Can we start with a round of applause for that stellar title? Alliteration for the win! Anyway, now that I’ve boosted my ego, it’s time to talk about something that’s really been on my mind lately: overplanning.
If you don’t know by now, I’m on a quest to make the most of my time and help others do the same. And two things that I’ve found to hinder the process are:
- Not using templates
- Overplanning
I spoke about templates in another blog post, so you can give that a read here. Today, though, I want to tackle the second problem: overplanning. I also have a video about this, if you’d prefer to watch that.
What is overplanning?
Let’s start by defining what overplanning is. It’s pretty self-explanatory; it’s when you plan too much. When there are too many tasks in your week, despite only having a finite number of hours to get them done.
How do you know you're overplanning?
If you’re awkwardly trying to convince yourself that this blog isn’t talking to you, you’re probably overplanning. But let’s face it – we all over plan to some extent.
Do you struggle to stick to your weekly schedule? Do you constantly move things from one day to the next? Yeah? Me too.
It’s hard to balance ambitions with the reality of your daily life. I get that you want to do all those tasks, but that doesn’t mean you actually can. That’s why this post aims to help you stop overplanning.
The pitfalls of overplanning
So, why exactly is overplanning a bad thing? I mean, if you don’t get everything done, you can just do it later, right?
WRONG.
If you’re an ambitious person hoping to achieve a lot in life, it’s so easy to fall into this trap. There’s something exciting about a jam-packed schedule filled with productive tasks.
But in the end, if you over plan, something is going to get neglected. Maybe you never have time for morning meditation. Or you keep cancelling on your friends. Or skipping meals. Or not getting enough sleep.
Basically, if you keep overplanning, you will burn out. And you will feel like a failure (which is arguably the worst thing possible that can happen to an overachiever.)
the need for feedback
Hi. My name is Max. And I’m an overplanner. They say that the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right? Well, my problem is thinking that I’m superhuman and can somehow fit one hundred hours of work into one day. Spoiler alert: I’m not, and I can’t.
That’s where feedback comes in. I created a planning tool, called Forzeit. And it’s honestly much more than just a planning tool. It aims to help you break this cycle of overplanning by gathering feedback on your time management issues. I get that feedback can be scary. Analysis paralysis and all that. But it’s a key to helping you stop overplanning.
You can track progress, see where you succeeded and where you failed, and most importantly, figure out why you failed. In this way, you can optimise your time even better. Feedback is, in my opinion, the most important thing when it comes to time planning, and the more you do it, the easier it will be to overcome the dreaded analysis paralysis.
a closer look at forzeit
As mentioned, I am the creator of Forzeit, so I obviously want to highlight it a bit. Can you blame me?! I’m like a proud parent, wanting to brag with their child.
So, what does Forzeit have to offer?
- You can set goals for different timelines.
- You can create weekly templates.
- You can mark off tasks as completed, partially completed, or not completed.
- You can select why you didn’t complete a task.
This feedback loop helps you figure out how effective you truly are at time management, and how you can improve. Plus, it takes a few minutes, rather than a few hours, because it does so much work for you. It’s the gateway to creating the perfect plan.
so, how can we avoid overplanning?
Now that you know about overplanning and why it’s the biggest obstacle when it comes to your planning, it’s time to kick this problem to the curb, and here’s how.
1. turn data into action
So, you’ve admitted you have a problem with over-planning. Welcome to the club, by the way. And now you know that feedback can help you overcome this problem. But what’s the next step?
I’m mentioning Forzeit again because I haven’t found another tool that does this quite as effectively (hence why I built my own). Forzeit calculates your execution rate. It shows you what percentage of tasks you did versus didn’t do, as well as why.
This can help you figure out whether your progress is being hindered by over-planning, lack of motivation, or other factors.
2. start improving
Once you have the knowledge of why you are struggling with certain things, it’s much easier to make informed decisions to refine your schedule. If you always run out of time, reassess your priorities by removing non-essential tasks, or breaking tasks down into smaller chunks.
3. be honest
We are all limited. By time, by resources, by money, by our own capabilities. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but it’s the truth. And being honest with yourself will help you realise your limitations and do your planning with that in mind.
Make your decisions based on real data, rather than an idealistic version of yourself and your week.
Conclusion
Overcoming overplanning is a struggle most of us face in some way, and while it may seem like a small thing, being able to plan your week in a balanced and realistic way will remove a lot of stress and increase your chances of succeeding at your goals.
Give it a try, and if you’re looking for a tool to help, why not consider Forzeit? You can sign up to try it here.