Is there anything in life more important than planning? I can’t think of anything. Furthermore, I would argue that anything you are thinking of has an element of planning involved. Whether your priority is your family, your career, your health, or your happiness, there is an amount of planning required to succeed in those areas. So, if planning is so important, why are so many people so bad at it?

People understand that planning is important. That is evident with the size and complexity of the planning tools market. On the physical product side, you have entire stores’ and brands’ dedicated planners, calendars, and to do lists. On the digital side, we have email services with calendar reminders and push notifications and apps created solely for reminding us of upcoming events and deadlines. Some might look at this and say it means we value planning. But I look at it as a marketer and notice that this industry thrives because we feel guilty about not being good at planning. It is the same reason why the weight loss industry is booming while the percentage of obesity continues to rise. We buy these products with the intention of making a change, but our human nature gets in the way. 

So how do we actually start planning ahead? Well, unfortunately, the answer is: it will take some planning. Like most things in life, planning takes practice. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record with this “practice makes perfect” mentality, but mastering things requires establishing healthy habits. To create a habit, you must regularly practice that activity. 

I’m not trying to tell you that you just have to simply start planning effectively, but I am saying that you need to start planning. To get yourself in the mindset of a planner, take small steps to help you practice the activity. If you do not already, start by planning out your week of outfits. This seems like a simple task, but it is an activity that requires planning, and you will see benefits in your morning routine due to this practice. If you have already implemented small planning practices like meal prepping or picking out your outfits for the week, it’s time to start making a daily to-do list. This is something that has greatly impacted my productivity. When I am having trouble focusing, I can simply re-read my to-do list and pick the next item to tackle. When I don’t plan ahead and make a to-do list, I often jump around from activity to activity without fully completing several items.

The next piece of advice would be to figure out what works for you. Like other structured habits, there are many ways to accomplish the goal. Not all methods make sense for every individual person. This is where you will have to experiment with different methods and see what works best for you. For some people, reminders in their phones help them meet deadlines and stick to a schedule. Personally, I am an expert at ignoring reminders and push notifications. I receive dozens of messages, emails, and app notifications each day, so I am conditioned to not pay attention to them. Because of this, I am not a person who can rely on push notification reminders. You might have the opposite experience with these types of reminders, and this might be exactly the tool you’re looking for to help plan ahead and stick to a schedule. It’s all about finding out what works best for you. Some people live and die by a written planner or calendar. Others receive calendars as a gift each year and have never filled out anything beyond the holidays. 

Once you identify what method works best in your life, stick to it. If you get yourself into the habit of using a calendar regularly, or making to-do lists, or using a digital platform with reminders, you will become accustomed to that method, and you can maintain it better. The worst thing you can do for yourself when practicing planning is to use all of the methods at once. This will overwhelm your brain and cause you to ignore the reminders rather than utilize them. This week, take a look at what is ahead of you, write down 2-3 things you need to accomplish each day and get them done. Spend a little extra time preparing for that test or that big meeting. Try out a reminder app or a desktop calendar. Then tell me your week didn’t go smoother than normal. We have the power to have easier weeks; it just takes a little planning.

-        Bria