Do you fail to plan?
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.”
-Benjamin Franklin
We all know that planning is the meat and potatoes of reaching your goals. Sure, it's nice to daydream, visualize, create gorgeous vision boards, and write your goals in sparkly journals, but that's just the beginning.
In short, you need a plan that takes you from the daydreaming stage to the triumph of actually reaching your goals.
And what better tool to make a plan than a planner?
You've probably tried to-do lists and calendars and all kinds of different tools for planning. In my experience, you can't beat a well-designed, customized planner for creating goals and scheduling action steps.
I can't say it enough: A planner that works for you can mean the difference between rocking your goals and falling on your face. Your planning tools can definitely make or break your business.
I can't say it enough: A planner that works for you can mean the difference between rocking your goals and falling on your face. Click To TweetHere are just a few benefits of using a planner:
Writing down your goals makes them happen!
This works for a few reasons: The physical act of writing your goals helps them stick in your mind. This also holds you accountable because your goals are now in the physical world, in the form of writing on a page. It's tangible. You've declared your intention on paper, so they're that much closer to being accomplished!
Scheduling your action steps means they'll actually get done.
You've probably heard it before, but what can be done “anytime” often doesn't get done. This is why we actually need to schedule the steps we need to take to reach our goals, and what better tool for that than a planner? Scheduling steps forces you to carve out time for everything you have to do, and that alone is half the battle.
It helps you remember.
You have a lot to do and there is a list of moving parts to your goals. You can't hold all of that in your head and even if you could, who wants to waste that kind of brain space when you can just write it down? Place the task of remembering to your planner so you can focus on getting sh*t done.
Planners allow you to format your plans so you can see it all at once.
For visual thinkers like me, this is CRITICAL. I can write lists all day long, but if I can't see how it's going to play out in my day, forget it. Seeing and understanding how your day or week is going to look and how everything will fit in can reduce overwhelm and help you pinpoint schedule conflicts before they become a huge problem.
Now that you're seeing the power of planners, how do you find one that works for you?
How I Solved My Planner Problem
I've tried so many planners. SO MANY!
I've tried all the popular ones you've probably heard about; big ones and small ones, complicated ones and super simple ones, planners with all kinds of inspirational quotes, stickers, color-coding, and bells and whistles, but nothing ever really worked for me. Something was always missing. There was never enough room for the things I needed, but too much room for stuff I didn't need. Ugh! It was frustrating, and I've seen countless friends and clients struggle with the exact same thing.
So back in 2012, I created my own planner that would work for me. I wanted to be able to include my whole life, not just my business life. I originally called it the Daily Designer because it helped me design my days. I wanted to incorporate a way to journal so that I didn't have to have a planner AND a journal. I also included things that I had learned along the way, like choosing my attitude for the day, things I was grateful for, and something to celebrate each day.
Soon, other people were asking me to make one for them too! I had a few printed and sold them, but I didn't make it a priority.
Fast forward to 2017: I've now pulled out that old planner, dusted it off, and revamped it for how I work today. I kept some of the things I loved about the first version and added some other useful areas. I don't have time to scrapbook my planner, glitter it up or the like and bless the hearts of those that do.🙂 At best, I might doodle while I am on hold, color in the doodle while I am procrastinating, I mean percolating some ideas, but not much more than that.
I needed a straight forward, no bullshit, #GetShitDone Planner. So that's what I created.
A few friends and clients have started using my new planner, and they love it! This revamped planner became my prototype, and now I'm working with printers to produce this baby on a larger scale. I can't wait to get this incredible planner into the hands of awesome entrepreneurs like you.
I thought I was terrible at planners. As it turns out, I just needed to create one that works!
I'm so excited to have this project in the works. Drop your email address below for updates!