Reading through this new program of Moran & Lennington’s…It seems like a lot to do in just 12 weeks.

Then I started really connecting to the crucial components:
8 elements composed of 5 Disciplines & 3 Principles.
3 scheduling additions/clarifications for each week
1 plan to break down a big project into 12 weeks worth of steps

I was inspired by the concept of Vision

I was validated by the concept of Planning.

Deeply, viscerally validated.

Planning is something that sets my mind free to explore on a daily basis. Also, it:

• lets me trust that the necessary work will get done when it is meant to.
• allows me to grow my understanding of many concepts all at once.
• helps me to know when to be where… and what I’m doing once I get there.

In my reflection practice, I find I frequently have themed pages.

Sometimes I’ll open an empty page while mid-conversation with a friend and write down my takeaways.

Planning brings me back into that notebook and reminds me of the nuances we discussed so I can revisit them or share & grow those ideas with other resonant humans.

Planning transforms my confusing social schedule from a mental list of people I care enough to make time for (held in mind with a dash of hopefulness that I’ll get to them all this month)…

…into an organized calendar that allows me to see
who’s missing & when I might have time to set aside a night
or three for self-care to counterbalance the chaos

Planning reminds me that if I’m nervous about what to write for the next few weeks, that I can create a framework that allows me to follow my natural train of thought through a curriculum of 5 Disciplines. Planning gives me the gift of a calendar of content that will take me through a minimum of 15 blog posts.

“What even do I want to write about today?”
I used to ask.

“What’s most important to convey about this topic I love?”
I ask myself now.

Planning reduces the mental load on Future Me. And I would do just about anything for that B*. She’s one of my top priorities, you know?

Side note – What’s your relationship like with your Future Self?
What about your Past Self? Did they set you up for success?
Or did Past You make things harder than they needed to be?
No judgment. Just noticing.

The act of planning can be so motivating as well. When we have a detailed design in front of us that shows the path toward our goals, those dreams move from being categorized in our mind as “Impossible” to “Possible”…with much more potential to continue evolving into “Probable” and a “Given” based on our consistent effort (Moran, Lennington 2013).

Let’s get into some nerdy behaviorism here to close out today’s musing.

One way to increase the likelihood of a behavior (in this case, taking daily actions toward long term goals) is to engage in a practice called “Shaping”

Shaping is providing reinforcement for smaller approximations of the new behavior rather than needing it to be done perfectly in order to be rewarded.

Example:

A child is learning to spell “CAT” and
frequently uses the letter K to start her spelling.

Shaping says that child will be more willing to keep learning if we acknowledge her efforts as soon as she says “C” EVEN IF the rest of the letters she lists in that attempt are incorrect.
She made progress!
Full Credit!
Gold Stars Everywhere!

Planning is Shaping with an eye toward time. If I’m practicing for a marathon over 3 months, my goal for week 1 will be very different from my goal for week 8. Planning out that 3 months week by week will make each step of the process clear and easier to aim for. By week 4 – with a plan – I’ve built some momentum for learning… alongside my increased stamina for the run itself.

Where do you want to be by the end of this month?

What practices do you like to do for their own sake?

What might you like to start improving at?

A solid plan is the key to having more time & energy for all of the above.