Tag: Goals

It’s Planning Day! For Me and For You!

I want to get back to the procrastination topics we started a few weeks ago, especially since I’ve been hearing from a lot of you about procrastination!

However… that is not where my brain is today. And instead of fighting my brain, I realized I could use this as a teaching and learning moment for you and for me! Procrastination is important, but it will still be waiting for me when i get back to it (a little procrastination joke there).

Instead, Today is Planning Day! Capital P, capitol D.

Planning Day is more than just a plan for the next hour or today or this week, even though those are great places to start!

PLANNING Day looks a little farther out. As in, Let’s look at this month, this quarter, this year! Where do I want to see me by November 1, or January 1, or by my next birthday?!

Today is a planning day for a lot of reasons. It’s a planning day because it is a new month and a new season.

Today is a planning day because it’s a new quarter. Q Four. I know, that sounds very business-y, but I am running a company here, so things sounds business-y from time to time. Even if I don’t say things like Q3 and Q4 out loud, I think in those terms all the time. Q Four matters, and I like to set goals for quarters and for the year.

Last week, at the end of the third quarter, I checked in on my Q3 goals to see what I had completed or not. And I am quite satisfied with my goal completion rate for Q3.

love this idea from borrowedheaven.com!

And now it’s time to look at what I want to accomplish before the end of 2023. It’s crazy to think about, right? Just this week, I have scheduled several organizing presentations for January and February of 2024. I already had some on the books, but now I have a whole lot more, which is very exciting, but seeing 2024 in print on the contracts, it is quite noteworthy.

For me, it’s a planning day because my oldest son and my daughter-in-law were married the end of September. And it was lovely. There were friends, there was family. The weather was perfect. Everything went smoothly. It’s just wonderful. And there was a lot of work and planning that went into that ahead of time, mostly on the part of the bride and groom. But it occupied my mind and parts of my schedule for the last couple of weeks, too. And now it is blessedly, wonderfully, complete. And then the rest of the world comes back in. It’s a planning day because I need to plot my course , post-wedding.

It’s a planning day, too, because October is my birth month, and I always feel retrospective around my birthday and also, eager to plot my course for the next year. A great time to check in on things, right?

Join me for Planning Day, here’s how!

First, Planning takes time. So set aside some time.

On my schedule this week, today did not start out as a planning day but some client cancellations provided some much needed white space. Sometimes, I end up planning as I drive (I think really clearly when I drive), or spontaneously in an early morning writing session. But, truly, Planning is too important to leave up to chance, so don’t do it that way!

My suggestion is, Don’t wait for a cancellation or a found opportunity. Put Big Picture Planning on the schedule! As I write this, I just hopped into my google calendar and scheduled planning sessions the last week in December and the first week in January.

Next, Give yourself some grace. I want to give myself grace and ask you to do the same in general, in life.

We are so quick to judge ourselves.

I was talking with a client yesterday – she knows who she is! – She was reporting that she didn’t get what she was supposed to get done since our last appointment. And then she mentioned she had COVID since our last appt. THAT MATTERS! That wins. That absolutely wins!

We took a moment to say, look at what you DID accomplish, even with a few weeks of not feeling so great! And we did that before we jumped into the day’s tasks.

I think I am the first one to do that to myself as well. I could look at my list and my schedule and go, oh wow, I’ve got all this stuff to do. What is wrong with me? And the answer is Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong with me, life happened. And it was amazing. And now I get to choose how else I want to spend my time.

Therefore, Grace.

Then, Look at the Done List:

I find this step fun and gratifying, but often overlooked. Last week or month or quarter, you got things done! Yeah you!

We can absolutely be proud of what we accomplished. And I am proud. So, look at that done list. Take a moment and bask and revel in what you DID get done.

Last week my accountability partner reminded me that in addition to all the other q3 goals I had, I also successfully helped my mom move to a new home in August. That wasn’t on the original q3 list, but it is noteworthy and made it on the Q3 done list!

A fellow organizing coach Shannon wrote in a recent FB post that she was ready to apologize for not posting a lot recently on SM (I’m guilty of that, too), but then she shifted her perspective and shared what she DID accomplish in the last month or two. And the list was long and fabulous, impressive, wonderful, amazing. And I really appreciated her shift in perspective. It came at just the right time for me to read as well, because it would be easy to get frustrated with what I need to do or what hasn’t gotten done.

