Take time to plan

As I’m reflecting on lessons learned from participating in a mental toughness program, one of the key lessons that really hit home for me was the importance of taking time to plan.

Specifically, in one component of the program, although I met the criteria, I realized that I would have gotten much better results had I done more preparation and gone into it with a better game plan – knowing my goal, my why, crafting the plan, deciding on the most important daily action steps and then reflecting and adjusting throughout.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t about creating the “perfect” plan. There’s probably no such thing. And if you try to do that, you’ll probably never get started.

It’s about taking the time to acknowledge where I am, where I want to be and why – then determining the most important action steps that will give me the most bang for my buck – the greatest ROI – then tracking my progress and adjusting as needed.

Without knowing why I wanted something, the goal felt really disinteresting to me and it didn’t get me excited. I also realized that I do better with a clear game plan (and rules) rather than just having a vague goal.

It’s not enough to just “get things done” – if you’re going to be doing something anyway, why not get the most out of it? You’re investing the same amount of time and you’ll end up feeling more satisfied and fulfilled at the same time.

So I’ve headed back to the drawing board (a bunch of post-it notes on my wall) and I’m looking at where I can apply this lesson to multiple areas of my life. I’m noting where I haven’t been getting the desired results and looking at how I can adjust to keep me focused and engaged moving forward.

What a gift to have this self awareness now and be able to course correct in so many different areas of my life.