{Planning 101} Planning Traps to Avoid

Are you falling victim to any of these planning traps?

We’ve been talking a lot about effective planning lately. You can go here to see all the posts in our Planning 101 Series.

We all have different planning needs. Some of us are wired to be planners by nature. Others of us feel stifled in our souls at the mere thought of planning.

Yet all of us have to plan in some shape, form, or fashion.

I want to wrap this series up by sharing some of the planning traps I’ve discovered so that you can avoid them!

5 Planning Traps to Avoid

1. Becoming too rigid

One of the biggest planning traps I see people fall into is thinking everything has to be perfect.

If you’re not willing to be flexible, then your planning is in vain.

We don’t plan our time to be better people or “have it altogether.” We plan our time in order to make the best use of our time for the glory of God.

2. Over planning

Another trap I see people fall into is over planning. I’m guilty of this one too often!

Sometimes I find myself planning and planning and planning and planning, but never doing anything I plan. I think I have to get it all perfectly outlined before I can jump in. Or I plan it but don’t have the discipline to follow through.

It’s easy to over complicate things by over planning.

3. Giving up too soon

If planning isn’t something you’re naturally inclined toward, then the “give up too soon trap” is probably your stumbling block. You’ve tried the planning thing, but you just fail the minute you try. Why bother?

We have to be willing to do the hard work of failing and trying again when it comes to planning our time for God’s glory. We won’t always get it right. That’s okay! Don’t give up.

4. Choosing the wrong tools

Just because I use and love my daily planner, doesn’t mean that it’s the right planner for you.

Just because Susie Green down the street is committed to paperless planning to save the earth doesn’t mean that will work for you. (By the way, I’m all about saving the earth.)

Just because I like to plan my time in chunks like quarterly or monthly doesn’t mean this will be the best strategy for you.

Choose the tools (and methods) that work for you. Many people fail to plan their time effectively because they choose tools created for a totally different type of person than who they are!

5. Doing too much

Finally, we live in a productivity driven society. If we’re not doing something all the time, then we must be lazy bums. Well, I’m here to tell you that rest is not a sin and every need is not our calling.

When you’re doing too much, planning your time becomes far too difficult. Things start dropping through the cracks no matter how well you plan because you’re simply doing too much.

This post is part of our Planning 101 series. See all the posts in this series here.

Did you know that I turned this series into an eBook (and added even more to it?)

You can now download this entire series plus more in one easy PDF download. Click here to learn more!

This post contains my affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy here.

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