If you are divorcing, it is easy to focus on what you don’t want and forget to think about what you do want. For instance: You don’t want to share a house and life with your partner anymore.
All well and good, but what do you want to do with that house you both currently live in? What kind of life do you want to live in the future? Here are some questions to ask yourself:
How much time do you want to spend with your children?
Does that seem a rude question to ask a loving parent? Consider this: If you have your children all the time, they will miss their other parent. Second, if you have them all the time, how will you work or have time for yourself? You need to be realistic and look at how you can share parenting duties. Except in specific circumstances, a court will believe that is best for your child.
Where do you want to live?
This is even more important if you are a parent, as your child needs contact with both parents. That could limit how far you could move.
How much do you want to work, and what job do you want to do?
How hard you work is not always a choice. Sometimes you have no option but to work seven days a week. Yet, if you sacrificed your career and earning potential for your marriage, you might look at claiming money in the divorce to fund retraining so that you can make more but work less.
Deciding you are going to divorce is one thing. Preparing for life afterward is another. Having clear goals helps you set realistic goals for finances and custody settlements.