How to Plan in Uncertain and Complex Times
The importance of planning amid uncertainty
Many of us may be wondering: Where did the last few weeks go and how did we get here? We were just setting our New Year’s resolutions, and now we’re closing in on February. We also happen to be in the closing outro of a global pandemic, if we had any chance of forgetting the life-changing nature of the last two years.
Uncertainty is a defining aspect of our lives, which makes it all the more difficult to get started with our goals and projects for 2022.
That also means it’s all the more essential to ground ourselves in our planning practices as we move into the second month of 2022. (It’s also the start of the Chinese lunar year, for those wanting a second chance at a New Year!) We need to remind ourselves of what we’ve set out to achieve, and how we’re going to make it happen.
Uncertainty and complexity only serve to underscore the importance of planning to enable us to lead our best lives. Here are some tips to help you in these complex times.
Honor the essential. Bring as much simplicity to your life and planning as possible, when you sit down to think about how the next month — and all the months of 2022 — are going to go. This may mean you have to cut down where necessary, or subject your competing priorities to a project cagematch (to see what emerges as most relevant for your life now).
Pick one thing. When you feel overwhelmed by your overarching, long-term goals, that’s likely because you haven’t adequately chunked them down into smaller, more action-friendly action items. If you’re at a loss as to where to start, a good question to ask yourself is: what is the one thing I could do right now that would make the biggest difference?
Visualize the outcome. Take time to imagine what it will feel like when your goal or achievement does happen. If you visualize that enough times, it will happen. Allow yourself a moment to imagine what you’ve dreamed of is already on its way. Like celebrating, visualizing is a fabulous way to generate energy to propel your goals forward. Everyone from actors to business moguls use this technique, and report some awe-inspiring results.
Share with a past version of yourself. When you come to a standstill or a crisis in pursuit of your goals and plans, and start to doubt yourself — think back on a time when you couldn’t have dreamed of what you’ve accomplished now. Not only will sharing with your past self help you see all that you’ve accomplished since they drove the bus of your life, you’ll also likely get in touch with the original motivation that led you here — which can refuel you if your excitement, wonder, or curiosity are flagging.
If this seems like a lot of tips to start implementing immediately — while you still have last month’s New Year’s resolutions on the docket — not to worry, we have plenty of resources available to help you out.