How do you plan your day?
Do you make a list at the start of each day? Then find yourself rolling unfinished items from one day in to the next, and end up with a monster list on a Friday?!š±
Perhaps you use a Bullet Journal? Or a nicely colour coded, electronic list?
Do you even bother planning your day?!
For years I was the queen of planningšøš». Yep, really! At one point I was the Financial Planning Manager for a FTSE 100 company.
I’m good at seeing the bigger picture and breaking it down into monthly and weekly actions.
I took that skill in to my personal life. I still have the fancy plastic folder with tabbed sections for the different areas of my life.
But somewhere along the way it started to feel dissatisfying: never getting to the end of those darned lists. Always adding something else on. Rejigging calendars.
In reality Little Miss Perfect was having a field day and I was keeping the chaos at armās lengthā¦and it takes energy to do that!š“
I tried ditching planning altogether but that didnāt work either. I just ended up feeling crap about not making progress with the things I cared about.
How to create something which felt more fun and easy, AND still get stuff done?
I looked to nature for guidance. Start with the soil. If you want to grow strong, resilient plants you need healthy soil.
Whereas before, regardless of what system I was using, I used to start at the top with stuff I āshouldā do – work pretty much was always the first thing Iād note down! – now I get a fresh piece of paper each morning and literally start at the bottom of the page and work up.
First, I write the things I know will make the biggest difference to how I go about my day: my soil. Thereāll be meditation, food (planning & prep) and walking in nature on there.
Next I think of one thing that would be about ME. That could be having a bath, or booking a haircut.
Then I make a note of an admin item. Thereās usually something thatās shouting for attention. You know the thing youāve been putting off, like sorting out the dog insurance. The type of items that, if you leave them, build up quickly and you end up feeling like you need a week to catch up.
Finally, Iāll note down 2 – 4 other things to do with areas of my life: parenting, work, friends & family, and home & garden.
Then I get out my diary and phone. I work out when Iāll actually do these things, and I set phone alarm reminders.
There you have it. A simple, low cost, low tech way to grow your dayš.
I invite you to give it a try and see what unfolds.
Love to hear how you get on.
Let’s flourish together!
Arlene x

Arlene Francey Lyne
Coach, writer, mama, raving fan of Mother Earth.
Life a work in progress; like a garden, itās never finished!
Sharing practical inspiration to help you tend to what mattersš
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