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Planning For God’s Glory—Or Your Own?

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You know—God is amazing!  He works in the little things, but usually, we only notice Him in the big things.  Sad.  Because it’s in the little things where we can be truly faithful and follow His course. 

After getting jazzed about planning this year (and I’m still over-the-top jazzed!) God woke me up last weekend to realize this.   Everything I do—everything you do—is for His glory and in His plan for our lives!

So then, of course, planning would rank pretty high on our lists!  Why?  Because, if you can commit to using all the hours, days, weeks, and years for doing our best for Him (not to get into heaven; I’m not talking about that kind of work!) you’ll know you’re doing the best with the limited time you have.  Exciting isn’t it?!

My tips for you this week:

  • Meditate—take a break here and there from the busy rush of life.
  • Think about what God brings to your mind.
  • Pray.  Pray for wisdom to discern both what you need to do and what you need to stop doing.
  • Then get that planner out and start crossing things off and adding things into each week and day!  It’s the only way you can really know you’re using each moment to do the best you can with what you’ve been given!

So there!  Won’t you join me in using this life for the best God intended it to be?!

He knows just what you need.  Trust.

Blessings this week!

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Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.  Colossians 3:17

Simple Steps To Gain Sanity Through Planning

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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! 

  1.  Categorize
  2.  Brainstorm
  3.  Add Sub-Tasks
  4.  Ask Questions and Add Details
  5.  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!

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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!

3 Steps To Stop The Chaos…Why You Need A Plan!

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Why You Need A Plan

Are You Guilty Of Creating Chaos?

Did you know you can create chaos through lack of planning?  Does a feeling of insanity ever come to mind?  Then this post is for you—the eternally busy person with lots of to-do’s in their day, lots of people in their life, and lots of ideas in their mind.  Somehow, some way, you need to make a plan.  You need to get all the details of life organized so you can live above all the noise!

What’s the reward?  Organization and order which bring calm, peace, and sanity.  

You will gain sanity through planning. 

Life’s busy for all of us, but the extent of that “busy” will depend on your season of life and your personality.  If you have lots of ideas, goals, dreams, and projects you know what I mean when I talk of chaos and stress.  And you need this post!  If you enjoy a more simple lifestyle, you may not have big goals and lots of projects.  For you, order comes more naturally.  This post will help you stay sane when the busier seasons of life come.

I’m not a person who organically finds order in my day—but I crave it as I juggle all my responsibilities.  Because I’m in the trenches like you, I’m seeking that balance between my always-saying-yes-to-great-opportunities personality and the reality that I need some structure and routine in my life!  It’s given me plenty of opportunities to learn about planning, goal setting, brainstorming, planners, and more.

How about you?  Do you want the peace of mind that comes from choosing to use your time well?  But where do you start?  Let me share some of what I’ve learned along the way!

Planning — Let’s Start With The “Why’s”

As you work through these steps and think hard about what it will take to accomplish your goals, you’ll discover activities or belongings that are just keeping you busy.  They aren’t really helping you.  You’ll see other things that stand out as really important.  Sifting the time-wasters out of your life will help you turn down the noise in your own corner of the world!

#1  —  First Things First – Why You Need A Plan

We all need a place to record our calendar items, the dates and times for events.  Don’t just hope you’ll remember.  Record them somewhere or you’ll forget one of them.  Don’t ask how I know! :o)

 When we know what’s next on our plate, it’s so much easier to enjoy the meal.  Right?!

My Living Well Planner just arrived!  I am so excited to have a new space to not only keep track of my events and to-do’s—but to plan and develop a system to reach my goals this year.  (You’ll see what’s on my goals list below!)

Why am I so excited to get my planner?  I love the motivation of starting fresh with a new perspective!  My tendency is to write a to-do list or a brainstorm list (like everyone tells you to).  Then, I get lazy.  I use the list to choose what I feel like doing—then I record what I did in my day.  Note the past tense verb!  No planning.  Just a list of to-do’s, then haphazard actions toward getting them done, and recording what I did in my planner.  All with the hope they were the best things to get done.  Argh.  But there is a better way!

