Are you an over-planner? Not all of us are aware that what we are doing is negative because thinking things through and being prepared is good, right? So how do you know if you’re overplanning your life and not moving forward?

Here are some classic signs that you may be the over-planner you didn’t know you were –

You overthink about “all” possible scenarios. 

You need to go over all the possible consequences before you can even consider starting. What if? What if? and what if? This is why you sit for so long in the planning stage; there are 1000 different outcomes, and you must prepare for each. Understanding that no matter the amount of planning you do, there will always be curveballs outside of your control, and these may not always turn out to be negative.

You might be a perfectionist.

Perfectionism can lead to a lot of fear and really add to that procrastination factor. If you are over-critical of yourself and beat yourself up over the slightest thing that goes wrong or doesn’t go as planned? And you are terrified of what people think or that they may judge you if your plan does not come together. Remember ‘Done is better than perfect’ – check out a short video of one of your facilitators talking about this one our sister channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvWKM7bSxSU

You’ve done lots of planning and have very little to show for it. 

You have done all the “work,” but there is yet to be an outcome… Everything is colour coded and mapped out, but you have not yet picked up the phone and booked the most important thing…

So, if one or more of these points sound like your style, how do you know when to stop planning and start doing?

How to Stop Over Planning and Start Doing 

1. Set Time Limits on Your Planning Time

Set a daily limit for the amount of time you actually spend planning or plan a specific day of the week for your planning day. This will help you keep focused while allowing you to plan out your goals effectively. Planning how you plan, yes, we see the irony 😊

2. Make Sure Your Goals are Broken Up into Small Manageable Tasks

Accomplishing anything or checking things off your list can be an incredible motivator. When you break down your objective into smaller manageable tasks, you can hit those goals, feel great about accomplishing something, and feel motivated to keep on moving.

3. Set a Date and Get Moving

One approach is to set a date for you to put your plan into motion. Pick a date on your calendar, write it down, circle it, and get ready to get moving. That helps you mentally prepare for your official start date. 

4. Once You Start, Keep Moving 

Once you start, you’ve got to keep going. Let’s face it; things aren’t always going to go as planned. But now that you’ve started don’t let the first hurdle throw off your momentum.

5. It’s okay if things don’t go according to plan. 

And that’s okay. This is probably one of the most important tips if perfectionism and the fear of anything going wrong are at the root of overplanning. Things are going to go wrong sometimes, and that’s okay! How you handle it Is what really matters.

I like to remind myself to take the first step and then the next. It’s not easy at first. It takes time and convincing to get you to start moving.

And remember to be sure to give yourself a little grace.

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