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[PODCAST 285]: Your Ideal Planning Spectrum
(All the awesome written and visual testimonials shared at the beginning of this podcast can be found at the bottom of these show notes.)
If it takes a full hour to plan your week–and the house must be dead silent, your family members need to be happily occupied with other things, and you need your best energy to think–how often will that actually happen?
Maybe you’re in a stage of life where you have total control of your time and this is a regular occurrence (yay for you!), but today I’m sharing a few ideas to help identify your ideal planning spectrum, which means that you can stay on top of things and maintain a general sense of calm, whether you have tons of time or you’re simply squeezing in a few minutes of planning while a frozen dinner is in the microwave.
Let’s start with the high end of the spectrum.
What would you need in order to feel TOTALLY calm, organized, and ready for the coming week?
For me, it looks something like this:
Now let’s go to the lower end of the spectrum.
I actually shouldn’t call it “lower” because it isn’t “worse.” It’s just going to take less time and won’t be as thorough.
I actually DID have an ideal planning session this past Sunday. Here’s the photo:
But my planning sessions during the five prior weeks were super simple.
Our daughter Alia and grandson came to visit, so I was in full “nana mode” the first week. Eric and I took a little trip together for 5 days during the second week. Then Alia had an emergency surgery (which she spoke about in episode 283), so I flew out to help her Monday through Friday of the third week. During the fourth week, I went into “catch-up mode” here at home, and then Eric and I went to a business conference out of state for a few days during the fifth week.
During that whole time, my planning system looked something like this:
So how do you find your ideal spectrum?
This is obviously a personal decision, but I encourage you to ask yourself a few questions:
(1) In an ideal world, what kinds of things could I do during my planning sessions and what kinds of routines could I create so my mind and home environment could feel completely calm and I can feel present? (This will be your top line.)
(2) If I choose not to do an “in-depth” planning session one week (or several weeks in a row) because something else is a higher priority, how will I keep track of my appointments, tasks, projects, papers, and basic routines so I don’t abandon organization altogether? (This will be your bottom line.)
(3) Are there any habits or perspectives I need to change so I don’t end up overwhelmed when life gets busy?
These are just a few questions to get you started, but hopefully you can tailor these to meet your needs. The goal is to work toward your ideal, while never going below your minimum requirement, but being happy and content anywhere in the middle.
I wanted to share these thoughts on a podcast because even though we had a busy few weeks, I didn’t feel stressed, and everything that needed to get done did get done.
I did deliberately postpone several projects, I wasn’t able to be in multiple places at the same time, and I had to let go of some expectations I’d set for myself, but being organized isn’t about doing tons of tasks. It’s about knowing what your priority is and then having systems in place so you can actually focus on that priority while everything else is safely waiting for your future decisions.
Sending lots of love, and if you have a comment or questions, please submit it below! Happy planning!
Community Highlights:
April wrote, “Processed a pile, found missing new Health Savings Account cards AND 3 checks totaling around $850!!! On a positive note I demonstrated to hubby the processing step and its relevance!! At least all were from end of August and are still good to deposit!”
Related Links:
Book: Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself
Get the brand-new LearnDoBecome Welcome Kit here!
Free Training, How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles
Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!
The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.
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By Learn | Do | Become(All the awesome written and visual testimonials shared at the beginning of this podcast can be found at the bottom of these show notes.)
If it takes a full hour to plan your week–and the house must be dead silent, your family members need to be happily occupied with other things, and you need your best energy to think–how often will that actually happen?
Maybe you’re in a stage of life where you have total control of your time and this is a regular occurrence (yay for you!), but today I’m sharing a few ideas to help identify your ideal planning spectrum, which means that you can stay on top of things and maintain a general sense of calm, whether you have tons of time or you’re simply squeezing in a few minutes of planning while a frozen dinner is in the microwave.
Let’s start with the high end of the spectrum.
What would you need in order to feel TOTALLY calm, organized, and ready for the coming week?
For me, it looks something like this:
Now let’s go to the lower end of the spectrum.
I actually shouldn’t call it “lower” because it isn’t “worse.” It’s just going to take less time and won’t be as thorough.
I actually DID have an ideal planning session this past Sunday. Here’s the photo:
But my planning sessions during the five prior weeks were super simple.
Our daughter Alia and grandson came to visit, so I was in full “nana mode” the first week. Eric and I took a little trip together for 5 days during the second week. Then Alia had an emergency surgery (which she spoke about in episode 283), so I flew out to help her Monday through Friday of the third week. During the fourth week, I went into “catch-up mode” here at home, and then Eric and I went to a business conference out of state for a few days during the fifth week.
During that whole time, my planning system looked something like this:
So how do you find your ideal spectrum?
This is obviously a personal decision, but I encourage you to ask yourself a few questions:
(1) In an ideal world, what kinds of things could I do during my planning sessions and what kinds of routines could I create so my mind and home environment could feel completely calm and I can feel present? (This will be your top line.)
(2) If I choose not to do an “in-depth” planning session one week (or several weeks in a row) because something else is a higher priority, how will I keep track of my appointments, tasks, projects, papers, and basic routines so I don’t abandon organization altogether? (This will be your bottom line.)
(3) Are there any habits or perspectives I need to change so I don’t end up overwhelmed when life gets busy?
These are just a few questions to get you started, but hopefully you can tailor these to meet your needs. The goal is to work toward your ideal, while never going below your minimum requirement, but being happy and content anywhere in the middle.
I wanted to share these thoughts on a podcast because even though we had a busy few weeks, I didn’t feel stressed, and everything that needed to get done did get done.
I did deliberately postpone several projects, I wasn’t able to be in multiple places at the same time, and I had to let go of some expectations I’d set for myself, but being organized isn’t about doing tons of tasks. It’s about knowing what your priority is and then having systems in place so you can actually focus on that priority while everything else is safely waiting for your future decisions.
Sending lots of love, and if you have a comment or questions, please submit it below! Happy planning!
Community Highlights:
April wrote, “Processed a pile, found missing new Health Savings Account cards AND 3 checks totaling around $850!!! On a positive note I demonstrated to hubby the processing step and its relevance!! At least all were from end of August and are still good to deposit!”
Related Links:
Book: Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself
Get the brand-new LearnDoBecome Welcome Kit here!
Free Training, How to Finally Stop Drowning in Piles
Our Steps to Everyday Productivity program!
The ARISE Membership– an amazing gathering place for community members that are using their Command Centrals to refine relationships, health, finances, individual purpose, and more. We focus on a new topic each month, and this is an amazing opportunity to receive coaching and support from Team LearnDoBecome. You can sign up for a free, 60-day trial here.