OK, and now for the planning:

Look ahead. It’s time to take action, but if we haven’t planned, how do we know what the right action is? Yeah, there’s a truth bomb.

Without a plan, without having sat down and thought about these things, how do you actually know what the right action is?

So we’ve talked about focus areas and I think that’s a great place to start. For a refresher, check out episode #5 I think? Last Decmeber, 2022! Start with what is important to you!

Talking with a client on Monday, she was feeling discombobulated and I absolutely understand. And in the next breath, she was also telling me all the wonderful things that she did with and for her family recently, about a huge professional accomplishment and a huge work project that she successfully completed.

So I used the image of focus areas, but she kind of liked the idea of lanes, or columns on a whiteboard of the different areas of her life.

So family, kids, specific per family member. In addition, she is a professional musician and also has an artistic job not related to music, Home, personal, wellness, personal development. Each had a lane, and she saw them like traffic, with different lanes moving at different speeds but all in the same direction.

List your focus areas (for example, mine are School Board, Ministry, Home / Family, Personal / Wellness, Education and The Company.)

List those focus areas, and then jot down some reasonable 3 month goals, milestones or plans around those focus areas.

What that might look like for me:

In addition to regular board work, two Q4 School Board Goals are: we start a Policy Review this week for the next 6-12 months, and we also have our Annual Conference in November.

In addition to regular weekly ministry, two Q4 Ministry Goals are: my annual Baptismal Prep photo project, and Joyful and successful planning and completion of the liturgical Advent season; Because as a liturgical musician, Advent and Christmas are where it’s at!

Looking at Home and Family, successful Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays would be on the list. And under those items I would list some of the ways I will accomplish these, like communication with family members regarding events, completing the actual days, gift giving, celebrations, etc.

Education: I’ve dropped the ball in this area and 2 goals would be to complete my next certification with the ICD, and read 6 non-fiction books before 12/31/2023.

Looking at my company, I want to set on goal in each of my subcategories. So, one each – a Coaching Goal, Client Goal, Speaking Goal, Community Building Goal and Operations Goal. One thing that I need to accomplish today and this week, in addition to recording this particular podcast, is I also need to plan out my, content calendar for Q Four.

And I have to admit that I have been kind of I haven’t really made note of the plan.

There is a plan, but right now it’s in my head, and I need to actually jot it down per week as to what I want to talk about. If there’s articles I’ve already written that I can use as resources. And it will make my entire quarter go more smoother if I can get that at least on it’s not really on paper, but like, in my planning document today, that would be such a huge help.

PLANNING DAY!

So those are my focus areas. Let’s ask some questions:

  • What are your focus areas, what is important to you?
  • What is one thing that you would like to accomplish by the end of Q4?
  • What will you be proud to look back on, in three months?
  • What has been lingering around on your to-do list, and you know life will be so much better if you just get this thing squared away?
  • Where do I want to see myself by the time I hit my next birthday?
  • Throw in some easy goals, too! some goals are easy to see and even accomplish, but they still need to be listed! For example, obviously, Thanksgiving and Christmas will happen, whether I set them as a goal or not. But they become a place holder and a reminder – yes, these events will take effort, and also their successful completion warrants celebration and a feeling of accomplishment.
  • And leave some room for fun and joy!

So that’s my Planning Day!

So plan with me today or this week. So this is what I’m doing today, and I recommend at least once in a while that you do it for yourself as well.

And if this is one of those things that you need to go back and listen to when it’s Q One for 2024, great. I love it. Let’s do it.

I have these podcasts and articles available all the time to refer back to – 45 episodes so far – if there is something you need a refresher or reminder about.

I hope that you take some time for planning this week. Do it as a gift to yourself. Chart your course not just for the next hour or day or week, but also month and quarter and maybe even year.

I hope you found this helpful. I know it was helpful for me to talk it out, so thank you for listening!

Make Healthier Habits Stick

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to meet a great group of women and talk to them about how to make their healthier habits really stick in this New Year! Regardless of what your goals are, progress has to start with small, convenient and simple steps in the right direction, instead of big and sometimes not sustainable changes!

SIMPLE CHANGES! 

What will simple change look like? (And please take these ideas as merely suggestions!  There are lots of ways to make your Goals work for you!)

