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A new year has appeared, and with it perhaps a Thing you plan to do, or a smaller personal challenge, or just the usual pottering on of stuff. You may have bounded into things full of energy, and it's dribbled away. Or you're wondering where the last few weeks have gone, and uh, what next?... I'm so with you on that. At the end of last year I got a posh Design Trust business planner, and I was going to start this year having worked out goals, and using my excellent planner. I only opened it mid-January. I've also got a list of house stuff I didn't get done last year. And the garden is a mess. Harrumph. So, whether you haven't made a start at all, made a start and petered off, or are underway but feeling a bit of a wobble coming, here are my three planning things which help me, and hopefully they'll help you! 1. Work from lists - Chunk them downSounds simple, but, it's a kicker for getting clear just what it is you want to do, prioritising what to do next, and emptying out your brain to help you relax a little more. Whether on your phone using an app, in a beautiful bullet journal, or just on a bit of paper, write down everything that you're pondering about getting done, and - Importantly - what all of the smaller parts are to each of those jobs. So for example, I don't just need to Sort Bathroom. I need to get plasterer quotes, arrange plasterer, decide paint colours, empty and clean, sand, paint. Even if you already have a list, breaking jobs down is very useful. That longer list may look more intimidating (and might need rewriting into a neater version, or separate lists), but it means you can tackle a couple of smaller tasks each day, see progress as you tick through them, and feel that you are, however slowly, moving toward your bigger goals. If I'm not having a great day, I just decide to do a couple of the really easy things, and know that I'm edging forwards. 2. Set your dates and deadlines - Then be a Good Manager to yourselfFor many things in life, you're the one to decide how often they happen, or when the starting point is, or when the deadline is. Find the things on your list where you can decide those, and make realistic decisions. If you want to fix up the hall stairs and landing, like you've said you would the last two years, you should decide which weekend you're doing it, put it on the calendar, and work out the steps you need to be ready for that. If so far you haven't done the "Draw three times a week" you wanted, decide if you need to swap that to a manageable "At least twice a week", starting next month. Dates matter! Second to setting dates is being a Good Manager to yourself. If you went to your boss and said "This work is going to be late or sub standard" they'd want to know what's gone wrong, what do you need to get it done, if you need extra time, how much? When you feel things going off plan, have a Good Manager chat with yourself, check in on your situation, move your dates if you need to, ask for help if you need to. Don't just quit or start sliding, be a good manager to yourself! 3. Be accountable - Tell folks your plans!This is a great one - If other people know what you're planning, they can be a huge help in getting it done. If you tell even just one person what you're planning, when you plan to have it done by, why it's important to you, and they agree to chat with you about it, then you're accountable. Have honest chats, and they'll know if you haven't done it. They'll know if you have rubbish excuses and aren't being a good manager to yourself. It's easy to waffle to ourselves about how well we're doing, but much harder to lie to someone else, unless you want to add guilt about lying to the already existing guilt about not getting things done... Ask your family if, when they see you over the next month, they'll ask how the website is getting on. Find other folks with similar health goals, and suggest you have a social media chat, where you all occasionally check in on each other. Let your mates know that you're going to post about your progress at work more on Facebook, and you really would value cheering on when you post about applying for a new role. Reciprocate, and you may find it's really rewarding helping someone else get to their goals. Working from a list, managing your deadlines and being held accountable work for almost anything you're hoping to achieve, from getting a house extension, to having healthier lunches. You can plan a whole year of projects, or one thing for a few weeks.
So, grab a drink, sit down, and pour your brain out into a list, it's a start!
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