It will likely come as no shock to you that I AM A PLANNER. Always have been, always will be. I remember back in middle school, how much I loved the school planner that was given to us at the beginning of each school year. I would spend hours figuring out my highlighter color-coding for the year, the star and smiley-face symbols I would use to indicate incomplete vs complete assignments, and the ways I would schedule study time for tests vs. time blocks for completing homework. And, of course, the way I would check off the boxes every time I completed a task. Even back then, there was such satisfaction from a check mark!!
Can anyone relate or am I the only calendar nerd among us?
Fast forward to life as a professional and business owner; I still believe that planning is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. And, I believe that to be true for planners and non-planner alike. Hear me out.
The most common frustration I hear from clients, business connections, and friends these days is the feeling of being overwhelmed. Take a moment and ask yourself, when did you use that word last? How many times a day do you tell yourself, “I am so overwhelmed!”
Why are you feeling so overwhelmed, so often? What I have observed in many instances is that not only do we ask ourselves to do too much, we approach the workload without any real strategy. It’s the reactive mode of operation about which I speak quite often.
Is it logical? You be the judge.
If I gave you 500 pieces to a puzzle, without the full, completed image, and told you to put them together, would you feel overwhelmed? Of course you would!
If I asked you to pack the trunk of a tiny sports car with 10 large suitcases, would you be able to fit them inside successfully? Of course you wouldn’t!
These examples are basically what you are asking of yourself when you begin a work week, a project, or a business quarter, without a clear, documented plan in place.
It’s as if you have hundreds of puzzle pieces, without the frame.
It’s like having a project assigned to you, without knowing the defined constraints or limits within to work.
——————-
Overwhelmed is defined as “completely overcome in mind or feeling.” It is a mental state, much more often than it is a physical reality. I know that might hurt to hear, but can you see the truth in the matter?
As you wind down for the year, and dream big things for the new year approaching, be sure you are giving yourself the time to make some plans for 2022.
Make sure you aren’t expecting yourself to fit an elephant into a porsche.
Promise you won’t leave for your cross-country joyride without a roadmap.
Give yourself the gift of a proactive plan for how you will accomplish your goals and fulfill your plans in 2022. And be sure to keep giving yourself time throughout the year for planning and pivoting. Detours happen and targets often move.
And, if you need help making the plan look as colorful and cute as my middle school planner, you know where to find me. I’ll be armed and ready with my highlighters!
Recent Comments