The Reason She Avoided Planning (Is This Holding You Back Too?)
Case Study
When Kimberly joined Optimize Your Brain, making a plan was a struggle.
It not only got in the way of her work it also caused tension with her loved ones.
Technically she knew making a plan would help, but it was so logical and there only because "it’s meant to help."
She had so much resistance and so little desire to make a plan
When other participants in the cohort would talk about how they were improving their ability to plan and how they wanted to make plans because of the benefits, she’d only dream of the day when that would happen.
Thinking Skills
While you are doing any task, you (without even realizing it!) are using your 28 thinking skills.
When the thinking skills you need to use are strong, doing the task happens easily.
If the thinking skill you need to use is weak, doing the task will be a challenge.
The struggle that Kimberly had, came from a weak thinking skill of having a need to make a plan.
Having the Need to Make a Plan
The thinking skill of having a need to make a plan is not actually making the plan.
It’s the desire and seeing the benefit of making the plan.
Actually, making the plan requires you to use many thinking skills at once.
But you wouldn’t find yourself making plans, if your brain doesn’t see a desire for it.
Showing Your Brain the Benefits of Making a Plan
To help Kimberly, we started off with having discussions of WHY a plan would be good.
What are the benefits?
Why is it worth taking the time to plan?
What happens when we plan?
While we did this in discussion with the group, you can do this at home, having discussions with your loved ones or even simply journaling.
Understanding the Source of the Resistance
These conversations Kimberly get a better picture of why planning is worth it (and she managed to sometimes plan even though it was extremely difficult!) but there was still so much resistance.
She found it challenging to see why in this situation a plan a good idea would be or how detailed the plan should be.
So as always, we want to understand the underlying issue.
What is causing this resistance?
Kimberly shared that when she was a child there were lots of plans that were made that never panned out.
What associations do you think her brain made with plans? Disappointment, low feelings and certainly not fun or productive.
Removing the Resistance to Planning
We needed to make new associations in her brain that making a plan was actually worth.
So, I had Kimberly do 2 things and if you need to make new associations to having a need to make a plan, I suggest you do the same:
- Make a list of the times making a plan HAS helped you. It can be something small like the plan that helped you remember to take your lunch or something big like it helped you be more prepared for your speech.
- Keep a running list of times your plan DID work out.
Both of these lists will give your brain proof that plans can be good and help you make new associations with plans.
Remember, actually making the plan requires you to use many of the thinking skills.
I’m not saying that this will all of a sudden make planning easy. If you find planning a challenge, I suggest you listen to episode 446.
Your Challenge
Without having a need to make a plan, no planning technique will help you.
Your brain first has to have the desire to plan and then we can talk about actually making the plan.
For your challenge this week, choose one of the 3 following exercises.
Bonus points if you do more of them.
- Have a discussion or journal about the benefits of plan.
- Make a list of times in your life, having a plan DID help you. Remember it can small situations but together these pieces create a new association in your brain.
- Keep on a running list of when you did plan, and it helped you for continued reinforcement that making a plan is beneficial.
Cheers to Peak Brain Performance!
Hi, I'm ST,
Just like you, I want to be more efficient and effective.
Most entrepreneurs want to grow their business but already got a lot of stress.
At LifePix University we help you rewire your brain to become more efficient and effective while experiencing more inner peace.
Learn more here.
Your Essential Guide
to Cognitive Functions
This guide will give you all you need to start improving your cognitive functions. Learn what all 28 thinking skills are, how they apply to you and what you can do today to begin improving them.
Cognitive Functions Assessment
Thinking is not one big thing. Thinking is made up of 28 parts, called cognitive functions.
Take the FREE assessment to see where each of your cognitive functions are currently at.
We're on for 1M downloads
By the end of 2025
Can you help us reach our goal?
Share this podcast with someone you love!
The Reason She Avoided Planning (Is This Holding You Back Too?)
Case Study
When Kimberly joined Optimize Your Brain, making a plan was a struggle.
It not only got in the way of her work it also caused tension with her loved ones.
Technically she knew making a plan would help, but it was so logical and there only because "it’s meant to help."
She had so much resistance and so little desire to make a plan
When other participants in the cohort would talk about how they were improving their ability to plan and how they wanted to make plans because of the benefits, she’d only dream of the day when that would happen.
Thinking Skills
While you are doing any task, you (without even realizing it!) are using your 28 thinking skills.
When the thinking skills you need to use are strong, doing the task happens easily.
If the thinking skill you need to use is weak, doing the task will be a challenge.
The struggle that Kimberly had, came from a weak thinking skill of having a need to make a plan.
Having the Need to Make a Plan
The thinking skill of having a need to make a plan is not actually making the plan.
It’s the desire and seeing the benefit of making the plan.
Actually, making the plan requires you to use many thinking skills at once.
But you wouldn’t find yourself making plans, if your brain doesn’t see a desire for it.
Showing Your Brain the Benefits of Making a Plan
To help Kimberly, we started off with having discussions of WHY a plan would be good.
What are the benefits?
Why is it worth taking the time to plan?
What happens when we plan?
While we did this in discussion with the group, you can do this at home, having discussions with your loved ones or even simply journaling.
Understanding the Source of the Resistance
These conversations Kimberly get a better picture of why planning is worth it (and she managed to sometimes plan even though it was extremely difficult!) but there was still so much resistance.
She found it challenging to see why in this situation a plan a good idea would be or how detailed the plan should be.
So as always, we want to understand the underlying issue.
What is causing this resistance?
Kimberly shared that when she was a child there were lots of plans that were made that never panned out.
What associations do you think her brain made with plans? Disappointment, low feelings and certainly not fun or productive.
Removing the Resistance to Planning
We needed to make new associations in her brain that making a plan was actually worth.
So, I had Kimberly do 2 things and if you need to make new associations to having a need to make a plan, I suggest you do the same:
- Make a list of the times making a plan HAS helped you. It can be something small like the plan that helped you remember to take your lunch or something big like it helped you be more prepared for your speech.
- Keep a running list of times your plan DID work out.
Both of these lists will give your brain proof that plans can be good and help you make new associations with plans.
Remember, actually making the plan requires you to use many of the thinking skills.
I’m not saying that this will all of a sudden make planning easy. If you find planning a challenge, I suggest you listen to episode 446.
Your Challenge
Without having a need to make a plan, no planning technique will help you.
Your brain first has to have the desire to plan and then we can talk about actually making the plan.
For your challenge this week, choose one of the 3 following exercises.
Bonus points if you do more of them.
- Have a discussion or journal about the benefits of plan.
- Make a list of times in your life, having a plan DID help you. Remember it can small situations but together these pieces create a new association in your brain.
- Keep on a running list of when you did plan, and it helped you for continued reinforcement that making a plan is beneficial.
Cheers to Peak Brain Performance!
Hi, I'm ST,
Just like you, I want to be more efficient and effective.
Most entrepreneurs want to grow their business but already got a lot of stress.
At LifePix University we help you rewire your brain to become more efficient and effective while experiencing more inner peace.
Learn more here.
Your Essential Guide
to Cognitive Functions
This guide will give you all you need to start improving your cognitive functions. Learn what all 28 thinking skills are, how they apply to you and what you can do today to begin improving them.
Cognitive Functions Assessment
Thinking is not one big thing. Thinking is made up of 28 parts, called cognitive functions.
Take the FREE assessment to see where each of your cognitive functions are currently at.
We're on for 1M downloads
By the end of 2025
Can you help us reach our goal?
Share this podcast with someone you love!
