Sometimes a plan is a lengthy description of how you will accomplish a big goal. Other times, the skill of planning helps you to prevent roadblocks, anticipate challenges, or make your life smoother. You don’t necessarily have to go through the full Action Cycle. First, be sure you’re in a positive mindset, then continue with Assess, Plan, and Action.
A few examples (and decisions) that came up for me and others in the last few weeks:
How will the timing of my allergy shot fall during my planned vacation, and how will I handle that?
Use my calendar to see where it falls and ask the nurse if the week before or the week after is better.
Put the dates into my calendar for the rest of the year to assess other conflicts.
Knowing there is an upcoming vacation, what can someone do ahead of time to take the pressure off and allow this person to enjoy their vacation?
Asses options, select a few tasks and don't let the procrastinator take
What can I do at the end of the day to be ready to launch my next day with success instead of wasting time figuring out where to start?
Take five minutes to clear my desk and select what to start with the next day.
Write it down!
A move and a new job will create a lot of chaos for a friend.
What can she plan now that will make things easier?
Make time for family, pack a little each day, and choose a start date a week later to give a cushion.
A friend wants to walk more in preparation for a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. à
Game the plan by getting a map of the area and marking excursions on the map. Then measure key distances and pick a target to walk from one place to the other while still in the US. She has many months to track her mileage, all the while getting in better shape to enjoy the trip.
These are just a few ways that planning can make your life easier and maybe a little less stressful. At the root of each example was the Awareness that something was coming up that I/we wanted to address and make easier.
All change begins with Awareness.