I took an 8-week Planner Pause

Don’t worry, I had my Google Calendar so I didn’t miss critical meetings but I took a break from planning out my week in the detail I normally have. Here’s what I learned.

Feeling Caged-In is Never Good

Sometimes a lot of structure feels confining and during this pandemic I was feeling VERY confined beginning in June. I took lots of walks and bike rides and opted to do my own grocery shopping over delivery. But that wasn’t enough and I could tell I was feeling trapped like a caged animal. Funny thing I noticed was my planner pages were full of things I didn’t complete and in mid-June, there was very little on the page. Don’t misunderstand, there was plenty to do but I wasn’t planning much and there was a noticeable lack of color which is odd for me-I LOVE colorful pens! My Passion Planner was seriously lacking passion and planning. 

This is where my pause began. I suppose it was more of a fading pattern.

Unintentional is Dangerous

Have you ever met a good friend for coffee or a beer and realized it had been months since you’ve seen each other? That’s how life goes sometimes but not seeing a good buddy for months probably wasn’t the intention and when we’re not mindful, a month or two can turn into 6 before we know it. My unintentional planner pause was no different. When I looked last week I was startled to see that 8 weeks had passed and relieved it hadn’t been more! The break from very structured planning wasn’t the problem, it was the lack of purpose. I feel fortunate that the unintentional break in my positive pattern of weekly planning didn’t turn into a nasty habit. It was close.

Move On

But how? First, it’s important to understand why it happened. Second, have grace and figure out the best next step. Understanding why will help you determine if you need a change or just to begin again and lead you nicely into the best next step. For my planner pause, I was piling too much into each day and then feeling like I wasn’t enough. It felt better to have nothing than a bunch of leftover to-dos so my break was my way of avoiding my larger-than-life list. Pile enough on and no one will feel like enough. Interestingly, the break naturally resulted in the completion of what was the most important and I can now clearly see how to make my list more manageable.  

There is so much polarization in our country but when it comes down to it, we’re all a lot more alike than different. My wish is for us to begin with that in mind with the hope of calming the chaos. #calmthechaos

In honor of my love for color, here are some of my favorite pens-BONUS! they are old-school amazing. https://www.target.com/p/paper-mate-24pk-felt-tip-marker-pens-multicolor-ink/-/A-50358888