my amazing and best ever planner system now sucks. it seems like I regularly fall in love with a planner or planning system, I'll go all in and follow the process to the T...and then I'm over it. way over it. like I won't even look at my planner let alone use it. and this has been a theme in my planner nerd life ever since I can remember. welcome to my life.
my most recent planning system had so many great aspects and supported me in a lot of ways. it especially helped to get me in more of a routine in updating life goals. but it didn't embrace the natural rhythms that greatly impact my energy and focus.
for a bit, I loved how I could pick a few things to focus on for a short twelve weeks and then know that I would be able to change that focus at the end. however this was still difficult for me to maintain because on those weeks where my cycle and/or seasonal changes created major withdrawal in my energy, the plan of work remained static. the system I was following didn't account for natural life fluctuations. it didn't have enough compassion built into it.
I'd end up not hitting the targets I had set, then start to become discouraged that I was failing and avoid the planner all together.
there's three parts to this situation. one, I've still got some work to do on my subconscious thinking patterns around failure. two, I'm really drawn to explore the different reasons of quitting a little deeper. and three, I fell back into trying to fit myself to a planning system.
how I'm adjusting to create my next planner system
reprogram my subconscious thinking with Jenn
get really curious around why I quit things [or not] and how it impacts other areas
refine a planning system that is tailored to the way I operate so that I can embrace all the messiness that is me and operate in ways that are most conducive for my tendencies ultimately allowing me to flourish outside of the predetermined calendar boxes.
free planner printables + a planner group
refining my own process for planning has led me to create a few templates that maybe one day will be a thing known as the align planner. the planner templates are designed from my belief that it requires compassion to maintain consistency and sometimes consistency looks messy. the printable templates are built to encourage change by offering an open, big picture view and steps to get more granular if needed.
download the free planner printables here
additionally I love to get ideas and inspiration from other planner nerds so I started a small group that meets quarterly-ish. the group is laid back and loosely structured to encourage each person to work on their ideas and goals in their own individual way. it's kinda like a study hall specifically for planning goals, focuses and projects. I'm calling it compassionate consistency.
check out the next planner group here
I'm not sure exactly what draws me to continue to create systems but I love it and especially when stationary is involved. what makes it even better is when I can share it with others who feel the same way about planners.
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