Tag: planning

Prep for the New Year!

We have five more days to prep for the new year! Five days fly so fast anymore it sounds like nothing, but in reality it’s about 60 useable hours. That’s enough time to develop a plan even if you can’t implement it before the new year. Much of my planning will have to be while my hands do the laundry, bed making, and mopping from having houseguests for the past 10 days. That’s okay. Household tasks are less annoying when my mind is busy working something out.

For 2025, I don’t have any plan to change what I’m eating, but I want to create a better flow for food preparation. I don’t really mean a better flow when cooking a dish. I have that down. I mean for the bigger picture – shopping and meal prep.

The busier I am, the more I like to have grab-ready food. To minimize use of processed food, I must cook in advance.

This lends itself to choosing a day or two per week to prep meals that last through the other days. It also means kitchen clean-up is minor except for days that I cook. Sounds easy, but a lack of predictability in my schedule has made it routinely difficult to set aside certain days for cooking.

Another option is to prepare two meals at the same time every other day. That gives me variety for lunches and minimizes the clean-up on off days.

A third, and hard for me to embrace option, is to use my freezer. I’m not good at this. I know I’m not good at it. But it certainly facilitates what I’m trying to accomplish so it’s worth full consideration.

When I factor in shopping, options one and three work best. But before I decide to fill the freezer, I feel like I should use my five days to determine whether the discipline using the freezer will require adds significantly more stress than option one.

All discipline creates a level of stress. Up to a point, stress is stimulating and good. Past that point, it is detrimental and worth considering when creating plans. In fact, the fastest path to the failure of a plan may be a lack of exploration of the feelings that will accompany its implementation.

If you are not prepared for the discomfort, annoyance, and frustration of change, it will be much harder to sustain. If you haven’t anticipated how much change you can handle at one time, you’ll be likely to try a leap that will fail than a step that will stick.

The big take-away is that prepping for the new year is a good thing to do, and your plans will be more likely to succeed if you lower the bar to a point that is manageable. You can always build from there.

So, lower the bar, have some fun, and move into 2025 knowing you’re prepared for success!

Looking Down The Road

Whether you’re driving, writing a book, planning your financial future, or cooking a new recipe, looking down the road can prevent a lot of problems. Remember learning to drive? Most new drivers focus just in front of the hood leaving every approaching danger out of their field of vision. Watching them attempt to navigate is terrifying.

The stakes aren’t as high when you’re cooking a new recipe, but the end result may be frightening if you’re out of a key ingredient or fail to temper the eggs. And it can slow down the process if some things aren’t prepped in advance. This can sabotage a timeline that would put everything on the table at the same time.

read recipe

When I was in 7th grade, you had to take either Home Economics (Family and Consumer Science) or Science. The year prior, my family had dinner at the Home Ec teacher’s house. After we arrived, she sent her husband to the store to get some ingredient she didn’t have. It was a lengthy wait for the food and none of it was done at the same time. When it came time to choose a class the next year, I chose Science.

And I practice the backward timeline across all endeavors. Yes, it seems cumbersome and like a waste of time when you’re in a hurry to get started, but I promise it’s worth it. It’s the equivalent of looking down the road when you’re driving.

With cooking, this means reading the recipe and compiling an ingredient and utensil list prior to going to the store. If you’re planning a whole meal, you’ll also want to go backward from serving time to make a plan for when to put each dish in the oven or on top of the stove.

I have a single oven, so I have to factor in oven temperature and cooking time. Some dishes can be cooked at a lower temperature for longer without affecting the quality. That means I can adjust time and temp to cook two items at the same time so that they are both ready to serve simultaneously.

There’s a bit of an art to making these adjustments because the more you put in the oven, the longer it takes everything to cook. And sometimes, you’ll need to switch a dish from the top rack to the bottom in the middle of cooking so that it will cook evenly or brown properly. Don’t worry if you don’t know exactly how to do this the first time. Just use your senses and check things more often.

