Can planning sometimes become a block?
(just click on the pondering pic to enlarge if needed)
Obviously I believe in the positive power of planning - otherwise Planning Club wouldn’t exist!
But one of the principles of Planning Club is that there’s no ‘one thing’ that’s going to be right for everyone all the time - and so planning won’t always be the answer. In fact, sometimes it can get us stuck…
When planning can help…
Do you ever have so many things to do that you don’t know where to start - and so you actually end up doing nothing? Or just worrying about all that you’ve got to do?
I've definitely had that feeling of being both overwhelmed & ‘stuck’ at the same time - and often I’ve found that the way out of the ‘stuckness’ is making a plan. Once things are written down (either on paper or digitally) then they can seem more manageable and the starting point / priorities become clearer.
… and when it doesn’t
But it doesn’t always work! Sometimes just the idea of writing everything down and making a plan can feel overwhelming in itself and so it keeps us in that ‘stuck’ place. I’ve definitely been there - in fact, I think especially because I believe in the benefits of planning then I think I need a plan before I get started… but it feels overwhelming… and so I don’t do it… and then it feels more overwhelming… and so on! And suddenly wanting to plan has actually become a block in itself.
So, what can we do when we feel that way?
Notice what’s happening…
As with many things, identifying the problem is often the first step to solving it. There could be lots of reasons why we’re feeling ‘stuck’ - but if we realise that it’s ‘cos we think we need a full plan before we get started then at least we’ve recognised one of the things that’s holding us back
…then just do anything!
The main priority here is getting started and not worrying about whether we’re doing the thing that makes the most sense as the ‘right’ thing to do first - just pick something and do it! Maybe it’s the quickest thing… or the easiest… or the most fun… or even the biggest… Ignore the fact that it might not be the most important/relevant - it’s better to do something than nothing
Action can be the antidote to anxiety
As I said before, the issue with getting ‘stuck’ is that we can sometimes end up in that doom-loop of overwhelm > anxiety > stuckness > overwhelm > and so on. In those situations, just doing something - even if it might not be the ‘best’ thing we could do - can be more effective than planning.
It won’t always work (spoiler alert: nothing ever does!) but often just taking some kind of action can help to break the spiral, make us feel better and slightly lessen the anxiety. Then, once we’re feeling a bit calmer - and with at least one thing ticked off the list - we can think more clearly about what needs to happen next…
(and if/when you get to the point that you’d like to make some plans again, the Planning Club groups are always there if needed to offer some support and structure to your planning time - or if you’d like more specific help then please get in touch to see if some one-to-one sessions might be useful)
And remember, nothing works for everyone! So if this doesn’t appeal - or you’ve tried it and it didn’t really work - then don’t worry, it’s just not the right thing for you… could you tweak it to make it work better? (or take a look at the other ponderings for more ideas)
