I learned a really valuable lesson this past week. The lesson isn’t something I didn’t intuitively already know, but the realization really walloped me over the head. It started with my new planner, the Monk Manual, which you all know I love, then it went on to my weight loss program with Vida Health, and finally culminated in my years of unsuccessfully trying to make yoga a regular practice (ask my friend Susan about the “years” part—she will exasperatingly verify that!) What is this most valuable lesson?

Plans are a game changer. You were likely thinking it had to be something more profound, but it’s not. I told you the Monk Manual asks me to answer two questions daily: “I was at my best when” and, “I felt unrest when,” and both answers have always been about planning for me. The same was true with my food choices. My downfall was everyday between 2-6. I’d get hungry, but had no plan, so I’d eat something that wasn’t good for me. And as for the yoga, well not having a plan meant it never ever got done.

Now, I plan everything that I really want done. What is my afternoon snack? Veggies and hummus. When do I practice yoga? Wednesday afternoons from 4-5 pm. Planning has put an end to some things I don’t want and added a few things I do. Planning can do that for you, too! Planning eliminates the risk of uncertainties. Planning begins with discipline and ends with execution. Planning tied to execution is a game changer. What do you want to change? Start by making a firm plan.

“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!

Beth