Can you remember going on road trips with your parents? I am sure it was different, but in my memory driving had nothing to do with vacation. Being in the car and on the road meant serious business. We had no unplanned stops unless the car was broken and absolutely no funny business changing the route spontaneously. We never took the train to get anywhere, but it wouldn’t have made much difference.
In terms of planning I realized I am often like someone who drives a car like it was a train. It’ll make sense, trust me.
Okay, here is how it usually happens. You have a new idea or project, which is always exciting. After some initial research you imagine how this all may pane out and of course you start planning everything. You then have your route that you simply need to follow.
So then you get busy. A couple of weeks later however you realize how much entangled you are in everything and how much more work it is than you had anticipated. Thus, somehow despite investing so much time you are not really getting much closer to your goal. But you feel like you have to complete what you started the way you planned it. There we have it: You are stuck, like on tracks. Unable to budge or change direction. You are not a quitter after all.
It is like when you start at a big train station having all the options, then you decide for one train. While you are sitting in the one train you chose, you are not in command anymore, you keep simply following the tracks. If you pass a nice place you cannot just get out and look when the train doesn’t stop there. Everyday life can easily be like this. You keep tagging along from one errand to another and don’t really dare to look up. And all of a sudden another month went by.
But you can stop, look, and change direction anytime. You are the one in the driver seat. Make sure not to forget that.
I created a weekly planner (just one sheet) that helps you to observe your direction more consciously. Life is short!