Failing to Plan
Planning:
I cannot understand people who do not plan. I am with Benjamin Franklin when he said “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” All of us have been given a precious gift of time and yet we are so ineffective with the way we use it.
Stuff that doesn't matter, people who are not important and tasks that we do not enjoy seem to gobble the bulk of our precious time. The 1000's of people that I speak to each year all nod their heads when I talk about doing too much of ‘what we have to’ instead of ‘what we want to’. No wonder people are stressed out, burnt out and tapped out!
Planning is my superpower and spending time creating strategies is never wasted. Regular planning is how I manage to fit so much into my world and keep myself sane.
Have regular meetings with yourself:
I am very visual and so love to be able to see what I have ahead of me. Every Monday, I have a meeting where I look at the week in close detail. Putting aside time to plan helps me to maximise my time and find ways to maximise my impact. At the end of each meeting, my head feels calm and clear and I know what has to be actioned. Check out my Monday Meeting Podcast - if you need some regular motivation.
Know your priorities:
If you don't know what's important to you, then you will have a hard time honouring yourself and others. I have weeks where I am completely dedicated to one or more of my children and other weeks where I am completely focused on a work project. When you are trying to be everything to everyone, it's hard to be intentional about anything. Our days can very easily get filled up with other people's priorities - if you don't know what yours are, then it's hard to make space for them.
Making time for 'have to's', 'need to's' and 'want to's':
The things we have to do are the things we are responsible for. Being at work for certain hours, providing meals for your family, attending meetings are all have to's. Your 'need to's' are the things that need to happen for your human needs to be met. Sleep, showering, laundry all fall into this category. And then there is the often overlooked category of 'want to's" - making time and giving yourself permission to do the things that you want to will dramatically improve your life. These are the things that your soul loves. The things that give you joy.
Build in prep time:
All things take time. Leaving out travel time, waiting time and preparation time is setting yourself up to fail. Most things take longer than I think they will and it's easy for your day to become 'overdrawn' very quickly! The older I get, the more space and padding I put into my day. Being rushed is overrated!
My 2025 Purpose Planner is nearly here! It's big and bold and the best investment you can make for making your year count! It's designed to help you to live on purpose and to make your life better. Join me for a free planning online event on Monday 18th November- 8pm - 9pm NZDT.