Creating Your Plan Archives - Living Above the Noise

Fear Of Planning — It’s A Real Thing!

Guess what?! There really is such a thing as the fear of planning! You know that feeling — you want to fill out the next week in your planner but you’re gripped with panic from not knowing what to put on your to-do list. You feel the apprehension of putting something on a wrong day and risking it won’t get done. Then what?!

Teleophobia, also spelled “Telophobia,” is the unreasonable and irrational fear of making definite plans and may also extend to the fear of religious rituals, such as weddings, funerals, and Sunday services. It is seemingly related to a fear of losing control and is similar to the fear of confinement or of making commitments. The person feels restricted or tied down by other people’s agendas.

Oh my, do I know what this fear feels like! I’ve always been hesitant to move forward in my plans — I guess it’s my “hyper-responsible” tendency always wanting to do the “right” thing! But by committing to a year of planning, I’m actually overcoming my fear and finding it’s getting easier to go with the flow and just get things done!

My Start Of The Year — It Didn’t Go Off With A Bang!

We’re finally got Christmas “put away” in our house with January winding down! Yup…we took our time! ;) But time and circumstances (and still enjoying the twinkling lights!) slowed us w-a-y down as our family and extended family got the virus RSV. Not a good thing to get sick when all I wanted is do was run into the New Year!

But you know what? The longer I live, the more I understand the secret to being content — knowing I’m not in control. So I’m okay with this slowdown and plans not going my way. I’m learning to get the best out of each situation (it’s taken decades!). The mantras all around us say, “Be your own boss.” and “No matter what, you can make anything happen.” Yet, you and I know we aren’t really in control of it all. God is. We do have limitations. (Sorry to burst your bubble.)

Don’t Be Discouraged!

Every day we have way more control than I’m sure we actually like! But not total control.

We have control over what we add to our to-do list and onto our schedules.
We have control over how we handle the multitude of responsibilities in our sphere of influence.
And we have control over how we handle what doesn’t go our way.

So press on…

Be encouraged to get on with it.
Get excited to begin the year running.
Don’t be afraid to have lots of goals.
Just don’t expect it to go exactly the way you expected when you wrote in those little boxes in your planner! Really, it’s o-k-a-y!

Picture This!

Picture how discouraging it is when you have a great plan underway but then you get sick — or your cat gets hurt and that means a trip to the vet — or you get a flat tire — or the dishwasher backs up just as you were planning to get those thank-you notes written, or clean the closets, or create your business plan! Life happens.

But here’s the thing —

In order to know what to do every day we need a plan, and that starts with having goals.
To turn goals into reality, we have to list out the necessary tasks.
To get those tasks done, they need to go on a calendar, and preferably on a specific week or day!
Here’s the kicker — the reality is this — we will see things get bumped on our schedule. And often.

But you know what the really important thing is? How we deal with those bumps is what matters the most! My response to things not going my way gives me a hint of what’s really important to me. (Take time to answer these questions – it’s good for us to see what’s really behind our actions.)

When I’m frustrated with my messed up plan…

Is it that I really wanted a perfect schedule over a practical one?
Possibly I just want things to go my way and not anyone else’s?
Could it be that I want to be more like ______ than who I am right now? (You stick in whoever comes to mind that you value or even secretly idolize.)
Maybe I think life should look one way when God really wants me to evaluate what’s most important in life (and it might not be that perfectly Pinterest bedroom ;)

Go Ahead — Plan Anyway

Be flexible. Don’t stress. Plan anyway.

Think about all the explorers, scientists, and inventors who made headway one day only to have their plans disrupted the next. The key is — it didn’t stop them!

Envisioning a better day or life or relationship will move us forward. We’re like the explorers — we’re just exploring our own life and where we’re headed. It might not turn out exactly how we planned or perfectly on our timetable, but we are moving forward. So stay the course!

My Planning This Month

I got so busy last month that I missed posting my planner progress. Yes, I was not organized and let Christmas prep get the best of me! But I did have one goal — to enjoy the month celebrating with family and friends. We clocked in 6 parties in December, had 34 people in our home for New Year’s and each party and person was enjoyed to the fullest. So in the end, it was a win!

My encouragement for you:

Don’t let the Fear of Planning stop you. ~ Failure to meet your goals or “shoulds” is okay. ~ Use them to Fuel you! ~ Look for the Wins.

Even though I have yet to find the perfect planner (hah – surprise, surprise!) I do love the planning pages at the start of each month in Ruth Soukup’s *Living Well Planner. (see above pic) They encourage me to dream a bit, set time aside to look at reality and what I want to get done, plus I can review my past months to see how well I did! Highly recommended. (More posts on planners, here and here.)

So, here’s to the New Year, one that produces joy and success for each one of you, in your own way and your own timing!

The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

*Zero pressure from us to purchase anything, but if you make a purchase through one of these links, you will help to support the work we do here at Living Above The Noise.

Simple Steps To Gain Sanity Through Planning

By livingabovethenoise

First Things First—Be Willing To Do the Work!

