One Thing at a Time: Harnessing Motivation in the New Year

Jena Muhr discusses her goals amid changing family routines in the New Year. What goals have you set for yourself and your family for 2026?

Every year, with all of the New Year energy floating around, I am tempted to redo all the things that have been going wrong in life lately. My thinking is that this is the time of year that everything can be made new and that it all has to start right now. Because it’s the beginning of the year and if I don’t fix everything in life that hasn’t been going as well then it will remain unfixed forever. 

Changes I'd Like to Make in 2026

For me the areas I would like to work on are: Running into school with milliseconds to spare. Not having time to review all of the math facts, spelling words and reading with the kids every night. Being late to church and needing to squeeze our family of six into a spot barely big enough for a family of four. And I need to get back into shape and lose the rest of the baby weight.

If I can get the baby to sleep through the night as well, that would be great. If we can magically fix all of the meal prep slacking, laundry buildup, and keep the car clean, too, it would be amazing.   

The truth is, these are all things that have been on my “to-be-fixed” or “work-in-progress” list for quite some time. I’m sure that you have your own list as well.  

One Thing at a Time 

This year, rather than trying to fix everything all at the same time, I am going to try working on things in bite-size portions. Hopefully this way I can have long lasting success rather than burning out of energy three weeks into the new year.   

Here is what I’ll be focusing my energies on to start the year:  

Sleep

The baby's sleeping schedule can and will be sorted out with a bit of planning and focus. This might be the first thing to conquer because once I start getting more sleep, everything else will get easier as well.   

Punctuality

Being on time (or early) to school and church both have similar roots. Getting out of the house five minutes earlier than we have been doing would help. Maybe getting the kids water bottles ready when I get their lunches out of the fridge will help shave a few minutes. Making sure that I leave enough time to feed the baby before we walk out the door would be good; 5 minutes isn’t enough.

Teaching the 7-year-old how to tie her own shoes would save time. Thinking through the plan of attack so I don’t have to run up and down the stairs eight times would be great too. But overall, I think that having the kids take a bit more ownership in getting their backpacks packed and all of their things prepped the night before will be the biggest thing.

For church, I think we honestly just need to start getting ready five minutes early, and that will allow for enough time to get an appropriately sized seat.   

Evening Routines

Evening routines with homework, flash cards and reading are busy times. I think we would have a lot more time in the afternoons if the kids were to do what they needed to the first time they were told, rather than waiting until they were told multiple times to do something. This will also need changes on my part:

• Being firm with timelines and expectations.
• Making sure that the kids are onboard with these changes or at least ready to follow them.
• Maybe have dessert tied to getting all their homework done before dinner? This might be a good incentive!  

Laundry

Other Household Tasks

• The car needs to be deep-cleaned once a month. I think this is manageable. 
• Meal prep: It’s like going to the dentist every week. Once it’s done and over, you’re glad you did it. 

Goals and Hopes 

In all honesty, getting back into shape will probably take care of itself as time goes on. Actually, all of these will sort themselves out as time goes on. And everything comes in seasons. Sometimes certain things are easier than others. But by focusing on these areas, I hope that they will sort out sooner and in a way that is beneficial for us as a family.  

Overall, my point is that all of the changes or fixes that you want to make in your family routines will get done. They can, most of the time, be worked out with a bit of concentration, planning, and full family support. However, it might be harder to try and do all of them all at the same time. Focusing on individual goals rather than trying to do them all at the same time will save stress and frustration in the long run.  

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Copyright 2026 Jena Muhr
Images: Canva