Episode 142
Ep 142: What if you're thinking about planning all wrong?
Planning doesn't have to be about creating the perfect plan that we follow to the letter. In this episode, I dive into why good planning is about making thoughtful decisions around where to invest your time and energy, embracing flexibility and recognising that you're human. If you've ever felt deflated because you made a plan and then didn't tick everything off, this one's for you.
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Transcript
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Speaker A:Welcome to Unfrazzle, a podcast for solo business owners with a big vision who are ready for a kinder, more sustainable approach to productivity.
Speaker A:I'm Louise Miller and each week I share bite size insights to help you step away from the hustle, stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world.
Speaker A:And before we dive into today's episode, if you enjoy what I'm sharing here on Unfrazzle and you'd like to support the podcast, you can buy me a cuppa by going to buymeacoffee.com louisemiller and making a one off donation.
Speaker A:I'll pop a link to that in the show notes okay, grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started how would you feel if you heard someone say this at the beginning of a planning session?
Speaker A:This is not about creating the perfect plan that you're going to follow perfectly.
Speaker A:Would it make you question what you're doing there?
Speaker A:After all, isn't the whole point of investing time and possibly money in planning so that you can learn how to do it correctly?
Speaker A:And surely that means creating a plan that works, which means you get everything ticked off.
Speaker A:So if you heard someone saying that this is not about creating the perfect plan that you're going to follow perfectly, you might feel shortchanged or let down in some way.
Speaker A:But what if planning was never supposed to be about creating the perfect plan that you follow perfectly?
Speaker A:What if planning is actually about making good decisions about where to invest your precious time, energy, and attention?
Speaker A:What if it's actually about deciding what you're not going to do?
Speaker A:What if planning is about remembering what you're aiming to achieve, looking at your capacity, noticing the things you keep putting off, and uncovering insights about why that might be?
Speaker A:What if planning was about spotting the obstacles that might get in your way and figuring out what you're going to do to prevent them from holding you back?
Speaker A:What if planning were about giving you permission to not follow the plan when life throws you a curveball or a new, exciting opportunity crosses your path?
Speaker A:Would it matter whether or not you ended that planning session with the perfect plan that you're going to follow perfectly?
Speaker A:Or would it feel good to have spent some time reflecting, making good, thoughtful decisions and figuring out where you're going to direct your focus so that you can have the intention to follow the plan but without expecting yourself to be a robot?
Speaker A:Because I hate to break it to you, but you are not a robot.
Speaker A:You are a human, which means you will underestimate how long things take to get done.
Speaker A:You will do your planning and then half an hour later realize you forgot something important.
Speaker A:You'll have days where your energy is on the floor and days where you feel on top of the world.
Speaker A:And you won't know which days are going to be which when you're making your plan.
Speaker A:Which is why I tell members of Make It Happen Club time and time again that we're not there to create a perfect plan.
Speaker A:We're there to make sure we're being thoughtful and considered creating the conditions we need to have an incredible month that's going to move us in the direction we want to be heading in.
Speaker A:I never asked them whether or not they got everything done last month because planning is not a pass fail situation, it's an opportunity.
Speaker A:We can never fail when it comes to following our plans.
Speaker A:We either succeed or we learn.
Speaker A:So planning done right gives you the opportunity to notice those lessons and then integrate them so you can do things differently next time.
Speaker A:Again, not with the expectation that you're eventually going to get it right.
Speaker A:There is no right, but so that you can keep discovering more about what works for you, what you're avoiding and why, where you might benefit from asking for help, and the small adjustments that you can make to help you be more intentional as you go about your life.
Speaker A:So how's your relationship with planning right now?
Speaker A:Are you expecting it?
Speaker A:Are you expecting you to be perfect and then beating yourself up when the inevitable happens?
Speaker A:How would it feel to loosen your grip, to allow the plans that you make to be a little less rigid, but without letting yourself off the hook?
Speaker A:And that's not always an easy balance to find, but the first step is to remember that planning is not about perfection, it's about progress.
Speaker A:And yes, I know it sounds like AI came up with that, but I promise this is all me.
Speaker A:So as always, I hope that this helps and I look forward to seeing you again soon.
Speaker A:Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle.
Speaker A:If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life.
Speaker A:And I'd love it if you could leave me a rating or a review as that will help more people discover the podcast.
Speaker A:And if you're struggling with productivity right now, take my free assessment to find out what's really getting in the way of you getting things done.
Speaker A:It takes less than three minutes to complete and I'll send you tailored resources and insights that will help based on your score.
Speaker A:You'll find that@louisemiller.uk quiz and there's a link for that in the show notes.
Speaker A:So thank you so much for being here and I look forward to seeing you next time.