This post has the potential to bring order to your busy life. You really can gain sanity through planning. But you have to be prepared to do the work!

Yikes, maybe that’s not the best start to a post with the word “Simple” in its title! But, it’s true and I’m not going to fool you. You and I need to be willing to get past the lazy troll who lives within us and do the tough stuff. I’m sorry, but it’s just reality! If you’re new to this topic, you can find my post on why you need a plan in the first place, here. Now let’s get started!

We all know the chaos that reigns as we get busier and busier in life. There is just so much to do and not enough time to do it! But by following these steps, you will see clarity in getting things done — along with what’s really important to you and what’s just fluff on your to-do list. We get so generic in what we put on our to-do lists that we miss what’s really necessary. Read through this post, then read it again from your own life perspective in order to really see the picture from a 40,000-foot view of your life.

Remember, the steps are simple, it’s the work that’s hard—but oh, the reward is sweet!

The “How To’s” Of Developing Planning Habits

So here are the simple steps I promised you. Remember—as we repeat these steps, they’ll get easier, plus we’ll be forming habits to increase our productivity. And guess what? You can start this process before you get your planner!

Categorize
Brainstorm
Add Sub-Tasks
Ask Questions and Add Details
Set Due Dates

A lot of people recommend starting with a brainstorm session. Personally, I find categorizing my areas of responsibility first helps me hone in on the most important areas of my life, rather than lumping them all into one pile.

#1 — Categorize

This is pretty simple. Categorize your main areas of responsibility:

Home — Family — Work — Self — Finances — Relationships — etc.

#2 Brainstorm

(This section and the next Subtask section go hand-in-hand but the importance of doing both is often missed in most planning tutorials.) KEY – this isn’t the place to start writing down your specific to-do’s! Hang in there.

Under each category heading, brainstorm all areas that need your attention — the ones that drive you crazy and/or are simply your responsibility. Keep them basic (see example below). List out any projects, rooms to keep up, events, etc. **If you over-think and write down all your tasks and to-do’s, it makes it much more difficult when it comes time to decide which task is more important then another. (Believe me, I’ve done this wrong for years and wondered why my big stuff never got done!)

A lightbulb went off for me when I listened to a webinar by Sue Hollowell, a project manager turned life-coach. Under each category of responsibility, she recommends using Nouns to describe the things that need your attention. Think of these as the place or the thing needing attention, not the actual activity or task. This keeps you focused on the main goal, not getting sidetracked on the details before you have a plan!

Examples: (remember—use nouns!)

Home: Bathroom Remodel — Chores — Garden — Clutter — Garage — etc.

Family: Homeschool — Birthdays — Vacations — Clothing — etc.

You can add a “Miscellaneous” heading under each category. It’s good to have a place to keep track of your less important tasks without taking up prime space under your main categories.

#3 Add Subtasks

Now you’ll add specific tasks under each project and responsibility. So, start with the project, then add the subtasks to get the job done. Jeff Goins, author, explains it this way —

“Anytime a task on your to-do list has more than one item on it (requires multiple tasks to get it done), you will get bogged down.”

Why? Because that “one task” seems monumental to accomplish! It’s not clear enough to let you know what it will take to get the job done. You’ll keep passing over it due to lack of clarity on what should come first. So you’ll avoid it! Instead, avoid the overwhelm. Detail out each responsibility and the job becomes clear!

Here’s another way to picture it. What if you wrote down, “Sort through closets.” You’ll think of this job as pretty time intensive. It will seem overwhelming due to its sheer size. If you’re like me, you’ll put it off because it’s so foggy in details.

Before you can really plan for a project, each task needs to be broken down into the sub-tasks required to accomplish it. These are the things you place on your to-do list, NOT the bigger picture projects. Those stay on the brainstorm list.

Specify each area of responsibility and all the details needed for you to gain the “order” you desire. Examples:

Garage: buy doormats, sort boxes, sweep, wipe off shelves…
Clutter: put sweaters in totes, go through closets and give away anything that doesn’t fit, organize shoes, dust shelves…
Chores: dust 1/month, vacuum 2x/week, wash windows 2/year…
Garden: water weekly, buy fertilizer, fertilize every other week, weed 1/month, have Bruce get mulch and add 3″ to beds, plant roses…

Do you see how this highlights the time and tools and people needed for a job? This makes planning so much easier!

#4 Ask Questions And Add Details

Now is the time to ask lots of questions. The answers will add the necessary details to your list. Instead of having a foggy idea, you’ll know exactly what it will take to reach your goal. You may even discover that purchasing a simple tool or not knowing a step is all that’s holding you back!

Where do I start? How much time do I plan for? (Clean garage 3 hrs. on Saturday – all family needed)
In what order does each task need to be done? List out each step. (Sweep. Pressure wash. Throw out old tools/toys. Straighten totes on shelves.)
When will you need a tool or a person to help? (Buy new cleaning rags, doormats. Bruce get pressure washer set up.)

