STOP! Planner Time! (What I'll be using to navigate my life and business next year).
I know it's only September, but as we head into the last quarter of this year, we need to start thinking about how to set ourselves up to navigate NEXT year.
(Plus, if you have a planner addiction like me, this is a super fun part of being your own boss lady...or man:)
I journal. I organize. I brain dump. I categorize. I sketch. I doodle...
Truly.
My thoughts get messy because being a human is complicated and weird.
My schedule gets messy because I:
- design websites
- provide intimate phone guidance for personal and professional expansion
- homeschool my children in the afternoon
- am the nurturing socket that provides emotional voltage for a constellation of people - my family.
So yeah. I need outlets for processing and planning that nurture the comprehensive me... BODY, MIND, SPIRIT, and BUSINESS.
Here's what I'm going to invest in for 2016.
The 2016 Desire Map Journal (FOR MY SPIRIT)
I've been using Danielle's Desire Map Day Planner this year. It seems she is offering two versions next year: a time organizer (planner) and a journal. I want the journal. That's how I've been using this year's planner.
I use it to capture little moments from my day - things the kids said, delightful experiences that happened, photos, dreams, words, gratitude...
I don't use my Desire Map Journal as a place to hash out the ugly stuff - because the ugly stuff is not my life. The ugly stuff is temporary. I process it and get through it. Rarely do I go back and dig through the yuck. So the Desire Map Journal is a place for my light. I DO go back and revisit all the tiny sparkles of individual days. THAT is my life:)
Eccolo World Traveler (FOR MY MIND)
THIS journal is my work horse. I thrash around in this sucker. I process big things, little things, creative nudges, and shallow whims. I write poetry, tell people off, and sketch the contents of my brain. Basically, this journal is the junk drawer for my mind, which really helps because hauling around miscellaneous emotional crap and ideas everywhere I go is exhausting.
The Passion Planner (FOR MY BODY)
I've never used The Passion Planner but have heard AH-MAZING things about it. I'm planning to use this tool to make time for my business goals and action steps each day. From what I can see, I'll adore the different "containers" on the pages for weekly focus, task prioritization, and to-do's. I love breaking big things into little things - something this planner looks to be a super tool for.
The EPIC BLOG Editorial Planner (FOR MY BUSINESS)
My clients get one of these as a gift when we start working together because marketing your solo business can feel confusing. There is so much to remember when it comes to sharing, promoting, connecting, collaborating, and publishing. The sooner my clients can start the practice of organizing their content marketing, the better. My instruction to clients is this: you don't have to use this planner perfectly. Go through it. Become aware of what you could be doing to support your business. Whatever skills you need to acquire to market your business will shake loose in this planner. You have to organize what you do know so you can stay on track and look at what you DON'T know so you can do something about it.
I'm envisioning moving tasks from this planner into my Passion Planner - where I'll jot down priorities and action items for each day.
What do you think? Am I planner crazy? Haha! Probably, but it works for me.
(P.S. I'm NOT an affiliate for any of the above-mentioned products. I've either used them and love them or am planning to use them in the near future).
How about you? What planning tools are you starting to get excited about for 2016? Let me know and say hello below!
About The Author:
Website designer, writer, and life coach Deana Ward creates simple and soulful design and personal transformation experiences for introverted people who tend to get lost in the overwhelm of their ideas. Get her free book The Introvert’s Guide To Growing Your New Business and learn the exact things she did to get her dream business off the ground in less than a year so she can spend her days doing what what she loves, earning a meaningful income, and hanging out with her kids!