How To Plan Your Year Creative-Lee
The term “planning” sounds soooooo left-brain, doesn’t it. Hey, there is nothing wrong with a little left-brain in the planning process, but it can actually be a creative, whole-brain process.
A plan and goals are written descriptions of the overall direction of what you want to do. It also can be a picture, poem, collage, image, song or sentence, as long as it has meaning to you. It’s a philosophy to live by and organize around. I have always had goals. Always. When people first step into my office, one of the first things they notice is that my goals are up where people can see them. I have a dream board on the wall with pictures of my main goals along with captions for each. There’s an affirmation on my desk (which I also write out every single day). My goals are also in my planner, wallet, on the wall‹everywhere. It sounds hokey, but it works.
• Scrapbooking. Look at what your subconscious is telling you and discover your deepest desires. What your heart and your head say. Grab some magazines and catalogs and rip out any picture that triggers something in you related to how you want your life to look. Pay attention to any connections, patterns or ideas. Then make a collage on a big board or on smaller boards representing each area of your life that needs your attention. Write a caption underneath the picture about how it would feel to live like this and what your life would be like. Add actions steps for each goal/dream.
• Mindmapping. This is a fast (and effective) way to formulate non-linear plans using word and idea association. It works because it suspends judgments, naturally clusters like ideas and gets your plan on paper. Start by deciding the essence of what you are aiming for and either write it or use an image to represent what you want in the middle of the page. (Turn the paper horizontally for more room to write.) Draw branches for each area you want to organize. Next, without passing judgment, write whatever comes to mind (using trigger words) with rapid fire speed. These will extend like leaves from those branches. After you have exhausted all ideas, go through and eliminate any duplicate or unfeasible ideas and cluster together others. Finally, using a different color for each, highlight your long-term, mid-term and short-term tasks.
• Playback. Using a tape recorder walk around your home and/or office and comment on what you see. What’s working and what’s not? Don’t judge, just observe and report. If you think of a solution or have a suggestion, say it out loud. If you want to add in how you feel as you walk through each area, do it but don¹t let it get you down. Play back the tape when you are done and make notes based on what you said. There may be a lot of useful ideas that come out of this exercise. Brainstorm for the best ideas and then integrate these into a plan. Another way to do this is to write a sentence that describes your ideal life. How it would look, feel and work. Then go for a walk with a tape recorder and start talking (to yourself) about what you want and all the possible ways to make it happen.
• It’s Linear, But It Works. Make two lists. The first list is everything you LIKE about your life and why. Then make a list of everything you DON’T like about your life and why. Look for clues about what works and now come up with some solutions for what doesn’t. Look at each area of your life--finances, fitness, relationships, career, home--and figure out what to focus on in 2004. To figure out what matters most, rank them as you would a movie. Five stars for a hit down to a dog for something that really doesn¹t work for you. It’s subjective and should be based entirely on your tastes and preferences. Ask yourself, how much of my life does it take to deal with this? Is it worth the effort?
• How and How Now. On the left side of a piece of paper, list the objectives you are planning for. On the right, make two columns. At the top of the first column write, “How.” Call the second column, “How now.” To begin the planning process, write down all the things you can do, the “how” that will accomplish your objective. Do this in broad strokes. Let it sit for a while, then move to the second column and branch out from the “How” steps into more specific “How Now” solutions and action steps that are more short-term in nature. A “How” would be “Clean up sporting equipment.” Connected “How Nows” could include (1.) Donate, sell or give away old, broken and unused items. (2.) Get a good container to keep everything organized and out of the way.
• On A Mission. Turn your main vision for a more successful and happy you into an affirmation. You¹ll review and write it regularly until it is internalized and drives your decisions and daily actions. An affirmation acts like a mission statement for an area of your life. It’s a sentence or two that states your purpose. It could also be a poem you recite regularly or a song you sing all day long. By writing, reading or singing your affirmation you retrain your brain. Now you have a mindset that¹s rooted in what’s possible. You’re now focused on the future and what you want it to be like. If you are burdened with negative thoughts all day, every day, you aren’t operating at your best. You won’t see solutions to your problems because they are buried under a mountain of negativity. You can’t get rid of these thoughts, but affirmations are the answer. The more you believe you will be successful, deserve to be happy, the more likely it will happen. When you feel better about yourself and you will worry less, make better decisions, and by feeling better, you bring good things to you.
• Dream Board. This is an exercise where you cut out pictures representing what you want your life to look like and then paste them on a big board. I recommend adding a caption for each picture in the collage so you engage your left brain, too.
You can plan as you go if that’s more your style. If you do decide to just wing it, at least make sure to have at least an overall purpose or vision to use as a compass to lead you in the right direction. Otherwise, you may end up getting lost along the way. Your overall goal is your North Star and guides you (and your decisions) as you sail zig-zagging through your year. This way you can be flexible and spontaneous, but also not drift too far off course and end up on the rocks.
Copyright © 2003 by Lee Silber. All rights reserved.
