Amaging(TM) Growing Old On Purpose

If you struggle with consistently planning your day, you may want to use or adapt the Amaging™ Affirmation I wrote to support a daily planning habit:

Figure 4 AmagingTM Affirmation: Building a Habit to Plan My Day  

Step 1: What do you really want?

I want to plan my day and include time to work on what is important, not only what is most urgent or most pleasant.

Step 2: What is your growth mindset to support this?

I want to make the most of every day I’m blessed with. To achieve this planning goal, I want to think of day planning as running a marathon, not a sprint.

Step 3: Why do you want it?

Some of the reasons I want to achieve this goal include _____________ (list your reasoning, the benefits and positive outcomes related to success).

Step 4: What new hat will you wear? Describe what type of person you are willing to become.

An overprotective calendar police person. I will be someone who fiercely protects my calendar and is especially inflexible with the appointments I have made relating to my goals.

I will be someone with high self-integrity, honoring the appointments I make with myself. Just as I routinely keep appointments with other people in my life, I will keep the appointments I make with myself to achieve my big goals. Hyper self-aware of my energy, I will be fully present to my own energy levels and manage my energy levels well, so I can work as efficiently and effectively as possible (Miller, 2020).

Step 5: What are you committed to doing? Be specific.

I will only achieve my goals if I consistently put in the time and effort to be successful. I will take some time every day to plan my day. I will start by giving myself twice as much time as I think I’ll need for important tasks. I will set aside one- to two-hour sections of time to work on my bigger goals. I will include unstructured time in my calendar for urgent issues and to catch up if I fall behind on my plans. I will include time for fun, exercise, and recreation. I will remember to include time for self-care, including hygiene, nutrition, meditation, exercise, etc. (Soukup, 2019)

Step 6: How will you encourage yourself?

Reinforce your affirmation with one or more inspirational quotes, proverbs, or scripture to build momentum and achieve your goal. Don’t skimp on this step!

(About day planning)…The reality is that while you’ve now given yourself a clear road map—or, in modern terms, you’ve programmed the GPS—you still have to actually drive the car and get yourself to where you want to go. … You need to make the daily decisions to follow through with your plan and actually do the work.

—Ruth Soukup, Do it Scared

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

—Ephesians 5:15-17

Every minute you spend in planning saves ten minutes in execution; this gives you a 1,000 percent return on energy!

—Brian Tracy, author and motivational speaker

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, writer and pioneering aviator

We have to be purposeful about making sure the big stuff gets done first. We must accept the truth that if we don’t take the time to put our long-term goals first, there will never be enough time or energy for our dreams. The obligations of the everyday will always take over.

—Ruth Soukup, Do It Scared