as my personal goals for the year.

Want to Try This With Your Family?

If you’ve never done a planning conversation with your spouse before, start simple.

• Pick a quiet evening or weekend morning.

• Make coffee or tea.

• Grab a notebook and pen.

• Ask each other:

  • What worked well this past year?

  • What felt heavy or stressful?

  • What rhythms do we want to protect?

  • What is one area we want to grow in as a family?

  • What new skill do you want to learn this year?
  • What are you currently excited about for the year ahead?

You don’t need a perfect system. You just need a willingness to start the conversation.

Want more hands-on help planning this year?

If you’d like hands-on help with planning and goal setting, I’m hosting live trainings January 12–16 inside our Planning & Goal Setting course.

Each day we’ll meet live, I’ll teach you how to:

• set realistic goals

• break them into action steps

• plan in a way that works with your life (not against it)

You’ll also receive all of my planning worksheets so you can take immediate action.

If you’ve struggled to make goals that stick—and you want 2026 to be different—join me for our 3rd annual planning retreat. We’ll do it together.

Sign up here!