Don’t Make These Planning Mistakes, Mom

Overlooked planning mistakes to avoid

Planning is not an independent activity. Instead, it is interconnected with goal setting, strategic planning, and reflection. Alan Lakein said it best, “Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” (Alan Lakein). Too often we approach planning from a singular view. For example, I’ve seen moms plan their day but skip planning for the month in its entirety. Most impactful however is trying to plan without goal setting.

This occurrence, unfortunately, leads to a lack of productivity, confusion, and disjointed accomplishment. I know this from experience. Whenever I lack a holistic plan and disconnect from my goals, I feel out of sorts. In today’s post I am sharing two overlooking planning practices that moms should avoid.

Effective Planning for Career Moms

Planning is an important aspect of life in my opinion. It goes beyond organization and time management. Planning helps to reduce stress and burnout. Having a plan guides our life and connects us to purpose.

Mistakes to Avoid

The first planning mistake to avoid is failing to self-reflect. Self-reflection allows you to celebrate accomplishments and identify opportunities. Both are important. Taking a moment to celebrate accomplishments gives moms the moment to keep pushing toward goals. Spending time reflecting on opportunities provides us with realistic expectations of things to improve upon.

Reflection also helps moms to think about where they are so they can keep moving forward toward future goals. Remember an aspect of planning is bringing the future into the present. I’d even add to this the importance of knowing where we’ve come from.

The second planning mistake to avoid is over-committing. It is important, especially for working mothers, to be mindful of saying yes to everything. In doing so, we overextend ourselves which leads to burnout. A great way to avoid burnout is by planning holistically. This process includes planning for all aspects of life in one place. I started leveraging a catchall planning technique that allows me to capture my commitments, plan activities, and manage my goals. You can watch my YouTube Video HERE to learn more about this planning technique.

There are a few other mistakes to avoid that I will share in other blog posts. But for now, take a moment to reflect on the two mistakes mentioned above and assess if you self-reflect before planning and if you have a tendency to over-commit.

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