  • “Get to”, not “have to” – changing our mindset.  Talking to a friend who runs marathons (I know, right?!), he plans when he “Gets to” go for a run every day.  He may have to creative or cut the run short, but he was always looking for the opportunity to run. I often think of exercise as “Have to”, but “Get To” motivates me more!
  • Find Your Tribe, and Spread the Word.  What are your goals?  Make your success a group effort by finding like-minded folks with similar goals or people who are already doing what you are doing, or by sharing your goals with friends who will support your efforts! 
  • Plan your Day.  Set timers, if those help you.  Set timers to take vitamins or supplements and to drink water.  We have our phones with us all the time anyway, use them!  You can customize your timer, too, so your wellness timers sound unique and help you remember!
  • Make Room in Your Home For Your Better Habits.  In my recent presentation, I challenged the participants to pare down easy clutter – coffee mugs or extra water bottles, holiday decor or storage containers – and find some space for whatever is needed for those healthier habits!
  • If wellness is your goal, Meal Planning ensures healthier eating and saves $$ and time!
    • Make your meal plan for the week, or just start with a few days.
      • Plan your meals and snacks;
      • Check your grocery inventory on hand, and plan to use first what you have on hand;
      • Hit the grocery (or place an order on-line to limit impulse buying) to fill in the gaps between your plan and your inventory.
    • Daily, take your supplements, eat your healthy breakfast and plan for or pack your healthy snacks and lunch. (Remember, make healthy choices more convenient and you will be more likely to make them!)  
    • For example, snacks can be healthy AND something I look forward to!  If I prep my snacks in advance, in the morning or perhaps all my snacks for the week on one day, I am more likely to stay on track!   always think “protein and produce” when it comes to snacks, so servings of nuts in small re-usable bowls or snack bags plus cleaned and prepped fruits, veggies and hummus in reusable bowls, hard boiled eggs, etc..

So, we have set up our days, routines, habits and spaces to nourish ourselves and our new habits.   Yeah Us! Let’s Do This!

An Organized Person… Doesn’t Procrastinate (much…)

This week is National Procrastination Week.  Or not. I could be wrong.

You see, it moves around from year to year just because.  It’s usually in March, but has been slowly moving later and later in the month.    Oh, those funny procrastinators…

Per Merriam Webster, of course, to Procrastinate is:

: to put off intentionally and habitually     (or) 
: to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.
It means to delay the doing of something that needs done for no particular reason, or at least not a particularly good reason.  Here are some of the reasons WHY we procrastinate, and what to do about them!
Sometimes we procrastinate because we’re not sure just how long a project will take.
  • Put your project on your own terms.  Instead of believing we need to start and finish a project in one sitting, start believing that progress towards a goal is often enough.   We may never be able to finish our big projects in one session, but that shouldn’t keep us from starting!
  • Set a timer and make some progress, even if you can’t finish.
  • Progress towards a goal is plenty for today!

Sometimes, we procrastinate because it is what we’re used to doing.   Perhaps, we just have to overcome our inertia.
Today,
Start with the easiest task… or
Start with the hardest task… or
Start with the quickest task… or
Start with the longest task.  Just
Start.
Sometime we procrastinate because a project feels SOOOOO BIG AND OVERWHELMING!!!
  • Once, a client had “buy paper towels”, “call the plumber” and “learn how to play the guitar” all on the same daily to-do list.  Obviously, the scope of the guitar task was far beyond the other two simple tasks.  And not surprisingly, “learn to play the guitar” was too broad and too vague to really allow any progress towards the goal!
  • Break down big projects into smaller, more manageable pieces.  My client’s first step might be to locate the family guitar in the attic, or contact her friend who’s taking guitar lessons for the instructor’s contact information.  Little pieces!
Sometimes we procrastinate because we don’t actually know how to do what needs done. 
  • If the task was assigned by someone else, request clarification.  And if it is our own task, think it through and make a plan!
  • Fortunately, information is at our fingertips all the time, so we can learn how to do something we don’t know how to do.
  • We can also ask our experts, or outsource the task.   Two examples that come to mind are:
    • For months, I researched and internally debated if I should become an LLC or a corporation.  Finally, I asked my attorney who answered my question in 5 minutes and then set everything up for me without breaking a sweat.
    • Same goes for my web design expert!  What would have taken me weeks of fumbling took my expert a week, and I still LOVE my website redesign.
      I should have started with my experts!

So, next time you find yourself procrastinating and you don’t know why, take a look at this list for insight and solutions to the problem!