#5 Set Due Dates

Set the desired end date for each goal, project, or activity. Consider when you want or need to accomplish a goal and choose a due date. Work around events already on your calendar. Then work backward from that date on your calendar, portioning out your time and tasks right back to today!

#6 Next & Last Step — Add Tasks To Your Planner Calendar!

Just do it! Start adding tasks to those little boxes on your planner. This seems like such a basic step yet it can feel so difficult to commit to. We don’t want to put it on the “wrong” day. We worry something else will come up or we won’t have enough time to do it. This century demands busy schedules. We get mired in the chaos and forget to make a plan. But we really need a strategy! Again, just do it!

Begin adding tasks to your weekly schedule. Choose to treat these tasks like actual appointments you make with yourself. Act like you would at work — like you’re getting paid for your time and your projects. Be the CEO of your life! Once you do, you’ll see this process take a complicated list of tasks and responsibilities and bring order and sanity into your life!

Whew! We covered a lot! Read these steps again, picturing your life and responsibilities. It will begin to make sense. Then follow the steps in a few areas you want to work on. But, most importantly —

Don’t Quit!* — You can do this!

*And I really mean don’t quit! I had to remind myself of this the other day. I had a plan — a really good one. But my day was filled with unexpected events. Think: dog gets hurt and may need a vet visit; son needs to make a last-minute birthday gift order; mother-in-law needs emergency doctor appointment. You get the picture!

This is life. Full of unexpected events. It evolves and changes even though we have a plan.

Please don’t let that stop you from gaining order. Adjust as necessary.

And don’t let it stop you from reaching for your goals. One day at a time!

The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty. Proverbs 21:5

No pressure to purchase anything, but if you make a purchase through one of these links, you will help to support the work I do here at Living Above The Noise. Thanks!

Goals…and A Planner – A Necessary Part of Success

By livingabovethenoise

Goals are an often discussed topic this time of year. They’ve certainly been on my mind as I consider what this year might hold. But moving from having a “goal” to actually getting it done is another story.

I look at it this way, I have two options:

Continue on as I so often do, hoping things will get better, wishing I’ll become more organized, wanting to do better at my homeschooling goals, dreaming my home would be neater, and desiring to growing in my relationships. OR….
I can choose to live differently, doing more than just think about what I need/want to accomplish. Take time to set my sites on my goals and then plan organizational and proactive activities into each day that will accomplish those goals. List out duties I am accountable for to help my family live out their goals in a comfortable home while developing strong bonds with family and friends.

Choices

It’s always a choice, isn’t it? Discipline is always something we must make ourselves do. It’s never something that just happens simply by osmosis. We can talk and think and hope for all those changes to take place, but the cart just won’t move without getting the donkey in front of it! And guess what? Each one of us is that donkey (oh, I’m sorely tempted to use the other word here, but I’ll contain myself! :o) and we must do the hard work of moving into the tasks at hand and forging forward toward our dreams and into our responsibilities.

So, as I begin a new season, I am choosing to move, choosing to grab hold of another year, another day to “get it right”.

I’ll start by brainstorming (stating and listing out my goals), not just dreaming about them.
Then I’ll make a plan and seek the best way to implement it.
I guess I’m a bit stubborn, but I maintain a hopeful and determined attitude that all is not lost when my plans didn’t evolve. Very possibly one or two of the things I dream of and set as goals for this year or this life, might just happen, but not without lots of hard work and determination.
Now I must hold onto that picture, trusting God to show me what’s worth my time – and what’s not. As I trust my life and energy to obeying, serving, and glorifying God in this life, He will reveal what’s important but also He will choose the outcome, success or failure. I love the fact that even a failure is still a success in His plan – it teaches or protects in a loving way.

Get A Planner!

So how will I begin this quest? Of course, with prayer, but more tangibly, I ordered a new planner. (smile) I’m excited to find one with plenty of pages designed for me to: get organized, plan, and maintain those plans; set goals, build relationships, plan holidays, and jot notes to myself; plus it includes cute designs with quotes and verses to remind me of God’s love and ways I can share that love with those around me.

I searched for weeks and looked at literally hundreds of planners, both pre-printed and reproducible versions. I share those finds in my next post, so click here to read about the many options available.

In a nutshell, I recommend you FIND A PLACE, no matter what it looks like (a notebook, a printed or computer planner, even a decorative personal planner) just a place to jot down your thoughts, dreams, plans, to do list, calendar items. Don’t keep them swimming around in your head, hoping they’ll somehow develop into a plan or system all on their own. Write them down, organize them, prioritize them, and like Francis Chan says in his wonderful book, You & Me Forever, “Just do something.“

When it comes to goal setting, proactivity, and responsibility, my own ‘fortune cookie proverb’,

“Do nothing, expect nothing in return. Do something, and you will certainly see results.”

Don’t seek perfection, simply seek God, and you will find your way, His way! His love is unending and everlasting. But there is still work for you to do. Trust, obey, and get to work!