Before the pages fill up with the
default busyness, it’s a great idea to get a head start and plan how you want
to spend each day. Make appointments with yourself to spend your precious time
on the most important things.
Here’s the simple process I use at the
beginning of each new year.
1. Events
There are some events in your year
that are set in stone. Begin by writing in the dates that won’t change. Note
anniversaries, birthdays and holidays. If you are prone to forgetfulness, note
key events the week before to give yourself some prior notice.
2. Margin
It is a natural tendency to fit as
much into each day as possible. We fill our lives up to capacity and forget to
leave ourselves any margins. When we neglect rest and recovery time, we soon
find ourselves overwhelmed, stressed, and too often sick. We can avoid burnout
by intentionally building margin into our calendar.
Plan the activities that rejuvenate
you into your year. Plan weekends at the beach, afternoons to read, family
dinners, dates with your spouse, Sunday brunch with friends—whatever is going
to fill your cup.
3. Tasks
We have regular tasks that we know
need to be done. Often we don’t even put them in our planner. We just expect
that time will magically appear when it’s time to clean the windows or
declutter the kid's closets.
Make a list of your weekly, monthly,
and seasonal tasks. Note the amount of time each task will take (try to be
realistic). Then pencil each task into your planner. It’s up to you how much
detail you add. As the year gets underway, I often move tasks around, but I
find it easier to edit my plan than make things up on the fly and expect them
to be done without adding stress to my weeks.
4. Vision
Do you have a vision for your life?
For me, these include things like nurturing the relationship with my wife and
kids, my faith and my mental health. I have a vision for what I want my life to
be like and what I would like to be remembered for
I know that for these things to be
real, I need to devote time and energy to them. If we want a great marriage, we
need to plan time together. To have a great relationship with our kids, we need
to spend time with them. To have a growing faith, we need to nurture our
relationship with God.
These things don’t automatically
happen because we want them to be so. Make a plan. Put a regular date night in
your calendar. Block out Friday nights for family dinners. Plan regular
spiritual retreat days. Find a Bible reading plan to commit to. Make
appointments with yourself in your diary and take steps towards the life you
envision.
5. Action Steps
Have you set some goals you would
love to achieve this year? Are there books you would like to read, the money
you’d love to save or the weight you’d like to lose?
“A goal without a plan is only a
dream.” —Brian Tracy
Plan to achieve your goals. Break
each goal into action steps and write the steps into your planner. Block out
the time. Make a commitment.
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