There was an episode of Optimal Living Daily that caught my attention.
The discussion was around the difference between planning and scheduling.
Specifically, they were suggesting that the art of planning has been lost in digital calendars.
As we moved from Franklin planners (paper system) to digital, we had a calendar, but not a planner.
The digital calendar allows us to schedule things.
It does not allow us to plan things.
My Perspective
As I thought about this, I realized that my early years were shaped by a Franklin Planner.
Analog planning processes with calendar entries and to-do lists on paper.
Over time my calendar moved to a Palm Pilot, then to a Blackberry, and finally to my iPhone.
However, along the way, I didn’t lose my ability to plan.
I leverage planning like a partner to my calendar… the schedule.
At work, I planned out what needed to be completed in the week ahead.
Then, I adjusted the schedule on my calendar to fit it all in.
Now I wonder if others do that.
Especially those who grew up with the calendar, not the planner.
Have we lost the art of planning?
Is this why we are stuck in a perpetually busy culture?
We are driven by our schedules, not our plan.
The thoughts led me to this:
Schedule time to plan and then plan the schedule.” – Lori Sullivan
Don’t live by the schedule!
Your Turn
Are you a plan first or schedule first kind of person?
Can you see the benefit of having a plan first?
How might this idea shift how you feel about your calendar?