There’s a fine line between worrying about what may happen next and planning for what may happen next. Worrying rarely achieves more than making us feel anxious or depressed. Planning, on the other hand, often makes us feel prepared and confident.
I’m a planner to my core. Whether it’s my written daily and weekly to-do-lists, my family’s monthly and yearly Google Calendar, or my job’s multi-year strategic planning documents – I love to plan ahead. But, sometimes, I don’t always plan correctly.
To be more specific, I don’t always plan for my success or accomplishment of the tasks at hand. Sometimes, my insecurity gets the best of me and I over-plan to the point of nausea instead of trusting myself. Other times, my ego gets the best of me and I under-plan and “wing it” a bit too frivolously.
The planning is done when we plan to do well. Here’s what I mean. Planning to do well is a balanced approach that includes both high self-esteem and reasonable self-management. It takes our skill set and practice into account, while also being realistic about how much we can remember and track on our own.
A great example of planning to do well is the masterful work of Dull’s Tree Farm up in Boone County. Their team plans out the full year based on the expected seasonality (i.e. Pumpkin harvest in the Autumn, Fir Tree harvest in the Winter), with waxing and waning employment scaling and publicity marketing. Then, when it’s time for several thousand people to get their Christmas trees the week following Thanksgiving, they’re absolutely ready with dozens of energetic and well-trained employees, multiple thoughtful workflows, and efficient processing for getting families through the lines quickly. They plan to do well, and let me tell you, they do well!
How can we apply this type of planning to our own lives? What if we planned ahead for the months we know might be tougher on us? What if we planned out our self-care routines and the different steps we’ll need to take to achieve our self-improvement goals? We have the tools and the time, we’ve just got to get into the habit of doing it.
Planning to do well helps reduce anxiety. Planning to do well can help keep a sober person sober. Planning to do well can help us all do well.
If you or someone you know needs assistance with planning ahead for your own health, please reach out to The Willow Center at 317-852-3690.
Written by Chase Cotten, Community Director
