Discover the Freedom to Make Plans for What Matters Most
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Fear Of Planning — It’s A Real Thing!
Highlights:
This episode will encourage you to
- Pay attention to what’s holding you back from planning.
- What will help you develop a method for planning that works for you?
- Consider God’s call for you to manage your life.
- How well do you handle when things don’t go your way?
Fear Can Hold You Back
Fear could be holding you back from accomplishing your goals and dreams for your family, your home, and your life.
This episode will help you gain control of what feels out of control.
Caring for a family of 12, taught me to build schedules into my life. To find the most streamlined way to accomplish tasks — even though I had a fear of planning.
I had always used a calendar or planner – but I didn’t use it to plan. But 9 years ago, life was shifting and I realized I needed to actually plan my life!
And I created my own planner challenge. It literally changed my life. It helped me gain control of what felt out of control.
Wake up to the possibility of taking charge of your day and activities — of watching your responsibilities get accomplished.
God made us unique and with differing needs.
Some of you love schedules — to-do lists, and all the bells and whistles of getting it all done!
And some of you have a fear of planning. That feeling when you’re about to fill out your planner for the week and you’re gripped with panic — the fear that comes from not knowing what to put on your to-do list? You feel the tension of putting something on the wrong day, risking it won’t get done. And the sense of failure when things don’t get done — again
You can feed your insecurities and fears — or you can seek help and find tools to help you overcome them.
I want you to find freedom to make plans and see the growth and productivity that comes from it.
And the only way through the struggle – is through the struggle!
The secret to being content is knowing we’re not in control. Each day you have more control than you want — just not total control!
- You have to begin to find your sweet spot.
- Then you’ll see some level of success.
- You’ll learn to get comfortable with not getting it all done.
Life Happens –
But because we live in a more complicated world than we used to, there’s so many distractions and so many opportunities it’s really important to know:
- What to do every day — you need a plan — and that starts with having goals.
- How to turn goals into reality, you have to list out the necessary tasks.
- To get those tasks done, they need to go on a calendar, preferably on a specific week or day!
Be flexible. Don’t stress. Plan anyway.
Envisioning a better day — a great life — a healthy relationship will move you forward.
➡️ Don’t let the Fear of Planning stop you.
It will take work.
It will require that you trust and move forward anyway.
But it’s well worth it!
I believe your year will produce joy and success — in your way and your timing!
Time to Think:
But Don’t Be Discouraged!
Each day you have more control than you want — just not total control!
You have to begin to find your sweet spot. Then you’ll see some level of success. You’ll learn to get comfortable with not getting it all done.
- You have control over what you add to your to-do list and onto your schedules.
- You have control over how you handle the multitude of responsibilities in your sphere of influence.
- You have control over how you handle what doesn’t go your way.
Press on! Look at your successes, even the little ones.
- Be encouraged by the possibility of finishing a task or goal.
- Get excited to begin the year running. (Or end the year running – or skip through the summer!). Just get moving!
- Don’t be afraid to have lots of goals.
- Don’t expect your plan to go exactly the way you pictured!
- Take a deep breath in. Now exhale all the stress and fear out. Give it to God. Then move on in faith and peace. You can do this! One step at a time.
Take time to develop a “routine” – time slots that keep you on track, like:
- do these things before breakfast
- do these things before lunch
- do these things before dinner – or bedtime.
I’m encouraging you to:
- Consider what floats your boat.
- Think about how you’re wired so you can find a path through all your busyness and to-do lists.
- To help you discover what style works best for you.
When things don’t go your way, your response offers you a hint of what’s important to you.
It’s important to see what’s really behind your actions. Take time to answer these questions.
“When I’m frustrated with my messed up plan…
- does it reveal that I wanted a perfect schedule over a practical one?”
- could it be that I want things to go my way and not someone else’s?”
- is it because I want to be more like _________ than who I am right now?” (Fill in the name of someone you value or even secretly idolize.)
- maybe I think life should look one way when God wants me to evaluate what’s most important in my life.” (And it might not be that perfect Pinterest bedroom.)
In closing, my encouragement for you is this:
➡️ Don’t let the Fear of Planning stop you.
➡️ Failure to meet all of your “shoulds” and your goals is okay.
➡️ Use what didn’t work to fuel you – not stall you! Test things and be okay to try something else.
➡️ Look for the Wins. Review your year and find the wins! They’re there! You have to put on your binoculars – but you have to look for them.
Words to Remember:
Terry Covey @ Living Above the Noise:
- “You see this is something hugely important – can feed your insecurities and fears — or you can seek help and find tools to help you overcome them.”
- “The only way through the struggle – is through the struggle!”
- “The older I get, the more I know the secret to being content. And the key is knowing I’m not in control.”
- “One thing you must remember – and it’s a fact of life — you will see things get bumped on your schedule. And often. And what matters most is how you deal with those bumps!”
- Be flexible. Don’t stress. Plan anyway.
- Envisioning a better day — a great life — a healthy relationship will move you forward. You’re like those explorers. But you’re exploring your own life and where you’re headed.
Bible Verses:
“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:7
“Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her.
She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
Proverbs 4:5-15
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10-11
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function.” Romans 12:4
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.” Romans 12:4-6
“Do all things decently and in order.” 1 Corinthians 14:40
“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9
“It is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Phillipians 2:13
“For nothing will be impossible with God.” Luke 1:37
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
Resources:
- “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” — From Mint Lounge – The origin of the name is dubious, but according to the classic A Hog on Ice: & Other Curious Expressions (1948) by Charles Earle Funk, the phrase “skin the cat” was first seen in around 1845: “In America, as any country boy knows, this means to hang by the hands from a branch or bar, draw the legs up through the arms and over the branch, and pull oneself up into a sitting position. As we must abide by the record, we cannot say positively that the name for this violent small-boy exercise is more than a century old, but it is highly likely that Ben Franklin or earlier American lads had the same name for it.”
Writers have pointed to its use in the southern states of the US in reference to the catfish, often abbreviated to cat, a fish that is indeed usually skinned in preparing it for eating.
Mark Twain used your version in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court in 1889.
Confirmation from The Leisure Hour, 1879, that cats were used for womens’ furs, but with a denial they were ever skinned alive: “To skin a cat when it was alive would be utterly impossible. And secondly, it does not make any difference in the quality of the skin. - 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.
- “Decidophobia” is also a real term. It’s used to define the “irrational fear of making decisions.”
- For more inspiration, you can find more of my posts on planners and planning here:
Choosing A Planner….So Many Options!
3 Steps To Stop The Chaos…Why You Need A Plan!
School’s Starting! – You Need To Plan For the Perfect Day
- Think about all you heard today. The thoughts and questions and dreams and ideals you have.
- Pray about those to determine what’s most important and valuable.
- Make a Plan to implement those beliefs and values. Write them on a white board or get them printed on a wall hanging. The most important thing is to put them in front of you so you won’t forget them. So you can implement them daily and discuss them over dinner or when you need to discipline a child. Or make decisions with your husband.
- Do! Live them out. Make them your reality. And then watch as your family life transforms as you and your family gain the morale and confidence and trust in God’s plan for your family!
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