Making a plan that anticipates and orchestrates these adjustments will make cooking easier. You can make a visible timeline or a list – whatever works for you. And it can all be in your head if you like a memory challenge.

Last Thanksgiving, I had a clogged drain that required two plumbers in the kitchen while I was cooking. I couldn’t use the sink at all. To say that was distracting is an understatement. But I had a timeline in my head and managed to get everything done and on the table at the same time except for one item I totally forgot until everything else was done.

Luckily, it was a quick item I was doing for the kids so there was no disaster. The adults were able to fill their plates while I finished up. I’ll also say my execution was less than ideal, but if I had not had a plan, it could have been a total chaos!

I’m not cooking today. I’m working on other things here at Cooking2Thrive. I still have a plan. I may get interrupted. There may be unanticipated delays. I may have to pivot. But it will be calm. Chaos will not reign. And progress will be made.

That’s the advantage to looking down the road.

I Love Systems!

Planning for a Win

Well, here we are smack dab in a new year and it’s time to start planning for a win. I’ve always hated the term strategic planning. It’s often thrown around in corporate settings along with an eyeroll that means we’re generating a big report no one will read and we have no intention of following. In spite of that, planning is critically important for improving our health, our enjoyment, and our lives!

B-O-R-I-N-G. I can feel your eyeroll reading this. The thing is, a lack of planning will rob us of safety, leisure, and time down the road. We know this so well we have the cliché: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. You can’t prevent unless you know what you’re preventing and make deliberate efforts toward doing so. In order to be deliberate, you must think through the process. This, is planning.

So, how can you motivate yourself to do something that seems useless until you need it?

Observe someone else

What’s difficult to see in ourselves is easy to see in others. Every time you tell your teen that cleaning her room would go faster if she’d organize, remember that organizing is implementation of planning logistics. Every time you tell your son that his homework will be easier if he’ll do his hardest subject first, remember that increasing efficiency by minimizing your weaknesses is planning.

Shop

If you love shopping, get yourself in planning mode by clicking through product pictures that will make your tasks easier. Always running out of printer ink at the most inopportune moment? Find a storage container you love to store extra. Eat too many chips because you forget to buy crunchy vegetables? Favorite a couple of crunchy vegetables in your grocery app so they’ll come up as suggestions next time you shop.

Use the shower

If you feel you can’t spare the time to plan, do the mental work while you’re in the shower. When I designed for clients, most designs started in the shower. I’ve solved a lot of problems there too. I often plan product production in the shower. The only problem is my autopilot isn’t perfect and I sometimes forget to use shampoo.

Find something pleasant

As you open your mind to planning in spite of internal objections, notice if there’s one tiny thing you enjoy about the process. For some of us, hand writing lists in a leather journal with a favorite pen is enough to bridge the gap between reluctance and progress. Planning while sitting in your favorite chair with your favorite beverage can also be pleasant (or fun or dangerous depending your favorite beverage and the amount consumed, no judgement).

When it comes to a workout plan, finding the specific activities that make you feel good will help you adhere to a schedule. In fact, if a workout makes you feel better there won’t be a need for a formal plan. You’ll seek it out. Swimming and yoga are my favorites. Truthfully, I’d rather be doing yoga right now that writing, but that does not fit my plan for today.

Solve a puzzle

Life is a puzzle that’s always adding new pieces. Solving a what-would-I-do-if puzzle can be a great mental exercise. When I see some disaster on TV, I devise a plan for what I would do if faced with that circumstance. I don’t get obsessed by this or start ordering 50 years of supplies. I just think through the possibilities and make a mental checklist. For instance, I have a procedure for the steps to follow if the bridge in front of me is suddenly gone and I can’t stop my car before it plunges. Disaster response is a puzzle to solve. Planning also seeks to put the pieces of life in order.

