Making plans is one of the most widely used productivity tactics.
For years, I collected dozens of plans on paper.
At the end of 2019 I decided to review my rich documentation. Here what I discovered.
It seemed that I knew really well what I wanted as I repeated myself in the years - over and over, and I wrote down the same plan - over and over, and read books about how to reach my goals - over and over. I also realized that I was surrounded by motivational stickers and post cards full of imperatives. There were just imperatives everywhere. Basically I lived with a virtual dictator that unconsciously remembered me everyday that I wasn’t happy enough ("be happy!"), living the moment enough ("live the present!") and all those similars phrases that everyone knows.
I felt in a over-burned situation. All of a sudden everything felt so heavy on my back.
Why do I overcomplicated my productivity?
Why did I come up with a dozens of to-do-list, manuals, books and diaries for something as simple as few tasks?
Do I really need to be organized as the Head of Intelligence, to search for motivation as a permanent maniac-depressive and to read how to do plan my life as an incompetent?
I asked my husband to light a fire. I took all papers, dairies, manuals and just threw everything in.
While watching burning “never let go of your dreams” I actually felt better than when I watched at it on my desk. Suddenly those dreams, which often seemed a long way off, were much closer to my reality. Planning and being surrounded by motivational quotes was maybe not wealthy as I expected (or as told), as it insinuates that our life is imperfect and lets us feeling not enough.
What I left in the past decade: ash.
What I figured out and brought into 2020: there's nothing so worthless as doing efficiently what shouldn't be done at all. I don’t need a plan or a coach. I just need to DO the job!
Welcome 2020!