Realistic Planning — Put Your Feet on the Ground to Soar

realistic planning
Planning with your feet on the ground…

Realistic planning is the bedrock of your time success. It’s often a challenge, even under the best of circumstances. 

And realistic planning, when you don’t have a clear sense of how long things take is likely to be a constant source of frustration.

This challenge applies to all areas of life, so how will you put your feet on the ground when it comes to your schedule and your time expectations.

Realistic Planning — Start Here

I enthusiastically endorse starting by using a timer, whenever you can, to find out how much time your activities actually take.

Once you know how much time a task takes, then I suggest adding in some extra time for each, right from the start, as you plan your day.  This builds in a “cushion” for dealing with the unexpected.  It also helps relieve you of one source of stress — the angst associated with “falling behind.”

How much is enough?

The amount of extra time you build in will depend on the activity.  If there are lots of variables involved (traffic, crowds, etc.) you’ll want to factor that in.  If you are planning for a project and you don’t know how much time things will take, make your best estimate, and then double the time you allot.  This is what I like to call the Times 2 Rule and it is a very valuable planning and time management tool.

This is because your energy, focus, and productivity won’t be optimized if you are worried about the clock.  In fact, when you are feeling short on time you are likely to work less efficiently, thereby losing even more time (and adding to your stress).  This is a vicious cycle that the Times 2 Rule can help you avoid.

So, how much time do some of your daily or weekly activities take? 

How will you find out and and start building your planning from there?

Here’s some more help for you…

How often do distractions and interruptions pull you off track? If you feel thwarted by some of your own choices, learn to support yourself by setting and maintaining meaningful inner boundaries.  My Inner Boundary Checklist is designed to help you do just that. 

Find time for what truly matters to you. Are you ready to empower yourself? Use this powerful Checklist with 15 simple steps to set and maintain strong, clear internal boundaries. The Inner Boundary Checklist helps you follow through on what you say you will do.

Click this link to learn more about this transformative time tool today.

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