Are you struck by overwhelm and mental fog? Are you having lots of great ideas but don’t seem to get anything done? Are you having problems with clarity and what to do next?
Is indecision keeping you where you are?
Feel stressed because it takes a lot of time to get that one thing done, but you keep on being “busy”?

Looking for that sense of fulfillment at the end of the day, knowing that you made progress towards that desired goal of yours? Even if it’s just one little baby step?
I know everyone is busy and there are days that we can’t make the effort or find the time to make big progress.
However, planning ahead and knowing that you will accomplish what you have in mind, by a certain day gives you a lot of mental peace.
All you have to do is be open to put effort in making a planning and working towards it.  

Planning can really help you get focused and get you started on the things that MATTER!
Planning ahead will not only help you getting your st*ff done! It also has benefits for your mind!

Journaling

Before diving into the five benefits of planning, there is something you could do to start getting your mind ready for order and structure. You can do this by journaling.

Getting all your blockages out on paper can immensely help you get unstuck. Journaling it all out gives a lot of space in your head and gives you insight in your thoughts.
When you have a seat and jot down everything that you want to get done, without breaking your head on when it should be finished or the great big “HOW”, you actually declutter your brain.
Write out all your stress, frustrations and off course your desired outcome.
Writing is all out really clears the mind.
When you re-read your journaling, you can find what is bothering you, what’s keeping you stuck and what it is that you actually want.
Journaling is such a sanity saver when it comes to getting clarity and getting started with a good planning.

Want to know more about the benefits of journaling? Here’s an article where 8 benefits of journaling are given > Benefits of Keeping a Journal.

After pouring your heart and soul out on paper. Let’s start getting into the 5 benefits of planning.

Five Benefits of Planning

Clarity

When it’s clear what you want and you melted your frustration and insecurities with a torch, you can start planning. Because you journaled out all that you want and more, you can clearly see where it is you want to go. You can see your end goal, what’s holding you back at the moment and what your action steps should be. Not only the action steps you could take to accomplish your goal, but also action steps disabling whatever is holding you back now, so that in the future this will not be a thing anymore.  Hooray for progress and personal development!

A ‘smart‘ way of setting goals is using the SMART method. There are many sources out there that describe the SMART method. However, I found the way that mindtools.com explains it is really easy to understand. Here is the link to read their article.

Read into the SMART method and let it help you get started. I wrote out the SMART method in my own words, hopefully, it resonates with you to make it actionable.   

Specific
Be as specific as can be. Don’t be vague. Let’s say you want to increase your income.
By only stating that you want to increase your income is just way too vague but very easy to accomplish. In this case, if you happen to find some money somewhere on the ground, you increased your income! But it’s not what you wanted, I assume!
Be very specific!
For example I want to increase my income by € 2.000,- by selling my old furniture and clothes.

Measurable
With the above standing example its already made measurable since I stated € 2.000,-

Acceptable/Attainable
In this example, looking at my furniture and my clothes and researching its market value, it should be attainable to make this of money.

Realistic/Relevant
This is realistic and relevant since I want to change the furniture in my house, (where selling gives me a budget) and since I lost a considerable amount of weight and my good clothes don’t fit any more. This is in line with my long-term goals keeping the weight off and redecorating my house.

Time
When do you want this to be done? What would be the most realistic timeframe and most importantly: what can you do now?
Is there something you can do today, what do you need to have accomplished within 2 months from now or 6 months from now.
Make really clear what you need to do and by when to have the most profitable outcome.

Example of a complete goal:

I want to increase my income with at least €2.000 by selling my clothes and furniture in order to help me realize my goals of redecorating my house and keeping a slim body. I want to have made this money by 30th November 2021.

These are actually 2 goals in 1 but you get the picture right?

Roadmap

If you plan well, in a step-by-step manner, with your end goal in mind, you will have an amazing roadmap of what your next step will be. It’s truly amazing to see what good planning can do for your goals when you take the time to plan it out.  

Using ‘reversed engineering’ can also help you make your road map more clear. Simply said, reversed engineering means that your start with the end in mind, and from there you determine your ‘milestones’, the smaller goals in between to make sure you are making progress in the right manner and timely order. Then determine the steps you need to take to make your end goal reality and your milestones along the way.

The most important part is always the START. Making an amazing planning is of course very good but if you never ever start, all your work and good effort is for nothing.

I’m even inclined to say that having a ‘mediocre’ planning while starting is even better than having a good planning and not starting. You get the picture right? Mediocre planning can be improved along the way because of the mistakes and downfalls you make.

As we go along, we get better.

I know mediocre can sound so degrading. However, I truly believe that when you invest your best effort in something and you have an open and growth mindset, you will have the grit and flexibility to make your planning better as you go. You can not do more than you know, but sometimes that is exactly enough to get you started.

Here are the steps once again of reversed engineering:
1.      Set Your End Goal
2.      Determine Your Milestones
3.      Determine Your Steps
4.      Start Climbing

Peace of mind

When you see all the steps laid out and you know where you’re going, and to some level know how to do it and by when, you will feel so much more at ease. This is such a positive influence on your mind than an unstructured cloud of ideas and dreams with no end or beginning.

Having a plan reduces stress, anxiety, and overwhelm because you have everything under control and in good bite-size pieces to move forward.

Having peace of mind is a great benefit when pursuing your dreams because the chance of you quitting because of overwhelm, stress or exhaustion is smaller.

Confidence

Knowing that you have your plan figured out not only will give you peace of mind but also a lot of confidence. You can see your path before you and you know that it’s achievable, hence the SMART method. You know, even if some unfortunate events might happen for whatever reason, you do have a plan of action! This grows your self-confidence and belief in yourself. You know that you can achieve it, even if it takes longer than expected, and it makes you more resilient.

Life balance

Because your work or your passion project is not all we can focus on in life, and honestly you shouldn’t want to, we can create a better life balance. With life, balance is meant that ‘work’ and ‘life’ get their well-deserved cut of your time, energy, love, and effort.
When you plan out your week, month, quarter or your year, out well. Nobody or nothing has to be uncared for or not taken into consideration. Mostly it’s not having a planning or having bad planning that things get forgotten or neglected and that is a sad thing.  

This should be enough encouragement for you to consider and start planning your life out better.
Perhaps you did this in the past or maybe one or more aspects of life but not all of them.
Having a good planner that helps you take everything into consideration will help you a lot!
It will make the world of difference.
Below you can find planners that can help you out with this.

These planners take all the important aspects of life into consideration.
Not one aspect has to be forgotten unless you choose to.
Take a look at the planners and see what they can do for you. Click to go to the shop overview.