How to Stop Over-Planning (Even If You’re a Perfectionist)
Done right, daily and weekly planning rituals can help you travel through life in a graceful, peaceful, purposeful way. But sometimes, over-planning your activities can make you a nervous, stressed-out person who feels like you would be better off if you didn’t plan anything at all.
This post was originally published in the Harvard Business Review .
As a mentor and timing coach, I have found that people get stressed out of planning when they don’t understand the role of spontaneity in fulfilling their plans for the day. Instead of accepting changes as part of the process, they get annoyed with themselves or others when something doesn’t go exactly as planned, such as a delay in a meeting or doing something that takes longer than expected. They can also stress themselves and others when they refuse to push something forward because they don’t have the ideal amount of time to work on it. For example, when the three hours they have assigned to work on a project is reduced to one and a half hours, they may not even bother to start it.
To reap the benefits of daily and weekly scheduling without these unpleasant stressful side effects, you need to take a more relaxed approach. In How To Invest Your Time Like Money, I encourage people to use seven ways to achieve efficiency that can only be achieved through planning while maintaining the happiness that comes from accepting and being open to any unexpected circumstances that may arise:
1. Intent matters: You don’t want to board a plane without knowing your destination because you might end up going in the wrong direction. Likewise, the whole point of planning is to have a decision ahead of time about where you want to end up and suggested steps to help you get there. Of course, pilots often have to adjust their flight path or even land in the event of a storm. But the fact that they had a specific endpoint in mind greatly increases the chances that passengers will end up in the right place. Likewise, you will get the best results if you set the course for your day. The next time something happens that “messes with” your plans and you are tempted to dismiss the planning as irrelevant, remind yourself that your plan really helped you set a starting trajectory and prepare you to eventually end up getting to your desired destination, even if you have to change your course along the way.
2. New definition of 100% valuation. One of my coach clients recently asked me if anyone could ever achieve 100% fulfillment on their plans. I told him that 100% day is rare. For most people, a great day is when you complete 60-70% of what you planned to do. Later, when I thought about this in more detail, I realized that the best answer would be that the highest score should be defined as confidence that you have made the right decisions about how you are investing your time based on the data you have. were in advance on potential tasks. your general priorities and circumstances that have arisen during the day. The best way to assess the day is to ask yourself: Have I made a better choice about how I spent my time today? Instead of: Did I do everything as planned?
3. Don’t waste time chasing the perfect plan: there is no perfect plan. Even if there was a way to create one based on the current data, you cannot know what will happen unexpectedly, so you still cannot guarantee that your plans will be perfect. The goal of planning should be to achieve the right level of clarity so that you know where to focus your attention and how to assess opportunities that arise. I recommend setting a limit on the time you spend planning. For most people, an hour is the maximum time for weekly scheduling. Then daily planning should take a maximum of 15 minutes, since you are not overestimating all your priorities, you are only recalibrating your weekly plan.
4. Think of plans as a roadmap: your plan for the day, week, or even year is a roadmap that gives you direction and an overview of the different paths you can take. Just like you might find yourself on a detour and then need to return to your map to find the best way to continue your journey, having a plan to return to after interruption gives you the insight you need to change your route. Throughout the day, I constantly look back at my daily plan and say, “Okay, based on how long this action lasted, or based on the fact that there is an important call, what is most important now?” You can do the same. Instead of returning to checking your email after an unscheduled meeting or phone call, go back to your daily plan and, if necessary, move items on your calendar or renumber your to-do list so you know what to do next.
5. Expect the Unexpected: One of the great things about planning is that it gives you the ability to respond to the unexpected without experiencing great stress. When you plan correctly, you look ahead and move ahead to the deadline. This then means that when something happens that forces you to change your plans, you can do it without causing problems, because you planned to have a margin. When you don’t plan, you end up so close to the edge that anything slightly off can create serious problems. To dramatically reduce your stress levels, make it a personal goal to complete your assignments at least one day, if not a few days, before the deadline. This gives you flexibility when an unexpected interruption occurs or when a technology problem occurs.
6. This is not a test: if your plans – and then the accuracy of their subsequent implementation – form the basis of your self-esteem, you are on shaky ground. While I truly believe in intention and discipline, I also know that we cannot control life. Instead, we need to accept it. When you find yourself starting to be critical of what you did or didn’t do, stop and ask the questions, “What happened?” and “Can I do something differently next time?” Then use your answers to these questions to inform your future decisions.
7. Be open to creativity: I loved this insight that one of my clients recently shared with me. With his permission, I am sharing this with you because I find it a great way to think about the interaction between intention and freedom:
“This week I had a wonderful one-on-one time with my mom where she taught me how to paint in oils. She shared how some artists sketch their scene before starting, but stressed that the canvas sketch is temporary – it is only a guide and should not be overly detailed or strictly followed as it can reduce the artist’s spontaneity. and interfere with creativity at the moment. I also associate this lesson with managing my time. I’m starting to discover again what really matters, what I want my life to look like and how to live more fulfilling. Thank you for helping me understand that this is my painting and I can paint it the way I want. “
In short … relax. Breathe. Set the sails and then adapt to currents and winds. Our safety and security are not in our plans, but in our hearts. Life is to be lived and enjoyed, not just “done.”
How To Stop Over-Planning (Even If You Are A Perfectionist) | HBR.org