Reward yourself

A reward at the end of a task isn’t as motivational for me as the inherent benefits of planning that I will enjoy later, but not everyone is like me. If rewarding yourself with two hours of binge watching once you’ve finished the task at hand, then do it. Have food delivered rather than cooking another meal or order a pair of earrings you’ve been eyeing. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with incentives!

Be flexible

Any rigid plan can feel stifling at some point so allow yourself some flexibility. You may have saved planning for a rainy day that turns out to be sunny. Don’t strap yourself to your desk, get out and enjoy the sun! You’ll feel more invigorated and motivated later.

Run across an interesting article while you’re researching something? Go ahead and read it, then come back to the task. Too often we read the article, but then punish ourselves for not sticking to the plan. That just demotivates us for the next planning session. Incorporating flexibility instead, frees us to enjoy a digression occasionally without feeling bad.

Be honest

How many of us say we hate planning and then invest hours scoping out the perfect vacation spot with a smile on our faces? Do we really hate planning or is it tolerable when we’re doing something we consider leisure rather than work? Owning our individual quirks, motivations, and tolerances will make every decision easier and more understandable. And it will ease the internal struggle that prevents action.

Bring your sense of humor

No matter how much you plan, some things will go awry. The universe, family, or a boss will throw you an unavoidable curve ball. When plans fail in ironic and silly ways, it’s okay to laugh. If you recognize you’ve become too attached to a plan you didn’t want to make in the first place, it’s okay to laugh. It’s not so much about the plan. Plans often have to be revised. The thought process, expectations, and intentions that show us the path forward are what matters.

Just do it

There is a lot of wisdom to the Nike slogan. Sometimes the first step is all we need to get us going. If you can muscle yourself through one step, just do it and see what happens. Often, the second step is easier and by the 10th you won’t even remember your objection.

Now, get out there and win 2021. It’s going to be a tough one, but that’s no reason not to excel and thrive! Planning now will help later as challenges appear.

Winning is being informed. Winning is showing up. Winning is stretching yourself. Winning is being kind. Winning is embracing change. Winning is seeing the opportunity in every challenge. Winning is loving your flaws. Winning is learning. Winning is understanding your value. Winning is listening. Winning is contributing. Winning is speaking your truth. Winning is granting yourself grace. Winning is granting grace to those you do not like or understand. Winning is accepting love.

Winning is giving. Winning is…limitless.

You Can Never be Too Prepared…Can You?

You Can Never be Too Prepared…Can You?

planYou can never be too prepared…can you?

As small children we learn to stop, drop, and roll. As teens we’re encouraged to be prepared to practice safe sex. As adults, we are oft admonished to prepare for the future by contributing to a retirement account. That’s three examples of ways we’re encouraged to prepare, but there are hundreds: take AP courses to prepare for college, get your flu shot, have a safe place to go in a tornado, wear your seat belt, have enough savings available to cover 3-6 months of bills, buy life insurance, know the best glide speed of your airplane, rehearse your dance moves before a performance, practice shooting free throws, learn CPR, take an umbrella, put your gloves in your pocket, etc. Much of our time and energy is spent preparing for something.

When I was learning to fly, most of the training time was focussed on preventing or preparing for a malfunction or emergency. Once I had mastered the procedures, my instructor deemed me ready to fly solo. Could I have flown the plane before that? Yes. And I could have done it safely as long as everything went as planned. But I would not have been ready to make a lifesaving split-second decision in the event of a catastrophic event.

Preparation is a good thing. It allows us to excel in sports and academics. It makes for productive meetings. It gives us food that is elevated from its original state. It calms our minds. It sometimes saves our lives. I am all for being prepared. In fact, I believe it’s sometimes critical.

But is it possible to over-prepare?
prepare
Preparedness or Fear?

I have a friend who describes traveling with his former girlfriend as a regimented execution of her meticulous planning. Each attraction, restaurant, and hotel was identified in advance and mandatory in inclusion. His hankering for BBQ rather than Tex-Mex simply could not be accommodated.

