How to Think Like a Pro Planner

Of all the shit I talk about, I have 3 concepts that are my faves and from the feedback I’ve received, they’ve been the easiest for humans to adopt:

1. The concept of “Future You”
2. Every goal gets a reward.
3. Knowing your chunks.

My theory on why these concepts are the easiest for people to understand is that they’re very “you” focused.

• Future Mae is who I do everything for (she’s why I’m eating a salad right now instead of a veggie burger 🙄).
• I don’t pursue any goal without first creating a reward for completing said goal.
• I approach every project, mission or challenge with 3 chunks.

Everyone’s chunks look different and that’s the beauty of it! If you’re unsure of where to begin, use mine…

My 3 chunks are pre-the thing, the thing and post-the thing. There are 3 because all great things come in 3, no matter what the others say.

Here’s a simple example:

1. Pre-grocery shopping: Create a list of items in the order in which I’ll encounter them in the store (yes, I really do this).
2. Grocery shopping: Buy all the things.
3. Post-grocery shopping: Put the groceries away.

For me, these chunks work because I love numbers and it’s easy for me to understand time (even though time is a social construct). Adapt your chunks to how your mind works.

If your brain is great at compartmentalizing, create 3 themed-chunks like admin tasks, money tasks and outsourced tasks. Here’s how that would look with our grocery shopping example:

• Admin: Write an itemized grocery list.
• Money: Put money aside/budget for the groceries.
• Outsourced: Hop on Instacart and have someone do the grocery shopping for you. 💁🏾‍♀️

Simple, right?

Once you get into the habit of using your chunks, I promise that life will seem more manageable. You mae even end up like me and creating project plans late night in bed for fun.

Want to know more about how to plan effectively? You can purchase the replay for our highest-rated workshop yet, the Project Planning Masterclass.

Stay chunky,
Maegan