Take it one day at a time. One step at a time. One bite at a time. Pace yourself. Set goals. Set limits.

There are many common and effective ways we try to improve ourselves. Sometimes we have a specific challenge to overcome, like weight-loss — and sometimes it’s a long-term goal, like learning not to over-commit yourself.

Like many (aka ALL) working moms, I am forever in a battle to achieve self-improvement. I feel like every Monday I have a new routine I’m determined to master. After the Holidays I swear I’ll eat healthier. In the New Year I’ll be consistent with my workout routines. Next week I will start a novel…or something other than children’s books.

I feel like with each goal set and attempt to be consistent for the long-haul, I just cannot make it stick. The kids’ lives combined with the ebbs and flows of work make life so unpredictable and inconsistent. My schedule literally changes every week and the kids always keep me guessing on whether or not they’ll sleep, be sick or have a bad dream…

Needless to say, my New Years Resolution is not exactly happening, so I’ve decided to change it. I’m going to continue chasing self-improvement, but I am going to do it one week at a time.

Each week I’m going to have a specific goal – and it will only be for that week.I view this as short-term challenges. SURELY I can do one thing for one week. This week my challenge is to do 10 minutes of strengthening exercises everyday. I have an app on my phone that tells me what to do. Making it simple. I do not need weights yet I feel like I’m using muscles…it’s just enough to stretch, move and hopefully strengthen a little bit.

Even though it’s only day 4 of this experiment, so far so good! Truthfully, I do not expect to keep up with it everyday in the long-term. My goal is really to prove to myself that I CAN find 10 minutes to do it. Maybe then I can do better at finding 3 or 4 days during the week and keep up with it that way. But the one week challenge is to actually accomplish these small steps in self-improvement.

Next week my goal is to read some meditation passages every day. Even one short passage a day is more than I’ve been doing, despite wanting to do it for a long time.

Another challenge on my list is to return correspondence to my Godmother and neighbor who is in basic training. I feel ridiculous for having to dedicate a week to getting these things done, but it’s still not done, so this is my way to tackle it.

Despite good intentions and proper motivation, there are too many wild cards with little kids and a busy work schedule. The variables are so variable that the plans never go as planned. So with that truth in mind, I am hoping that these short and specific goals — one week at at time — will help me improve in the ways I have been trying for.