Simply put, 2022 didn't go as "planned". And that could be because I started out with not one, not two, not even five different planning systems. No, my friends, I started this year with a stack of no less than 22 individual little planners, booklets, and notebooks over which I had the entirety of my "life" planned out. Each aspect of my life had its own system based on which of the shiny objects I believed would work best.
Here's the problem with that for me. I'm a pantser. Not just when it comes to the way I write but with the way I live day to day. Sticking to a set of meticulously laid out plans is not my nature. Especially when it comes to getting things done. If you've been around for any length of time then you know that I have yet to succeed in doing anything the way I was "supposed" to or the way the "experts" tell you it should be done. Not saying that there's anything wrong with how others go about their day staying in the lines or following the leader, it's just not how my wins are accomplished.
Oh sure, there are plenty of rules I follow, boundaries I don't cross, and risks I don't take. There are situational obstacles I'm unable to overcome. All that conspire to keep me in line so to speak. And I'm cool with those for the most part. But you can best believe if there's any chance for me to wander off into the wilds I'm going to do it. Most of the time without any forethought. I don't consciously choose to go left when everyone else goes right, it just seems to happen.
So naturally, we weren't but a minute into 2022 when I abandoned 98% of my planning tools. What followed next were ten months of me wandering aimlessly from project to project, growing increasingly unfocused and desperate to make some gains with my business. Which then resulted in my current state of WTF.
I don't want 2023 to go this same way. So what am I going to do to change it? The answer to that is...what I'm going to be sharing in this month's blog series. Join me here over the next three Wednesdays as I share my plan to pants my way successfully through 2023.