Work is full of planning and goal setting.
Annual business plans.
Monthly plans to meet sales goals.
Weekly planning meetings.
Daily to-do lists that tie to those goals and plans.
Yet, we don’t typically have that same type of planning for our career and our life overall.
My Story
I’m a fan of personal planning days.
The days you set aside for you to think about the future – short or long term.
About 10 years ago, I started creating a plan for the year and selecting a word to guide the vision.
I set aside at least a half day each month to look back and plan for the month ahead.
This process covers my whole life – career, relationships, health, family, hobbies, and more.
I review where I’ve been.
Assess where I’m at.
Dream of where I’m going next.
This creates a sense of both accomplishment and calm.
My Perspective
Day-to-day our lives can get a bit overwhelming and feel out of control.
Planning day has a way of removing that sense of overwhelm.
Many struggle to imagine having the time to set aside the time each month.
My advice – just put it on the calendar.
Commit to yourself this is a “meeting” you won’t skip or postpone.
Your future self will thank you.
As we move into the last months of the year, this is the perfect time for a planning day.
To get some inspiration, this post provides ideas.
Your Turn
Do you have a personal planning cycle that encompasses more than work projects?
Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything in your life?
When is the first day with at least 2 hours open to schedule your own planning day?