Here’s a little side story of how habits can stop serving us.  My daughter-in-law happened to hear me talking about how this year I’m going to actually use my planner to plan, not just record what I did on a day.  She outright laughed!  She said, “You mean you write down what you did after you did it?!”  That’s when I realized I’d been operating on pre-cell-phone-era habits. Back when the only way to remember life’s events was to write them down.  With email, Instagram, and Facebook we don’t need to keep track anymore.  We have a constant record of times and dates of events!   

In what ways are you operating on old habits?  Remember, a planner isn’t just a glorified calendar.  It’s actually for planning all those activities ahead of time!  Novel idea, huh?!

If you’re new to organizing and using a planner, this post will help you see even more benefits of planning.  You can learn about all the different styles of planners here.  My recent post, Time to Get Organized, has lots of helpful links and ideas to get you started thinking about the bigger picture of your life.

Why You Need A Plan

#2  —  The Importance of Having Goals & Finding Accountability

Like the song from Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning.”  A really good place to start is with what you want to accomplish…this year, in the next five years, or beyond.  Your goal could be as simple as “clean out all my closets” or as complicated as “get my doctorate degree.”   Based on the amount of time needed to do it, work your way backward using a calendar to see when you need to get started in order to make it happen!  (The “How” steps in my next post will make this less overwhelming.  I promise!)

You’ll quickly discover you need a place to map out your course.  Plus, it’s easy to miss the important step of how to stay on track with those goals.   A planner is the perfect tool for self-accountability…

…but we often miss another driving factor—outside accountability.  Share your plans and goals with a like-minded friend, your spouse, or kids!  It will motivate you to stay on track.  The pressure of commitment helps you remember you were actually headed somewhere.  Plus, you’ll gain a new perspective.

Let that special “someone” in on your plan to get organized, reach for a dream, or hit the bullseye on a goal.  When you talk through your ideas, you’ll actually hear what you’re saying out loud, which helps hone your thoughts.  Plus, that person wants to help you stay on track especially if they have something you can help them accomplish.  Find your  “someone” and let them in on your dreams!

Here are my goals for 2018-2019:

  • Really use my planner to bring order out of the chaos of having too many things to do and not enough time to do them.
  • Gain order in my home after 16 months of moving in and remodeling.
  • Update and revise this blog — hone my message; reach more readers with encouragement and ideas, develop great tools to help them live above the noise.
  • Write a book!  This is one scary goal to share!  Over the years, friends encouraged me to write a book using my experiences and ideas.  My book is for parents—to help them realize their potential in teaching their kids to think, love learning, be responsible, along with discovering their child’s individual “why.”  I also love to encourage the entrepreneur in people, so we’ll see where I fit that in!
  • Develop discipline to stay on course with my responsibilities, goals, and my plan.

Okay, so are you ready to get accountable for your goals?  Share them!  Write them on your Facebook page or post in the comments below.  Accountability is good for us—it encourages us to know other people are hiking over the same rough terrain we are.   We root for them while they cheer us on!  Let’s get going on our goals together!

Why You Need A Plan

#3  —  The Importance of Having A Planner — And Using It!

You know the old adage, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  It’s a no-brainer.  The busier life gets the more we need to plan.  A plan keeps things from slipping through the cracks.  Remember, all the stuff accumulating on our list along with those last-minute fire drills keep us from working on our bigger goals.  We get sidetracked and forget what’s important!  Planning actually helps you weed out the unimportant and it quiets your to-do list!

So…the solution?  Get that planner!  Take it from an over-analyzer.  Just decide.  I’ve used lots of planners over the years, but I’ve never found the perfect one.  I’d procrastinate for months on end, trying to find the one planner suited just for me and my season.  I’ve tried to save money by designing my own.  But doing so much research always puts me behind.  I’m finally realizing something.  It doesn’t have to be perfect!  And I don’t have to do all the work!  Ahhh.  (You’ll find free ready-made planner templates at Canva or you can choose from a variety of pre-made planners.)

In the 2nd picture in this post, I’m using Ruth Soukup’s weekly and daily planning pages (you can find them in her planner and on her website.  I don’t have the routine down yet, but because PROGRESS is my word this year I’m committed to working on self-discipline and gaining order in my day!  Messing up isn’t going to stop me.  Don’t let it stop you, either!

Don’t forget this! 

When we think it should be easy, we set ourselves up for disappointment when the going gets tough. 

The solution?  Expect reshaping habits to be painful.  Don’t let the pain stop you from reaching for your goals. 

Remember, the reward is sweet!

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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!

School’s Starting – Time To Get Organized!

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It’s that time of year again!  How did summer go by so fast?  If you’re like me, you’re thinking it’s also time to get organized.  I’ve decided — this is my year!  This is my year to start REALLY using my planner, not just for recording lists and what I did for the day.  But to REALLY plan my life, my year, my days!  Want to join me?

My goal?  To turn my journey into a Year-Long-Planner Challenge and to encourage you to share it with me.  Just maybe, the accountability of going public could push me (and you) to succeed!  If you’re up for a challenge this year — one to get your life in order and stop procrastinating on dreams, goals, and responsibilities — please join me!

Resources To Help You Get Organized

I’ve tried lots of planners over the years, and I’m finally narrowing down what actually works for me.  Read this post to find out the benefits of using a planner — and this post to see several different planner styles and how they might fit your needs and personality.  The key is finding what works for you!  The sky’s the limit online — hundreds of creative ideas for organizing your dreams and goals.  In future posts, I’ll highlight information from experts in goal setting and planning, so you can find what fits your personality.

Here are a few new ones since I did my research a few years ago….

The Big Happy Planner

A favorite with my daughters and me is the Big Happy Planner*.  I especially prefer the long columns to plan out the day, along with sections for to-do lists, meal planning, etc.  It has a monthly page for birthdays, goals, important dates, and a fun area to jot down activities you’re currently spending time on.  The feature that makes it stand out from the rest — it’s disc binding which gives you the ability to move pages around or even add your own!

The Living Well Planner

A planner I’ve considered for a few years is Ruth Soukup’s Living Well Planner but hesitated due to the cost.  Well, this year she’s giving a special price on the new design plus a few bonus planning sheets (but only until the end of August)!  So, yup, I went for the sale.  (I’m a sucker for a good deal!)  I’m super excited to get my new planner and begin to take charge of my days.  I like this planner so much, I’m willing to help promote it (thus my affiliate clause at the end of this post) because I know it will encourage busy women to get organized!

Another reason I love Ruth’s planner* is the multitude of detailed videos and guides she offers to anyone who wants to learn how to truly use a planner.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Brainstorm your responsibilities and to-do’s
  • Choose Big Goals
  • Develop an Action Plan by breaking those big goals into bite-sized steps
  • Plan each week and day to get MORE accomplished with less time WASTED

You can find Ruth’s planning posts here and detailed pics of each planner page here.  I can’t recommend these posts enough for motivating you to take action!

So if you’re in, shoot me a message on Facebook or jot me an email.  If you’re ready to take back your days and get that to-do list checked off, let’s get started.  Together.  That’s always the best way!

Start Here To Reach Your Goals

Planner Challenge To-Do List…

Here’s to taking control of our year and actually getting things done!

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Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.  Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.   Proverbs 6:6-8
*This asteric indicates that I may earn some compensation for these items IF you purchase through my website.  I only share products I love and use personally!  Thanks!
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When you desire to bring order to your life….

Living Well, Spending Less Affiliate

* I will receive, at no additional charge to you, compensation for any sale you make via this link for LWSL planners.  Thanks!