Gracious Goal Setting

As I prepared my Unbound Planner for the year, I was aware of the feeling of stress that I was experiencing. As I reflected back on my years of goal setting and yearly planning, I realized that as important and exciting as this is for me, I put a lot of pressure on myself. 

I took a step back to reflect on this and gained some insight. 

First of all, I was putting pressure on myself to know it all now. I was trying to consider every option, every goal, every milestone for my year, feeling as though I needed a complete roadmap immediately. Indeed, the whole point of this process I go through is to set some expectations and goals and to define steps that will help me be successful. However, I recognized a need to shift myself toward giving time and opportunity for additions and modifications. 

Secondly, I recognized how much I still hold on to the feeling of wanting a perfect-looking planner. I've previously gotten swept up in wanting to incorporate hand lettering, colour coding and so on. I've scrapped this, recognizing that it was taking away from the real purpose of my planner for me. But I still find myself hesitant to add to my planner, fearful of not organizing it precisely right, making a mistake in pen or not using the space provided for the "right goal." I usually laugh this off, blaming my Type-A personality, but I am pushing myself to see that perfection of the planner is not what will ultimately be the basis of achieving my goals.

I am challenging myself this year to find a balance between consistent, productive use of my planner and a gentle, gracious mindset that will allow for more enjoyment and less stress related to this habit. 

September 19, 2021