Durelle and Samantha Bailey
Durelle and Samantha Bailey used to struggle with accomplishing their New Year's resolutions.
Durelle, 30, told Business Insider that the married couple's goals felt too broad and left room for procrastination. Plus, having separate goals sometimes meant they weren't on the same page. While Durelle identifies as a saver, Samantha prioritizes spending money on travel.
Their careers inspired them to rethink how they set goals. Durelle, who is in the US Air Force, and Samantha, 30, who works as a recruitment marketing manager, saw how bigger organizations planned ahead with consistent cross-team meetings.
They realized that just like a corporation has multiple departments, their lives were also divided into categories like finance, travel, home, and professional advancement.
They held their first annual meeting in 2019, and have been hosting them every December since.
Durelle described it as a "game-changer." This year, they were able to hit their financial goal of collectively saving six figures. They also traveled more than they originally budgeted for, taking their dream trips to Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Nova Scotia, and Mexico while squeezing in smaller vacations.
They credit their end-of-year meetings. "Over the years, we've learned how to do them better," Durelle said.
Durelle and Samantha Bailey
The Baileys, who live in Washington, DC, always book a meeting room in a coworking space. It helps them get away from distractions at home, like their dogs. "It really locks us into what we're doing," Durelle said.
They each think of their goals a few weeks prior to the meeting. "We'll both take time to individually reflect on, 'Ok, what held us back this year? Were there some goals we didn't accomplish, and why?'" Samantha said.
Then they use the whiteboard to "brain dump everything we want out of the year ahead," she said, splitting the board into columns for different themes like "home" and "finance."
As they share their ideas, they discuss them with each other before committing to real goals. Some goals need to be more specific, and others might not be feasible for the year ahead.
Because they know each other so well, they can tell when the other person is setting a benchmark that's too high. Samantha gave the example of Durelle aspiring to read three times as many books as he had the past year. "We've learned to be realistic so that you don't set yourself up to be discouraged," she said.
It also helps them work through goals that might clash, like simultaneously saving money and spending it on travel.
Sitting down and looking at the bigger picture helps them prioritize where their money goes, allowing them to strike a balance.
Once they've decided on their goals, they transfer them to a shared spreadsheet with deadlines (such as a month or within a quarter) per goal. They also include drop-down options for status updates, like "in progress" and "completed." It helps them stay accountable.
Durelle and Samantha Bailey
The couple blocks off dates and locations they want to travel to in advance, so they can budget and properly schedule time off for vacations.
"Being more specific about it has helped make them a reality," Durelle said.
In addition to the spreadsheet, the couple hosts "life meetings" every week in their home to check in on their progress. They use the time to update the spreadsheet and talk through any obstacles. They also hold larger monthly meetings "just to kind of continue strategizing and making sure we're on track," Samantha said.
While it requires effort and consistency, the couple enjoys the sessions. "Just have fun with it — it's not meant to be stressful," Durelle said. The point is to find more direction for the year.
The couple says the routine meetings have helped them grow in their marriage. The Baileys were married at 22 and lived "paycheck to paycheck," Samantha said.
"This has really taught us to be intentional about our lives," she said. "When you have a plan and you're realistic about your goals, you can achieve them."
