It’s the end of a quarter, and the planning workshop is only a few weeks away.  This is also the end of my planning year.  My planning cycle is from October to September. 

I like finishing the year off with a new plan, continuing with the plan in the new year, feeling like I already have momentum, and finishing the planning year over the summer, where if I’ve done my plans right, I can enjoy my favorite season.  

To prepare for my annual plan, I’m making some time to dream.   To vision what Acuity Path will look like in 10, 5, 3, and 1 years from now.  

 

To dream, I’m creating space

I know that dreaming, visioning, and creating my plans will not just happen.  I need to set aside time for this.  I know some leaders who set aside time each week for brainstorming, dreaming, and visioning.  

In the book “The Happiness Equation” by Neil Pasricha, he writes about creating space.  It is his 6th secret to happiness. He says that to create space, you have to do nothing and then let your mind go.  It’s not a vacation with a packed itinerary.  It’s more like lounging at the beach, journaling, hiking, or working out.  

Pasricha believes that when we do something different from our regular day, we activate another part of our brain.  We see things in a different context and may even allow a solution to appear to a problem we are stressing over.  An example is when you are taking a shower, and the solution to something all of a sudden comes to you. 

In my corporate life as an accountant, this often happened to me.  I’d be working late trying to figure something out before finally calling it a night.  Then on the drive home, getting ready for bed, in a dream while sleeping or in the shower the following day, an idea or a direction would sneak in.  Suddenly, I would know what I was missing.   Solution found.  

This is why I’ve planned some time off.  Time to relax by the pool, sit in the sun, and maybe go flying with my husband (my husband is flying; I get to look around and enjoy myself … it’s a great place to let my mind wander).  The intent is to create space and let plans bubble to the surface. 

Clarify my thoughts and plans

Once I’ve allowed myself to vision and dream, I’ll start to capture all the ideas and concepts on paper.  I’m a visual person, so it helps me to clarify my thoughts when I can draw them out. 

My husband is a visionary, while I’m the one that makes stuff happen. We complement each other very well.  Once I have more clarity about my thoughts and plans, I’ll share them with him. I know he will challenge me to dream bigger, give me different ideas to think of and push me. 

In the end, the business will move in my chosen direction, but I value his thoughts and vision. 

I will do my actual planning at the end of September, but the reality is that my planning starts at the end of August when I try to create space and let my mind think big. 

How do you prepare for your year?  Do you create space? 

Create space simply to “be” and clairty emerges for you to see.

Gabriella Goddard

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