5 Habits for highly over-ambitious planners (and dreamers)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading '10 Habits of Highly Ambitious Women' by Strange and Charmed last week, courtesy of the Philofaxy blog. But after reading it I realised, with much dismay, that I may actually be a highly un-ambitious woman, and that something must be done about it immediately.

Checklist for highly ambitious women

Here's how I scored alongside the post's checklist ...

1. They set clear goals – I set many goals, which, as I suspected, is a highly counterproductive practice.
2. They take action – You're speaking with the QUEEN of procrastination here.
3. They are lifelong learners – I love random facts and spend hours researching rubbish – doesn't help that I have the memory of a goldfish.
4. They manage their time wisely – What time?
5. They surround themselves with positive influences – Well, my dog motivates me to leave the house once a day for her wee, and my cat is very 'inspiring' when he wails the house down at dinner time – does that count?
6. They embrace failure – Erm, nope, don't like failure at all.
7. They practice self care – There's a more accurate word for my idea of self care... that would be... self indulgence. (Gimme all the cake!!)
8. They build strong relationships – Not terribly keen on most people, so nurturing relationships are not at the top of my to-do list.
9. They are resilient – I've become very comfortable with giving up and going back to bed.
10. They give back – I wholeheartedly attempt to give back to the world, but honestly, most of the time I can't be assed.

So there you have it, my list of failures. And as no. 6 says – I am not a fan of failure, so we must fix this.

What my results mean

I've analysed myself and come to the conclusion that, rather than being a highly ambitious women, I am, in fact, an over-ambitious planner and dreamer – which basically means I revel in writing long to-do lists and dream about high-flying achievements that are way beyond my reach (becoming a millionaire and owning a unicorn)

5 new planner habits towards being a highly successful woman

In an attempt to bring myself back down to reality (and an excuse to write a blog post on planners) here is my plan of action ...

1. Set 3 goals a week (and 3 tasks per day)

Everyone has a master to-do list – right? I think it's an essential brain-dump and I literally dump everything in it because it helps me to relax. But a master to-do list that is pages long, isn't helpful – it's frightening.

So, each week  I will be setting myself three goals:

1. A work goal
2. A home goal
3. A personal goal

Goals are always clear and measurable;

So, a work goal might be something like – Create and execute a content plan for the week for my new website. 

A home goal might be something like – Eat healthy and save money this week by doing some home cooking with pantry ingredients and meal prepping for the week. 

A personal goal might be something like – lose 1-2lb on the scale this week through exercise.

Then, I'll split the goals up into easily seven achievable tasks, and set three tasks per day, one for each goal.

For example:

(Work)

1. Conduct keyword research
2. Create content plan for the week
3. Write and publish one blog post for the next 5 days.

(Home)

1. Create meal plan
2. Cook dishes and do meal prep for the week
3. Eat healthy for the next 5 days, no spending.

(Personal)

1. Hula-hoop to one song every time you go to the kitchen to make tea (do this everyday)

As you can see, the tasks hold me accountable, and by completing them all I will be able to reach my goals for the week! Boss girl in the making – that's 1 and 2 on the checklist for ambitious women done.

2. Create a tracker for consuming video tutorials/talks

Quite often when I've finished my day job, I simply don't have the brain capacity to do any more work, let alone learning ... or so I think! 

I have actually found that watching or listening to Youtube videos and Ted Talks in the bath are an easy and relaxing way to take in some extra information on a variety of different topics relating to career and business development.

This means that I'll be able to use my time effectively in the evenings without feeling like I'm overdoing it.

Other times where similar multitasking can take place are when I'm ...

• on the loo
• washing the dishes
• walking the dog

That's 3, 4 and 5 on the checklist done.

3. Add self-reflection through journaling into my planning routine

This is something I used to do a lot more, but since getting back in touch with my mother, I've found a verbal outlet for all my problems. The main issue with this is that talking everything through with my mother on the phone doesn't really allow for efficient self-reflection and my mother's feedback isn't always reliable (sorry mum!)

In order to fully recognise and embrace my failures, I must stop seeking validation from my doting mother, and instead be more honest with myself by writing down my private thoughts and reflections in a journal.

Journaling is an important self care tool. And with more space in my relationship with my mother due to me not being so self-absorbed, I'll be able to focus more on creating and enjoying meaningful conversation too.

So that's 6, 7 and 8 sorted.

4. Record challenges faced at the end of each week

As part of my new planning routine, I'll be reflecting at the end of my week on what challenges I faced in achieving my tasks and goals.

Hopefully this will enable me to recognise my weaknesses so that I can create better goals and plan tasks more effectively – therefore, making me more resilient and able to overcome obstacles.

That's 9 in the bag... just one more to go.

5 Post more helpful content on my blog

Highly ambitious women 'give back'. I do genuinely love sharing my ideas and I always hope to entertain and inspire when I write a blog post. However, I'm not very good at being consistent.

So, I am going to attempt to commit to writing and publishing one post a week on the Filofancy blog.

Enjoyed reading this post and want to hold me accountable? Leave me a comment and tell me what you'd like to read about next week!

Loved it and want more?

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Journaling tips for Filofax and ring planner users

Contents page: Explore all of my blog posts in one place!