As Charlie shared last week, we’ll be putting a pause on our weekly newsletter, the Pulse, while we recalibrate some things. So for the next few months our monthly planning tips might be a little supersized. In addition to tips, monthly planners, and additional resources to help you through the month ahead, you may also find: reminders about upcoming events or recent appearances, plus our latest tools and other PF offerings.
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!
You might be familiar with the first line above from Scottish poet Robert Burns’s 1785 poem “To A Mouse,” which inspired the title of John Steinbeck’s classic novella, Of Mice and Men.
The more modern interpretation of that line was what came to mind as I set out to write May’s planning tips (18th century Scots-English not being my forte):
The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.
Why have I fallen down this particular rabbit hole? And what does a poem written to a rodent over 200 years ago have to do with us here in May 2024?
The line came to mind because it’s a common theme I’ve seen running through conversations with friends, within our community, with clients — and if I’m honest, myself too — a frustration or feeling “unable” to move a project (or projects) forward despite taking the time to craft a step-by-step plan and beautifully sectioned out schedule.
But as I shared with a client who hit up against this very tension point last week, a plan is at best an assumption. We’re making a (best) guess at what needs to be done and when we’ll actually do it.
But a plan, no matter how well crafted, is not a guarantee. Not only do we need to work the plan, we need to work around the curveballs that life can and will throw at us.
And we humans often forget this. And that’s where the grief and pain come in.
May tends to be one of those months where plans can easily go awry. It’s not the start of a calendar quarter, nor is it an official start of a new season, but it is a transition month that often looks and feels very different at the end than it does at the start when we make our monthly plans.
April showers may bring May flowers but May also comes with:
a distinct change in weather that may bring about a change in our own natural rhythms and energy levels.
shifts to our schedules with the end of the school year, summer hours, and planning around summer sports or activities.
events like graduations, BBQs, and vacations that start to pop up on the calendar. The summer months don’t have the long stretches of uninterrupted time that maybe March or April did, and that pattern starts in May.
(and let’s not forget) impacts not only to your own schedule, but to the schedules of those you might work or collaborate with — which means working around their seasonal shifts, too.
So do we forego planning all together to avoid the pain we’ll feel when things go awry? I think you know what my answer to that question is…
No. Our suffering doesn’t come from planning. We suffer not because reality doesn’t match our plans but because we expect it to.
It’s our expectations — that our plans will work perfectly, that reality will match our plans exactly, and that we won’t have to change those lovely, perfect-on-paper plans when life throws wrenches in the works — that create our suffering.
We need to remember — especially during transition months like May — that we need to expect the unexpected, plan for the unplanned, and leave ourselves some room for the other parts of life that are just as important as our best-work projects.
Download your free May weekly planners to help you build in the flexibility and grace you’ll need to navigate this transition month without your expectations getting the better of you.
Premium subscribers can access the full suite of dated planners below. 👇
Here are some ways you might build in some space as you head into this transitional month:
Before jumping ahead, take a moment to look back to the Mays of years past. What were your energy levels like? Do you see a pattern in how your seasonal energy impacted the types of projects you did (or didn’t) push forward? How can you better align the goals you have for this coming month accordingly?
As with any month, zoom out and check to see what events or deadlines you have coming up. What have you committed to? How will those commitments impact your capacity? As we roll into summer you may need to contend with the fact that you’ll have less focus blocks available.
Now, based on what you know, consider the projects you’ve been considering. Do your May projects match your expected energy and capacity levels? Or have you maybe planned to take on more than you can carry?
Add in flexibility by adding in some space. Steps 1-3 got you thinking about the more predictable shifts that May brings. Now I want you to account for the things you can’t plan for — the unexpected, emergent, or dare I say it, a “lazy” day. Since these are complete unknowns, all you can do is make sure there’s enough space in your plan (and your schedule) to deal with them as they come.
And if you find things aren’t going to plan, well first, give yourself permission to change the plan! Because…
On the second Wednesday of every month we host a 60-minute community call that’s a mix of teaching, hot- support-seat coaching, and Q&A.
These Monthly Community Coaching Calls are part of a premium subscription to Productive Flourishing.
If you’re not a premium subscriber yet, I encourage you to upgrade your subscription and join us Wednesday, May 8, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. PDT.
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