work desk

And How to Do it Anyway

Most of us get that planning ahead is helpful. We say things like, “I should probably make a list,” and “I should write that down,” but then we don’t. Why not?

Why Don’t We Plan Ahead

  1. We don’t think it’s all that important. We’ll be fine without the plan. We’ve managed until now, haven’t we?
  2. It’s a problem for our future selves. We don’t feel connected to the future version of ourselves, so we don’t take the time to set that future self up for success.
  3. We think planning will take too long. Why would we take all that time to come up with a plan, and a list, and steps, blah blah blah? Why not just jump right in and start doing? That’s much more productive, isn’t it?
  4. We weren’t taught how to plan, so we don’t know the steps. To some people it comes naturally, but many people don’t have the brain wiring that naturally likes to put things into linear plans. For those people, it takes a lot more energy to plan.
  5. We get into the habit of being reactive. We are used to responding to things after they happen, instead of being proactive.
notebooks

How to Get Better at Planning

Now that we know some of the reasons why we don’t plan ahead, what are we going to do about it? How can we become better at planning?

  1. Find the methods that work best for you. Different things work for different people. Some people like charts, some like sticky notes, some like mind maps. Find little tricks that help you be more productive.
  2. Understand that it takes practice. This is especially true for those of us whose brains aren’t wired for planning. The planning part of our brains is like a muscle, and with regular practice, it will get stronger.
  3. It’s not all or nothing. There’s no need to have a perfect plan or be 100% productive. Even if you can’t plan everyday, planning once in a while can still be helpful.
  4. Focus on the task, and not on how it makes you feel. Planning can feel boring, tedious, or even frustrating for some people. That’s okay. Focus on the task and think about how it will help you.

One of the reasons why I like bullet journaling so much is because it’s completely customizable. It leaves room for all different types of people to find a method of planning that is just right for them.

To learn how to use a bullet journal, check out the Bullet Journal Basics course.