PLANNING AS A LIFESTYLE

I want to explain how planning is a lifestyle and how it has improved every area of my life. 

Keep moving the needle a little each day, that’s how you achieve your goals.

INTENTION

When I say “planning” as a lifestyle, I’m really talking about using a planning system on a daily basis. This means looking at each day on an individual basis, and also looking ahead at a larger span of time. To me, this really means being intentional about how you spend your time. It’s deciding every day what you want to give your time and energy to. Using a planning system allows you to be intentional with your time and energy. 

WHY IT MATTERS

I don’t know about you, but I have big goals and big dreams. I don’t want to just sit idle and watch life pass me by. I want to take charge and take control of my time so that I can reach these big dreams. 

If you’re thinking “well I’m too busy, I’m too tired, I have too much going on to think about anything else,” I’m here to tell you we are all busy and we all have stuff going on. When you get to the point that your dreams matter more to you than doing nothing, you will get to work. You will want to be intentional with your time, because time is our greatest currency. 

REFERENCE

My brain processes information and remembers things best when I physically write it down. You may be able to use a digital planning system and that may work best for you! That’s great!

What’s important is that you have a place to jot down and reference your plans. Even if it’s a simple to-do list on your phone screen wallpaper, it’s something you can reference that will keep you on track with your overall goals. 

Keep moving the needle a little each day, that’s how you achieve your goals.

FLEXIBILITY

If you’re thinking that using a planner means being inflexible, here’s why that’s wrong. Using a planner helps you cement daily habits and helps you prioritize your tasks. This doesn’t mean accomplishing each task, at the exact minute you schedule it, and only sticking to a set schedule. 

It means having a place to decide what needs your attention for the day, and then acting on that. 

Sure plans will change, but as you build habits and systems into your days / weeks, you will be able to accomplish so much more than you would have otherwise. 

WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE FOR ME

I want to share what this looks like in my own life.

I use a personal size, customizable ring planning system. I have designed my own inserts to fit my needs and my lifestyle. 

I use monthly inserts as an overview to plan my weeks. My monthlies hold birthdays, anniversaries, appointments, etc. 

I use my weekly inserts every single day. I live in them. I love having space to organize each day, and then also be able to see the week as a whole. 

I am building my brand outside of working full-time. I use my weeklies to ensure I meet all my work priorities for each day. I have to jump around to different tasks a lot with my job, so I like to make sure I have my top 3-5 priorities for the day written into my planner so I can reference it throughout the day. I also include any deadlines for the week in my weekly inserts. 

Once I complete my work tasks, I utilize any extra time (if I have any) to accomplish some tasks for my brand. I keep a running to-do list on a sticky note that I transfer from week to week and will work on these tasks if I have extra time. 

I also utilize my evenings and weekends to work on my brand. 

I try to keep in mind what tasks I can do from my phone, like during my lunch breaks, such as work on content. Then I make note of things that are easier to accomplish on a computer or my laptop at home, like designing products or updating my shop. 

I have an entire section in my planner for my brand. I keep track of monthly stats, to-dos, blog and content ideas, sketches for new products, and more!

If I were not utilizing a planner on a daily basis, I would not be able to keep up with the tasks for my brand and would likely fizzle out. When you don’t keep working to move forward and see some progress along the way, it gets really easy to quit. 

Apart from building my brand, I also use my weeklies to keep track of my daily health and wellness. 

The weekly inserts I use (available in my shop) have 3 trackers along the bottom section. I use them for hydration, nutrition, and movement. 

This helps me stay on track with my health goals and ensures that I am taking care of myself. When you are working full-time and have so many other things going on, it gets easy to forget to drink enough water or exercise. So having the trackers where I see them everyday keeps me on track. 

ACCOUNTABILITY

In short, using a planning system on a daily basis helps you to hold yourself accountable and keep moving forward with the goals that matter to you. Don’t sell yourself short by not working towards your dreams. We are responsible for our own lives, and we all deserve to reach our full potential. Using a planner will allow you to document your success along the way. I can flip back through my planner and see all the days I completed a workout, or all the tasks I completed for my brand. The feeling of accomplishment is addicting, and once you see it for yourself, you will want to keep progressing. 

GET STARTED

I hope this post has motivated you to work towards your dreams. If you need help getting started with planning, refreshing your system, or if you need a simple planning routine printable to keep you consistent with planning, check out this new reference bundle in my shop.

If you need a more in-depth planning system, check out this guided workbook called the Goal-Getter. This guide will help you determine your goals, create an action plan to achieve them, and keep track of your progress along the way. This guide was designed out of my own experience with goal-setting.

MY ADVICE

If there is anything I have learned from building a brand that I would want to share, it’s to not get stuck in the planning phase and take action. I know that probably sounds crazy since this whole post was about the power of planning. Planning is an essential part, because you need to figure out what action steps you need to take. But don’t get so caught up in the planning that you never take the action. Focus on trying to do one action step per day towards your goal. Take baby steps and you will start to see the compounding results.

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