Personal Planning
Life “gifts” us the unexpected every day.
Challenges and opportunities come up that weren’t on the to-do list.
Our plans rarely align to the vision we had in our mind.
So, why should we plan?
For me, a plan is a direction.
A guidepost.
A reminder of a vision.
The plan is NOT a to-do list.
The details will get off track and sometimes be delayed.
The plan contains the goal.
Plans can be fluid and shift, while the goal remains the same.
Without the plan, goals are unlikely to be met.
The plan will never surface to your to-do list.
Your to-do list should emerge from your plan.
Posts This Week
Dream, Plan, Do, Review. This post is prompted by Jon Acuff’s latest book, Procrastination Proof: Never Get Stuck Again. A simple cycle for achieving what you want in life.
How to Leverage Lead and Lag Measures. There are many different things that we can measure to determine progress. This post helps with the difference between lead and lag measures.
Breaking Down a Strategy. We all use strategy every day. This post highlights how even dinner has a strategy and a plan.
Strategy is the How. There are three elements to how to accomplish our goals. This post talks about how they nest together to get things done.
Take a Breath. Sometimes part of planning is slowing down and reconsidering our plans and opportunities. This post explores why we need to take a breath.
Podcasts That Caught My Attention
This week, the podcasts loosely tie to the theme of the article and blog posts considering how we set, plan, and achieve our goals.
How To Get Habits Back on Track After Time Off. 9 minutes. Optimal Living Daily. As summer has come to a close and Labor day is behind us, this podcast will help you get back on track.
Solve One Nagging Problem Today. 4 minutes. Before Breakfast. We all have nagging problems. This short episode suggests that we start observing these problems and taking the often short amount of time it takes to resolve them.
Where the Bar is Set. 9 minutes. Optimal Living Daily. This episode asks us to think about how we measure ourselves. Are we setting the bar too low? Our expectations settle wherever the bar is set.
Our Biggest Performance Killer is Hidden in Plain Sight. 9 minutes. Optimal Work Daily. This podcast suggests that the biggest threat to productivity isn’t distraction, but rather a lack of sleep.
A Helpful Guide to Lifestyle Experiments. 9 minutes. Part 2. 9 minutes. Optimal Living Daily. In this 2-part episode, Anthony Ongaro provides a thought starter list of 20 lifestyle experiments and what are the three things that make these experiments stick.
What Do You Think?
Do you enjoy planning or is this something you tend to put off or avoid?
How are you getting your habits and routines back on track after the looser vibe of summer?
What ideas did the posts & podcasts spark that you could implement in the week ahead?
Marketing Newsletter
This week, the Fingerprints Marketing Newsletter highlighted how friction can help increase customer engagement instead of creating a barrier. Then, a quick trend bite on the rising popularity of microdramas.