4 Keys to Planning your Best Year Ever
My new planner arrived the other day. It’s beautiful. I love the clean pages and unallocated time, with all the possibilities and opportunities of a new year. It’s exciting. And a little daunting.
Fail to plan and you plan to fail. We know. I’m an organised person, but I’m not a natural planner. I’m a go-with-the-flow kind of girl, see what comes along and jump on board along the way. But I know, when I stop long enough to think about it, there are dreams in my heart I would love to see become a reality, and a dream becomes a reality through a plan. So, it’s time to make a plan!
I’ve developed a workbook to step through the process of planning a year. You can sign up and download it for free. This resource will help you think through everything you would love to fit into your year and help you create a life you love living.
Here are 4 keys to planning your best year ever
Planning margins
Do you remember in primary school when the teacher would say, “Turn to a new page and rule a margin”? The margin had to be ruled in before the first word was written on the page. The margin comes first.
We need margins in our lives. Our pages get crowded with busyness, stress and expectations. We have countless commitments to fit into our days, leaving us tired and overwhelmed. White space, clear margins, are vitally important, and they have to be ruled in first. It’s impossible to look at a fully booked calendar and squeeze in time for recovery and rest. Stolen moments of self-care don’t lead to health and vitality.
To plan your best year ever, plan your margins first. Is your year a long steady marathon? Plan in regular weekly or fortnightly refuelling days. Is your year a series of sprints to major deadlines? Plan in more significant recovery time after each anticipated busy period.
2. Plan for what is most important
Who and what is most important to you? Your health? Your marriage? Your relationship with your children? Do you have a passion for a social cause or a project that God has called you to? Plan for the important.
So often we plan for the mundane, and then squeeze the important into the cracks. Make plans and designate time in your calendar for the people and projects that capture your heart. Plan a regular date night with your spouse, family nights with the kids and block out regular days to work toward the big goals that feed your passion.
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. —Psalm 90:12
3. Group regular tasks and get into a productive routine
There are regular things we need to do each day, each week, each month and each season. Rather than needing to plan as you go, make lists of your regular tasks, set up a routine that works and time block your weekly routine.
There are a number of monthly admin tasks I need to get done for work. Rather than waiting for the warning emails from the finance department, I have a 'Monthly Admin' task list in the notes section at the back of my planner. Then, on the last Thursday of each month, I have blocked out an hour of admin time. This is now part of my regular routine and I don’t need to think about it.
This principle applies to lots of areas such as cleaning, maintenance, meal planning and exercise. Create a routine that works for you, taking care of the mundane regular responsibilities of life. Then you are more likely to have creative space and energy for the fun stuff!
4. Plan to live a life you dream of
Plan a life you will love, full of the things that bring you joy and fill your cup. Plan to spend time with the people you love, learn the things you have always wanted to try and read the books you have always wanted to read. Do you dream of a quiet life in the country? What could you do this year to take a step toward that dream? Are you longing for financial freedom? What steps could you take this year toward your goal? Don’t let dreams stay in dreamland with rainbows and unicorns; articulate them, break them down into steps, and move forward, even if just by a little.
Just over a year ago we left our big house in the suburbs for a city apartment with a view. It was a big step; it took a lot of planning and a fair amount of courage. Looking back a year down the track, we are so glad we did! We love our new life. We spend our weekends with friends and family rather than the mower and the mop. Do you have a dream? Allow yourself to make a plan and take a step.
When you put these four keys into place and build your year intentionally around these principles, you will be able to look forward to a wonderful year full of purpose and joy. Plan a year you can’t wait to live in. Create a life you love.
