How Mindset Affects Your Planning And Productivity

Mindset

Have you ever wondered if your mindset affects how you plan? It may not seem obvious at first, but it can have a huge impact! 

At the heart of all of my teaching around planning, I coach the importance of weekly planning instead of daily planning. Here’s what I want you to think about as it relates to your mindset and the energy that you're bringing to your weekly planning session.

Let’s say you conduct your weekly planning on Sundays. The day has come, but it has been hectic and stressful. When the time comes for you to create your weekly plan, you are tired, feeling slightly frazzled and stressed about the upcoming week. Think about the impact that can have on the plan you create.

This can result in two negative outcomes:

  1. You end up over committing because you just start jamming as much stuff as you can into the week because you are feeling panicked and behind.
  2. The overwhelm takes over and you decide planning is pointless and you will just wing it and hope to get caught up. 

Now let’s pretend it is the same Sunday but the day has been relaxed and easy going.  When you sit down to plan, you feel calm and rested.  You are not rushed or feeling panicked. You are able to think reasonably about the upcoming week and can focus on your priorities and expectations.  The plan you create will be a realistic, prioritized one. 

Even as you read this, can you feel a difference in the energy I just described?  

It’s important to bring calm, controlled energy when you sit down to conduct your weekly planning (or any planning). 

Even though I love planning on a Sunday, I always do a gut check with how I Am feeling before I plan.  If it has been a rushed weekend, I know I am better off waiting to plan until I am in the right mindset to bring the right energy to my plan.

Take a few minutes and think about when you usually create your plans.  Are you going to make any changes?  If so, let me know about it!  And, if you feel like you are never getting the right stuff done, podcast episode 40 will give you a subtle shift in how you look at your task list. 

For all things, time management, organization, and productivity follow me on FB and IG at Megan Sumrell or go to megansumrell.com!