How to Set Effective Emergency Preparedness Goals

Set effective Emergency Preparedness Goals using this printable worksheet

Christmas is around the corner, and that means that the new year is coming fast.  I love this time of year.

Christmas brings out the best in so many of us, and it restores my faith in the goodness of humanity.   It also encourages some soul searching.  I ponder my relationship with my Savior more during December than almost any other time.

Emergency Preparedness Goals Free Printable Worksheet | Set flexible, yet SMART emergency preparedness goals that you can actually accomplish.

The new year brings a clean slate and fresh opportunities to grow and change–often based on the soul searching I just mentioned.  We make plans and set goals, including emergency preparedness goals (at least I hope you do!).

SMART Emergency Preparedness Goals

I’ve always been a goal lover.  I am a red/blue personality with strong perfectionist tendencies.  As part of that, I’ve spent my life setting goals.

S-M-A-R-T goals have been my “thing:”

  • S – Specific
  • M – Measurable
  • A – Attainable
  • R – Recorded
  • T – Timely

Throughout my life, I’ve measured my success–and sadly even my worth by my ability to achieve things–to reach my “SMART” goals.

A Change of Perspective

However, overtime, and more particularly this past year, I’ve changed my perspective a bit.   All my “SMART” goals began to feel very confining and restrictive–there wasn’t a way “out” of them!  And yet sometimes, I needed a way out!  Hiccups happen in life, and specific goals with a specific deadline can’t always be reached in specifically the way we’d imagined.

So I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with SMART goals.

  • On one hand, if goals aren’t specific and measurable (SMART), how will you ever know when you have accomplished them?
  • But on the other hand, if goals are too confining and restrictive, you may just give up on them when life throws you a curveball.

A Solution

I have found the solution is to build flexibility into your goals in the form of benchmarks.

Every goal I set is “SMART,” but within that goal I set more flexible benchmarks–things I have to do/accomplish in order to reach my goal.

The benchmarks (aka steps) can be adapted and fine-tuned throughout the year as needed, as long as they still help me reach the overall SMART goal I set for myself.  In other words, the path I take to reach my goal can change, but the goal stays firm.

While this applies to all goals you might choose to set, I’d like to apply it to emergency preparedness goals today.

Five categories for Emergency Preparedness Goals

I have found that separating out my emergency preparedness goals into five categories helps me focus and hone in on what I actually want to accomplish.  Here are the five categories I focus on:

  1. Emergency Water Storage
  2. Food Storage
  3. Living without electricity
  4. First Aid
  5. Evacuation

I set two goals in each area:

  1. A skill goal, or something I want to learn to how to do in that area.
  2. A second “supply” goal or something I want to have by the end of the year.  I can either make OR buy this item.

Additional Resources for Setting Emergency Preparedness Goals

If you haven’t yet, I suggest you read through the following posts before setting your goals.  They will help you make the time for your goals, find money to reach your goals, and brainstorm what your goals should be.

Your Printable Emergency Preparedness Goal Worksheet

To help you create your SMART, yet flexible emergency preparedness goals, I’ve created a printable worksheet for you!  Simply click HERE or on the image below to download it.

download-emergency-preparedness-goals-worksheet

What are your emergency preparedness goals? Once you’ve filled out the worksheet, I’d love to know what goals you’ve set!  Leave a comment below!

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Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.

12 thoughts on “How to Set Effective Emergency Preparedness Goals”

  1. I have a 7 year schedule. Updating personal, financial info and security (I added cybersecurity this year) is ongoing. This first two years are about evacuation and emergency food while 3-6 years are about 3 month food storage (this is useless in India), skill building, and education. Year 7 is rest. This year, an education subject was communications. I spent 9 weeks developing a emergency communication while living in Mumbai. I concluded that everything will not work as high rise buildings block signals, phone lines and towers will fall (we are high risk of earthquakes). The only hope is the mosque across the street. When the next Year 5 rolls around, I will reeducate, depending where I am in the world. At the moment, the skill I’m learning is navigation by stars and a compass.

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  2. I just love you! You keep me reminded of all the things I need to do. Thank you for such a wonderful site. Keep up the great work.

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  3. cheese….I want to experiment with preserving cheese- wax, dehydrating, or whatever else I can find. Can’t wait to read about other goals!

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  4. Hi Misty-
    Thanks for your insight and thoughts on setting goals. BTW- I wanted to print out the worksheet but the link didn’t work. Is it just me or has anyone else had this problem?

    Reply
    • It wasn’t working for the first few hours, but should be now. Let me know if you still can’t print it and I can email it to you!

      Reply

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