Does Planning Get In Your Way?
As I write this, things are settling down for me. In the past month, I’ve sold my condo, moved, traveled to Las Vegas and spent countless hour setting up our new digs. Now I have to get my daughter ready for overnight camp, and take her there next week.
Did I say thing were settling down? Well, it feels like it.
When you just want to do it!
I know that I often want to just dig in, and get things done, now. Especially when there is so much to do, It feels like planning would slow me down. Sometimes, I just forget how planning actually helps me to be more productive.
It is easy to forget to slow down when things feel chaotic or when there is just too much on your plate.
This is exactly what happened to me this summer. In the midst of moving, I did not plan time to work on my business. I kept telling myself, “I should write, even if it is summer.” Saying that did not help to motivate me at all. The weeks came and went and nada! I claimed that I wanted to write a post every week. At least that is what I told myself at the beginning of the summer. But I didn’t plan the time to actually write, and I didn’t make a decision not to write.
I just kept heaping on the self -blame for not following through. Sound familiar?
Making intentional choices
http://www.flickr.com/photos/macewan/
What if you consider planning part of the project?
On reflection, I realized that it would have been better, if I had decided to take a hiatus from doing certain parts of the business, like writing.
For those of you who can remember moving a whole household, you know how much work is involved. You probably also know what how overwhelming it can feel. I really would have been better off making a conscious decision to narrow my focus, and concentrate on the move, my daughter, my current clients and my well being.
If I had given myself permission not to write for a month, I would have felt a lot less guilty!
Now that I realize where I went astray, I am back to planning.
Planning is part of the doing
This week I scheduled time to write and here it is. I am sure that another a week would have passed, if I had not planned the time.
Sometime, when there is a lot going on, it does seem like planning is just one more thing on your plate.
What if you considered planning part of the “doing,” rather than just one more thing on your to do list.
How would it help you to be more effective and efficient?
As I often say, slowing down and planning may help you go faster.
Next Step
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