[PODCAST 285]: Your Ideal Planning Spectrum

(All the awesome written and visual testimonials shared at the beginning of this podcast can be found at the bottom of these show notes.)

If it takes a full hour to plan your week–and the house must be dead silent, your family members need to be happily occupied with other things, and you need your best energy to think–how often will that actually happen?

Maybe you’re in a stage of life where you have total control of your time and this is a regular occurrence (yay for you!), but today I’m sharing a few ideas to help identify your ideal planning spectrum, which means that you can stay on top of things and maintain a general sense of calm, whether you have tons of time or you’re simply squeezing in a few minutes of planning while a frozen dinner is in the microwave.

Let’s start with the high end of the spectrum.

What would you need in order to feel TOTALLY calm, organized, and ready for the coming week?

For me, it looks something like this:

I preview my calendar for a few minutes on a Thursday afternoon and note any events or activities I want to prioritize.
Then Eric and I hold our weekly planning meeting Friday morning–on time, with no rushing–and we go through the next 10-15 days on the calendar. We then talk about projects, outdoor activities, date nights, etc. that we want to fold into our week. We also discuss any parenting or family needs and identify ways we can work together to improve things. We end our planning session feeling connected and excited for the coming week.
Saturday, I tidy and clean the whole house, fill the car with gas, stock up on groceries for the week, and go to bed feeling calm and optimistic.
On Sunday, I create my week. I transfer my digitally calendared items to my paper planner–using my color-coded marking system, and then I map out how I want to grow that week–spiritually, physically, socially, in my marriage and family, and in our business and volunteer roles.
I review my annual goals and monthly Current Projects, update my Next Actions List, and note any tasks that I definitely want to fold into specific days.
Then I create my day for Monday morning, so I have a general plan for how I will fold in my routines, tasks, projects, errands, quiet time, relationships, etc.

Now let’s go to the lower end of the spectrum.

I actually shouldn’t call it “lower” because it isn’t “worse.” It’s just going to take less time and won’t be as thorough. 🙂

I actually DID have an ideal planning session this past Sunday. Here’s the photo:

But my planning sessions during the five prior weeks were super simple.

Our daughter Alia and grandson came to visit, so I was in full “nana mode” the first week. Eric and I took a little trip together for 5 days during the second week. Then Alia had an emergency surgery (which she spoke about in episode 283), so I flew out to help her Monday through Friday of the third week. During the fourth week, I went into “catch-up mode” here at home, and then Eric and I went to a business conference out of state for a few days during the fifth week.

During that whole time, my planning system looked something like this:

On Friday morning, I looked ahead at the calendar and my task list for 3 minutes and simplified everything I could.
Sometime Friday (we do try to keep to that day, but we sometimes drift into the weekend), Eric and I spoke briefly about where we needed to be/what we needed to do in the coming week.
I didn’t use my paper calendar at all. I just tucked it away in my desk, and I used my digital project manager to organize day-to-day tasks.
Each morning, I checked my calendar and date-specific tasks, did the bare minimum, and called it good.
Whenever I was home, I handled mail and papers immediately so nothing even went into my inbox.
The house got really dusty and the floors never got mopped.

So how do you find your ideal spectrum?

This is obviously a personal decision, but I encourage you to ask yourself a few questions:

(1) In an ideal world, what kinds of things could I do during my planning sessions and what kinds of routines could I create so my mind and home environment could feel completely calm and I can feel present? (This will be your top line.)

(2) If I choose not to do an “in-depth” planning session one week (or several weeks in a row) because something else is a higher priority, how will I keep track of my appointments, tasks, projects, papers, and basic routines so I don’t abandon organization altogether? (This will be your bottom line.)

(3) Are there any habits or perspectives I need to change so I don’t end up overwhelmed when life gets busy?

These are just a few questions to get you started, but hopefully you can tailor these to meet your needs. The goal is to work toward your ideal, while never going below your minimum requirement, but being happy and content anywhere in the middle.

I wanted to share these thoughts on a podcast because even though we had a busy few weeks, I didn’t feel stressed, and everything that needed to get done did get done.

I did deliberately postpone several projects, I wasn’t able to be in multiple places at the same time, and I had to let go of some expectations I’d set for myself, but being organized isn’t about doing tons of tasks. It’s about knowing what your priority is and then having systems in place so you can actually focus on that priority while everything else is safely waiting for your future decisions.

Sending lots of love, and if you have a comment or questions, please submit it below! Happy planning!

Community Highlights:

April wrote, “Processed a pile, found missing new Health Savings Account cards AND 3 checks totaling around $850!!! On a positive note I demonstrated to hubby the processing step and its relevance!! At least all were from end of August and are still good to deposit!”

Let’s start with the high end of the spectrum.

Now let’s go to the lower end of the spectrum.

So how do you find your ideal spectrum?

Community Highlights:

Related Links: