Changes To Your Plan

Planning your week gives you a sense of structure, organization, and a clear picture of what you need to get accomplished.  You can plan your appointments, tasks, things to do, errands to run, and your daily schedule of time commitments.  You can visually see what you need to do each day.  This helps you stay focused and on track to achieve your goals.  However, things can happen that interrupt your schedule and plan.  The key here is to know when it’s okay to veer from your plan and when you need to stick with it.  Here is what you need to know about making changes to your plan.

Unexpected Changes

You might be afraid to plan your week because you know how unexpectedly things can change.  Maybe there is an emergency or you’re spontaneously offered the opportunity to hang out with friends.  Plans can change.  There has to be a certain level of flexibility to your planning.  Planning is not a ridged be all end all that you have to stick to this plan exactly and nothing else can change it.  You have to be open and flexible to change to a certain degree.  But, there is one time you really should stick to your plan and that’s when it comes to the time dedicated to working on achieving your goals.

Goal Time

When you schedule time to work on the tasks related to your goals, that time needs to be a non-negotiable.  You will have friends or family members that offer you the chance to do something else more fun rather than the difficult tasks to achieve your goals.  However, if you’re committed to achieving your goals, you have to do the tough work.  That means saying no to other things that sound easier and more fun in the moment.  You have to have some boundaries in place when it comes to the time dedicated to working on your goals.  That time is sacred and any time you want to make a change to that, you need to ask yourself if it’s truly necessary.  If changing your plan compromises your ability to achieve your goals, then it’s definitely not recommended.  Unexpected things may happen that effect the time you’ve set aside to work on your goals.  It’s not ideal but if you’re committed to achieving your goals, you will find the time to get these tasks done.  Make sure you reschedule your goal related tasks to another allotted time so that you get them accomplished.

Habit

Do not make this a habit of changing and modifying your plan.  Try to stick with it as much as possible.  Humans are a creature of habit.  Having a plan for your week allows you to stay focused on what matters most.  It helps you to complete the things you need to in order to feel accomplished.  Create the habit of using your planner and do your best to stick with it.  Make it a habit to take a few minutes to plan out your day the night before so that you can wake up in the morning knowing what you need to be working on.  Find ways to establish this habit.  Whether that’s setting alert reminders on your phone or using a wallpaper.  You can also attach using your planner to an existing habit.  Such as, when you brush your teeth or have your morning coffee, you have your planner right there to review.  Making using your planner a habit so that you can stay on track and visually see what you need to accomplish each day.

Do not be afraid to use a planner.  A planner gives you so much more focus and clarity on what you need to get accomplished.  Your brain will stop stressing out about trying to remember so much when you have it written down and can visually see it instead.  Schedule out your day the night before.  Realize there will be times when you will have to change your plan.  If it comes to the time dedicated to working on your goals, make sure you really need to cancel this time.  Reschedule any time you’ve missed working on your goals to ensure it gets completed.  Establish the habit of using your planner so that you can keep track of it all, including the changes you’ve made to your plans!  Your planner is meant to help you stay organized and focused on making progress towards achieving your goals.