The 5 Ps

Happy Thursday! I hope this week is treating you well.

Let me be real for a minute. I feel like this week was lowkey about to kick my butt. I was feeling tired, I missed an important deadline and Tuesday came and went and there was no blog post. I really had to sit down and take inventory of what was happening. I had to take responsibility for my actions. Although I was aware of everything I had to do and kept reminding myself about it, I did not take any actionable steps to avoid my poor performance. The 5 Ps are: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. I was not planning my days properly to maximize productivity. I was not sticking to my bedtime or the kids’ and it was affecting my energy. I knew I had an assignment due but didn’t start working on it enough in advance and I kept telling myself to write the blog post but did not actually open the laptop to do so.

I love to plan so really this should not be a problem. I was holding myself back with the mentality that because I did not have my planner yet, I could not properly plan. Last night I sat down with an empty notebook to write the schedule for an online class I am taking. With that info, I then created a bite- size daily action to avoid missing any other deadlines. I reviewed my morning and nighttime routines and made adjustments to those. I also realized I was spending too much time on social media. My goal this week is to cut back on the mindless scrolling and fill that time with intentional work, whether reading class materials or prepping for the next day. Today I plan to make a cleaning routine again. My biggest hurdle has always been preparing a weekly menu for family meals so I will try to work on that as well and allow some wiggle room.

In the mornings, I am intentionally setting time aside for prayer and worship. My relationship with God cannot grow if I don’t spend time with Him. I also know from past experience that this quiet time benefits my daily life and overall wellbeing. We have 24 hours in a day and if we plan and utilize those hours correctly, we can accomplish a lot. Start by cutting back on social media by 20 minutes. Wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual. Read a few pages during your lunchbreak. You may be writing your goals down this week or maybe you already did. Knowing what you want a year from now is great, but do you know the daily steps you need to take to get there? Your life changes day by day. That’s the beauty of it, every day you have a new opportunity to do better than you did the day before.

Be realistic about what you want to accomplish because we are still limited by time so don’t overload yourself. Pick a couple goals and then break them down. You will realize that daily it turns out to be a lot. Focus on those, achieve them and then strive more bigger goals. Step by step and little by little you will accomplish all you have wanted. Being intentional and not procrastinating will allow you to reach the end goal so much faster. The better prepared you are, the more confident you are and the better you perform. Life happens and things can change in the blink of an idea, being prepared helps you pivot easier when that happens. Instead of feeling harassed and stressed, start the day prepared and ready. You will be surprised how much time you end up having and how much you can accomplish.

I pray you have an amazing week! Take some time to review your routines and adjust if needed. Put proper plans in place to help you excel this year! Ladies, you can also review Proverbs 31, the Proverbs 31 woman plans properly! Guys proper planning can help you find your wife of noble character! As always, seek God and consult with him about your routines and daily life. Chat with you next week!