This begs the question of whether the girlfriend was over or under prepared. Obviously, she was logistically prepared, but it seems she was not confident and relaxed enough to vary from her plan even if it would have enhanced the overall experience.

This is an example of how fear can cloak itself in preparedness. When this happens, preparedness takes on a life of its own and begins to hold us back rather than providing a foundation for us to move forward.

My sister prepared for over a year to become gluten-free. She researched taco seasoning mixes, doughnuts, restaurant menus, one-to-one flour mixes – everything that she needed to know to feel prepared. Then she did a pantry challenge to make sure no food went to waste. The preparation period went on so long that she started to believe going gluten-free would be really hard.

Luckily, she didn’t talk herself out of the original goal. After a year with less pain, more energy, and fewer sinus problems, she admitted that she had made things much harder than they needed to be. She had prepared past the point of readiness.

While my sister still managed to move forward, my 98-year-old cousin stopped herself from the trip to Alaska she wishes she’d taken. She was so focused on saving for the future that she stayed home while her friends had the time of their lives. If she had been struggling financially, that could have made sense. She wasn’t. She had more than enough. Again, fear masqueraded as preparedness.

You’ve probably known someone who buys way more food than they need because they fear they’ll run out, or keeps going back to school but never pursues the new job for which they’re more than qualified. You may know an amazing artist whose work sits in the back room while their spreadsheet of galleries to contact grows. They are all adequately prepared to move forward, but may tell you they’ll make the move as soon as they prepare in x, y, or z way.

Preparedness vs Being Present

When you spend your time preparing for the future, you cannot fully experience the present. The truth is, we can never prepare for every possible circumstance that will affect us. This is an area in which it is wise to choose our battles.

Choose to Prepare…or Not

What are some things to look for when making preparedness choices? Here are five questions to ask yourself:

1)Does it require buying something, using a specific service, or taking a medication that is being advertised to me? If so, it is good to think twice. Some marketers and advertisers prey upon fear to drive sales. This is sometimes disguised in rhetoric of prevention or preparedness.

2)How much time, money, or effort will the preparation take in relation to the likelihood of the threat? If you live in Missouri, there’s no real need to prepare for a hurricane. On the other hand, it is a good idea to know the safest place in your house in the event of a tornado.

3)Am I laying the groundwork for moving forward, or am I avoiding something? Preparing yourself for the worst possible response from your spouse may keep you from broaching a topic that needs to be resolved. You can also avoid cleaning out the closet by continually exploring containers, racks, bins, and other organizational tools before you get started.

4)Have I reached the point of over-attachment to one specific approach or idea? Over-preparing for a meeting may keep you from really hearing a potential client’s objections because you have become so focused on the script you’ve rehearsed in your head. Over-preparing for parenting can mean you fail to notice the most effective way to motivate a specific child.

5)Am I truly preparing, or just shielding myself from making a decision? As long as I’m still in training or strategically planning, I don’t have to make an active decision to do anything. It’s great having one foot in and one foot out. I can hold onto the dream that makes me sound good in conversation and still stay stuck in the muck.

I say all of this to prepare you for the posts that will come next. Many of us must heal our bodies, minds, and spirits in order to thrive. The path to healing has common elements for all of us. Mapping the process can help you know what to expect along the way.

It’s easy for “experts” to tell us we will see a difference in days or weeks or quickly when we begin healing process. That can be true, but it’s not the whole story. If it were, no one would give up on a health plan after 6 months, relapse, or go back to an abusive relationship. Having a map to guide you can help you persevere in the moments when backward feels better than forward.

Don’t worry, amidst all this mapping there will be cooking too. The food and the process offer many tools for healing.

Next up, we’ll prepare…you had to know that was coming.

Until then, I wish you warm hugs and kind words.

https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2017/09/22/personal-preparedness-why-prepare-2/

http://www.cooking2thrive.com/blog/think-going-gluten-free-is-hard-visualization-can-help/

http://www.cooking2thrive.com/blog/time-is-on-your-side/