THE LIFESTYLE PLANNER

THE LIFESTYLE PLANNER

In my everyday life, I am a wife, a mother to 4 incredible children, an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, strategist, and author/illustrator. Calling my life full doesn’t begin to capture it. That said, my life is not overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, it used to be. But I am no longer drowning under the weight of my schedules and obligations, nor do I find myself in the position of having to neglect certain aspects of my life to focus on others.

My secret: I’ve developed a strategy for life balance based on intentional planning and purposeful living… and it was as simple as changing the way I plan!

Wait a minute, are you talking about day planning?

Yes! But I’m not talking about merely writing tasks down in a pretty book. I’m talking about planning with intention. Most day planners serve as a way for people to manage their daily schedules, which can definitely be helpful in making sure people remember what they need to do on a given day. But my Lifestyle Planner goes beyond merely writing your to-do list and scheduled events.

So, what is a Lifestyle Planner?

More than just a day planner, The Lifestyle Planner is a comprehensive guide to creating and, most importantly, maintaining the one thing we all strive to achieve, Life Balance.

For most busy adults, there are five domains that typically make up our lives. They are: CAREER, RELATIONSHIPS, FRIENDSHIPS, FAMILY and SELF. For many of us with full lives, we are in a constant state of pulling time from one area while being laser-focused on another, only to realize something is being neglected so we pull time again before realizing something else has been neglected, and so on. This cycle leaves us feeling stressed, overwhelmed and guilty. But there’s a simple truth that many of us don’t realize, and that is that the biggest step in achieving balance and fulfillment is recognizing that you don’t have to wait until you’ve achieved a certain level of success in one domain before you put meaningful energy toward (and truly enjoy) the others. In fact, the balance we’ve all been searching for only comes when we consistently and intentionally give time and energy to each domain. Now it’s important to note that consistent doesn’t mean equal. We can’t spend as much time with our friends as we do at work. However, we can be intentional, by going beyond using daily planners as a way to remember appointments. We can shift the way we plan to be deliberate in working the people and things that mean the most to us into our daily lives. It can seem tricky at first but trust me when I say it is possible, a little strategy is all you need and The Lifestyle Planner will guide you every step of the way. The best part of all, is that none of this has to be huge. No grand gestures needed. Just little things. Little moments. Here and there. And little by little, a little will become a lot.

Can we go back to the Five Domains of Life Balance, again?

Absolutely! 

THE FIVE DOMAINS OF LIFE BALANCE

Career. Let’s be real. Those of us with busy careers don’t have trouble devoting enough time and energy to them. Our issue is that we devote too much. When work is busy humans tend to neglect everything. I’m not saying that our jobs and careers are not important, but they are not all that is important. Remember, your life needs you! The Lifestyle Planner provides real-world/ applicable strategies, examples and language for how to set helpful boundaries to ensure your work does not take over your life, as well as how to devote meaningful energy to those other important areas, regardless of how little time you have.

Relationships. Like anything, what we get out of them depend very much on what we put into them. Incredible relationships don’t magically happen; they require our time, effort and energy. However, finding ways to make our partners feel valued- and thereby creating a dynamic where you are valued in return!- is something many busy adults struggle with. But I’ve got great news! It’s not as difficult as one might imagine, even the busiest of us can do it. Whether you have only 5 minutes to spare, an hour, or a long weekend, The Lifestyle Planner has examples of things you can do right now, as well as weekly prompts and reminders to take all of the guesswork out of what to do and when to do it.

My friends are my lifeline. They are there for every moment, big & small, joyous and devastating. They laugh with me, cry with me and are there for me, every time, without fail. Busy or not, making time for your friends and making sure they know they are important is a necessity. Most of us don’t consider using our daily planner as a way to build the habit of nurturing our friendships. The Lifestyle Planner shows you how.

When you ask busy people why they work so hard, more often than not they say, “For my family.” How ironic then that our family life tends to be hit the hardest when we’re busy in our careers. How amazing would it be to be consistently present in the lives of those who matter most? No more neglecting the ones who matter most. No more feeling like you’re dropping the ball. No more guilt.

Repeat after me.

Self. Care. Is. Not. Selfish.

Now, repeat it again… aaaand one more time for good measure.

Work hard- yes. Give- yes. Take care of your family- yes. Be there for others- yes! But realize that at some point the well needs to be filled back up. As the saying goes, an empty lantern provides no light. The Lifestyle Planner not only has tips & tricks for how create life balance and fulfillment in terms of career, relationships, friendships and family, but for those of us who always put ourselves last, this planner focuses on making sure you also take time prioritize the most important component of all- YOU!