I was in a networking mixer recently when our group was asked:
“Are you a planner?”
One woman who knows me for my playful experiences and fondness for impossible projects, squinted and said, “You’re definitely not a planner.”
She sees me as relaxed and playful…and probably has the assumption that planners would be the last ones to show up that way.
In truth, my relationship with planning is far more nuanced. I’m neither “a planner” nor “not a planner.”
In fact, I have declared myself planning non-binary.
Now before I give you the details of where I fall on the planning spectrum, you need a disclaimer:
My behavior is not a statement of the “right” things to do and most certainly
NOT a suggestion about how you should plan (or not) your life. Only you are the expert on that.
These days, my planning looks something like this:
📌 Weekly planning – (about 30-60 minutes)
What projects am I working on this week? What are my top outcomes on them? I do calendar blocking for big tasks, prep for meetings and appointments.
📌 Start of day planning – (about 10 minutes)
Check on on fixed appointments, check in with weekly outcomes, identify top 3 tasks for the day. Time block the stuff that needs to get done.
📌 End of day planning – (5 minutes)
Check in with the daily tasks, fill in some tracking sheets, lightly look at the next day and shuffle things around.
📌 Bonus: Life & Work Reinvention Check-ins – (as needed)
Wherever life changes, I tweak the system instead of trying harder to follow it.
Honestly, I have trouble thinking more than 7 days in advance. Or possibly 12 hours. 😂 My system has to do that for me.
But I have fallen in love with regular reflection time.
This has become essential because it keeps me focused on current projects and tasks, while allowing for maximum flexibility.
So my life feels really spontaneous and flexible, but if you look at how much planning I do, it seems like it would be the opposite.
This is what I’ve learned from my journey from productivity geek to anti-planner to my current planning non-binary state:
Planning doesn’t create the experience freedom. A quiet mind does.
You can have a jam-packed calendar with time-blocking and back-to-back appointments…and feel totally relaxed.
You can have an empty schedule with nothing to do…and feel completely overwhelmed.
The real difference isn’t how you manage your To Dos, but how you manage your mind.
If you’re in a season where life is changing and you’re trying to figure out what actually matters now, a DragonHeart Portal conversation can help.
We won’t do productivity hacks.
You will find a spacious conversation to hear yourself again.
I have room for just 3 Portal Conversations available this month. If one of them has your name on it, you can book yours here:
https://portal.stephdragonheart.com/dragonheartconversations
Yours in love and play
Steph 🐲❤️
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