However, in our AW Planner we included space to plan your month ahead. Why? Here are 5 reasons…
#1 Retention
You might have a good idea of what’s going on this month but writing it down means you remember. So when you are out shopping and see that perfect gift for your best friend’s birthday at the end of the month, you’ll pick it up.
#2 Reduces Stress
Psychologist and stress researcher, Robert Epstein, found after surveying 3,000 people in 30 countries that the stress management technique that worked best was…you guessed it. Planning! If you are a parent, you know what it’s like when all of sudden you realize your child doesn’t have school on Monday due to a teacher in-service day you forgot to put in your calendar. Or the reverse, you knew it, wrote it down, planned for it. Phew!
#3 Saves Time (and Money)
Taking a few minutes to plan your month will save you time and money. For example, since your retention is higher, not only did you pick up that gift for a friend when you saw it, but you also got extra sunscreen for your upcoming vacation and placed a hold on a book at your local library so you will have something to read instead of purchasing both at the last minute for a lot more at the airport.
#4 Increases Intentionality
We are big proponents of being more intentional with your time. We want to help you find your perfect balance between getting what you want done and free space. Planning is key. One of the things we personally place a high value on is not working on vacations. In the coming month, we will shut down AW for a week to disconnect and be with our family and friends. When running a business that not only takes holding that intention but planning ahead for it.
#5 Helps You Accomplish Your Goals
Last, but not least important, planning ahead helps you accomplish your goals faster. It allows you to set yourself up to be successful. To do that you have to have foresight between busier and less busy times so you keep your momentum up without burning out. If a week has a lot of outside influences that are going to impact the time you can devote to your goals i.e. visitors, celebrations, travel etc. we want you to account for that. It’s a practice to set yourself up to enjoy your life and accomplish your goals. Mentally you think you should be able to do everything and then you feel badly, like you somehow failed, when you can’t. That’s not the case, but it does take planning.
Have we sold you on the benefits of planning your month? We hope so!
