To Plan or Not to Plan: 2022

I have a confession to make. I have purchased and filled in hundreds of planners in my adult life. I’ve also paid for and attended numerous webinars, classes, and boot camps to teach me how to plan properly. And yet- somehow- I’m never able to rock my goals.

So this year- I give up! Sort of!

Maybe you can relate?

Of course, I still have goals and dreams and hopes. And sure, I’m still going to prayerfully pursue them- I’m just ditching the color coding and 90-day charting of said goals.

Here’s why: GUILT

Yup! Guilt. Every missed goal- every slipped my mind deadline heaps another shovel full of stinky, sweaty, shame onto my shoulders. And I’m done with it. I’m tired of spending days desperately recalibrating my calendar while weighing myself down with excuses and pep-talks. So what if my November goal becomes my December reality. Who cares if my July book release has to wait until September? Does anyone- other than me and my family- notice? NOPE.

What everyone in my sphere does notice is the heaviness that I drag behind me every time I miss one of my precisely planned deadlines. It gets in my way and usually ends up with me cascading into a funk of despair and self-loathing. Even when missing my self-made make wasn’t my fault.

For example, the first time I spend $150 on a planning course and steadfastly etched my future onto planner pages- I fell ill with not one but two extremely painful conditions that took me a month to over come thus slaughtering that quarter. Then after recalibrating, I needed a surgery that carved a chunk of time out of the following quarter. This strange phenomenon called real-life constantly sabotaged my best-laid plans- even if I’d managed to work in a time buffer. It didn’t matter. And with every life snare and disappointment by optimism and creativity plummeted- leaving me burnt out and exhausted.

After my last planner disaster, I remembered these verses:

• Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
  but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21
• James 4:13-16 – Read it for yourself but here’s My imperfect summary: Instead of planning your own way and boasting, instead remember God holds the future and say if the Lord is willing I will ….

This got me wondering if all my planning and time tracking were for my own glory and not for God’s. Was I even asking HIm what I should do or was I following the advice of the world? I’m resetting. This does not mean I’m not dreaming. But it does mean I’m laying those dreams out before the Lord and following the days He has planned for me.

Dreams not Deadlines

Goals, not Guilt– that means no time limits and no ultimatums for completing tasks.

For Writing:

Instead of charting a quarter’s worth of writing, editing, and publishing and then breathing myself for falling short. I’m listing the books I’d like to see down this year and then challenging myself to write a certain amount of words every day. For me, that’s a much more sustainable and less frustrating goal. With God’s help, I do the work and leave the results up to Him.

1 completed book a quarter becomes @ least 500 words a day. (expect Sundays)

For Health:

Losing x amount of pounds in x amount of time becomes tracking and motion.

Write down my food, daily, and walk with my neighbor or family @ least 3 times a week.

For Homeschool:

In this area, things do have to be more specific as I’m instructing High School now. Hours, grades, and Credits all play a major part in tracking for my students. However, taking a less aggressive approach to my other pursuits should help relieve some of the frustration that plagues the back of my mind as I coach my kiddos. The academics stay solid and streamlined. But the extras have room to breathe and grow. Which is the really fun part of homeschooling for me.

What about You?

Do you battle with planning fatigue? Do you cart out your year in January only to be in tears in December with a long list of to-do’s you’ll never get done?

How do you take on tasks and dreams? Let me know in the comments. I love hearing what you’re up to and learning from you.

If you want to know more about my writing plans for the year- Head on over to my YouTube channel and subscribe to know when I post my Goal for 2022 video.

I’ll see you there.