Episode 37: Let’s make a Plan
Welcome to Episode 37, my friends! Thanks for joining me here today.
Today I wanted to talk about planning.
Now before you tell me that you have so much to do you don’t have time to plan. I have to tell you I have been there too.
Before you tell me that things are too unpredictable, that you can’t plan – I have been there too.
I felt like the to-do list was so long that there was no way to even get started on it.
I have felt like projects and requests were coming my way so fast that I couldn’t even make a plan for what needed to be done before the next unreasonable request came in.
But these are all lies, my friends.
These are lies that are keeping you scrambling
These are lies that are perpetuating the problem.
It is time to start planning.
You can’t afford not to.
If you want to be more efficient.
If you want to have more time to play.
If you want to actually take a vacation with your work cell phone turned off.
If you want to start living from inbox zero where you don’t have 1000 unread emails in your inbox.
If you want to enjoy your evenings with your family.
We have to stop thinking, I don’t have time to get it all done.
We have to stop thinking, we have to do it all.
We have to stop believing, that perfection is the only way to success.
And We have to start believing that it is possible for us.
We have to believe that we can figure it out.
We have to believe that we can say no.
We have to start believing that working smarter leads to more money instead of working harder.
It starts with this belief and then it is time to get planning.
When I first started planning for my job, it took a spreadsheet to manage my to-do list and it was more than just one page long.
I had over 100 tasks on that list and many of them were tasks with multiple steps but for each one I started by only putting the first task on the list to try and get a handle on it.
I set an impossible goal that year to complete 50 projects. Each of those projects had multiple tasks that each required review by others to get them done. But true to form I set that impossible goal all those years ago. If you want more information on impossible goals go back and listen to episode ##
But once you have a goal set it is time to get to work.
Planning time.
I made the whole to-do list.
Then I just started on it.
Each week I would plan out tasks I would complete.
I booked a time in my calendar for that task.
I took my best guess at how much time it would take.
Then I got to work.
I did my best to get the task done in the allotted time.
If it took longer - I learned – ways to make it more efficient, or planned more time.
Planning works and here is why.
If we don’t plan, we waste time.
We get distracted.
If we don’t plan, we don’t make progress or we can’t measure it.
If we don’t plan, we don’t know when we can say yes to new projects and when we need to say no.
If we don’t plan, we don’t know when we can play.
If we don’t plan, we end up trying to do 2-3 things at once and get none of them done.
So here is the formula
1. Set a goal.
2. Write the to-do list (yup all the things)
3. Edit the to-do list.
4. Bring up your calendar and time block for those tasks.
5. Obey the calendar.
6. Accomplish the goals.
Tips and tricks for getting started.
Pick one task a day to plan – this can be like focus time.
Plan time off or rest time – this can be so fun.
Flex the time to accomplish the goal before you give up on the goal.
When you don’t feel like doing the task, do it anyway.
Build in buffer time between tasks.
And just get started.
I know it can feel restrictive to calendar out your life. But you only need to keep it 80% of the time to make incredible progress.
Three years later after setting my goal this year, I will close those 50 projects, this year the to-do list is getting short, and I am finally moving toward real-time projects instead of having a mountain from the past to complete.
This is possible for you too.
Let’s make a plan.
It will be fun.
Have a wonderful week.