Do you have a daily/weekly/life plan?

Sassers

Lately I've not only fallen off the DFW wagon, it's gone round the corner in a cloud of dust! :eek:
There's just so much going on in life, and stuff I have to do - I'm feeling a bit swamped.
Just getting out of hospital after an op doesn't help!
But maybe I can use the time off to plan
I don't want to start another online diary as I think there are loads better on here than mine would be!
I dearly need to see the wood for the trees - has anyone got a weekly/daily/yearly life plan in place? What is it like?
Does it feature practical things and dreams you'd like to do?
I'd like to do something like this - does anyone have any tips they could share?
Or even a template. If I could design, write and see a plan, I can aim for things much more easily...:D
Thanks very much
Sassers xx:T

always_amazed

Hey; I'm going through a series or surgeries at the moment as well, just wanted you to know you're not alone!!

I actually found the recovery periods useful as they are a good time to plan and take stock. Also I couldn't spend cos walking was so sore lol!! always look on the bright side!
xxx

Sassers

Hello always-amazed - I've been out for three weeks now but still sore! The first week post-op passed in a (legal) drug-induced haze lol
Hope you are feeling better though - and it's nice to know I'm not the only one trying to take stock.
I have a lot of things I want to do - I spose the best thing to do is try and narrow them down into categories and then micro-plan them.
The main priorities are:
Finishing the renovation on my home
Re-start bank claim back charges, sort out my finances from there (using the money from the bank charges)
Change job
Set up mini-business

Not much! what I'm going to do is set out milestones with mini tasks on each one so I feel like I am progessing. I'm finding it very hard as I have had all the confidence kicked out of me...tiny baby steps is the answer !

bathgatebuyer

Unfortunately I have nothing as structured as a plan! I do have a general idea as to how I get to be debt-free, but nothing in writing or on a day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month basis.

I have a CCA dispute with Trading Standards at the moment over a Visa Card, and a PPI mis-selling claim with HBoS, the papers of which are being prepared and I'm ready to send them to the courts. So, what happens next is going to be affected by the results of these.

Sassers

Amazing how many things `hinge' on the result of something else!
Perhaps I should start the bank charges first then decide. Must raise the cash to pay the court fees first though (eekk)

crawley_girl

Hi there - what a lovely idea for a thread.

One of my friends has had a bit of a breakdown (relationship and work stress mostly) and luckily he is on the mend now. He has been a bit of a hero of mine as he has taken the time to take stock and decided what he really wants and how he is going to get there, all in about a week.

He is thinking about reducing his hours at work and getting rid of 'fairweather friends' who are good for a party or night out, but not when things get tough and a good friend is needed at times of crisis. I really admire his positive outlook, bearing in mind how unwell he was a while back.

In relation to myself, I used to be the one that played safe. Since quitting a stressful job and reducing my hours at work, I feel so much better. I too was diagnosed with a long-term health condition last year and decided enough was enough and I needed to be kind to myself. Since doing that, everyone has commented how well I look and that I am back to being my 'usual' self (whatever that means!) and I feel grrrrrrrreat!

My long term plans include:
* to get a job that is coming up at work (only 15 hrs a week) but it sounds very exciting and something that I strongly believe in
* to manage my health condition to the best of my ability and to ask for support when I need it
* to become Debt-free at some point in my life (but not to flog myself to death in the process)
* to continue to foster and maybe be brave and consider fostering younger children
* to complete my NVQ 4
* to be a good, honest person and enjoy my life to the best of my ability

My plan is not fixed and once one thing is achieved, then something else will pop up I'm sure. Mine just comes from my heart and head, but maybe some kind of self-help book would be able to guide you in the right direction - maybe?!

There seems to be a running theme... that ill-health/ operations and health conditions seem to be an instigator in reviewing where we want to be and what we need to do to get there!

:heartpuls CG :heartpuls

Sassers

Hello Crawley Girl - what a lovely post...thank-you so much, it was really inspiring.
Your friend - well you could be talking about me last September, the way you described him. I had a bit of breakdown too, money, family and OH worries, health, compounded by work.
I am slowly getting out of the hole - recovering from my op and being away from the office has really really helped.
Your post actually brought a little tear to my eye - especially the last bit about you being a good, honest person.
I'd like to be that too - perhaps one day
Perhaps that might be a way forward - writing down all the things I don't want and coming up with answers and actions to solve them that I do want!
After I started the thread, I wrote out a table with house, finances and me categories and filled them in...
All I could see was an A4 list of things to do in boxes. It put me off 'cos all I was did was look at it and go `yeah, so'. It didn't inspire me, just looked endless!
Perhaps I need a few self-help books too...started reading a Paul McKenna on about successful thinking within seven days but it wasn't for me...
...any suggestions? I need a confidence boost and I don't know how to start - even going outside the house is scary at the moment!

floss2

I found that finding a nice notebook & pen to make notes of what I wanted to achieve helped. I had several of both around the house, so didn't have to spend any money either

I had one for the house, which had a page for each room, with a list of what I wanted to change/acquire/make/do/buy.

I also had one for me - this one has things like:

sort out my pensions (involves an IFA & haven't found one I like & trust yet!)
secure my job - currently on a fixed term contract, dependant upon funding & whether the person I am covering for returns to work after 2 maternity leaves (one straight after another)
move house - depends upon whether my DF gets his desired transfer to another area in a couple of years
relocate (see above!)
get married - depends upon when we feel we are able to start to save for this
see my kids both graduate

Also contains things like:
sort wardrobe
do Ebaying
& other ongoing stuff.

crawley_girl

I looked and listened to one of the Paul McKenna self-help books and didn't find it that helpful too... I know that a few people have recommended the one for giving up smoking one, so may have to look that up at some point! Or maybe not! Not to sure about suggestions, maybe have a look on amazon and read some reviews or if you can, pop into town and have a flick through the book and see if you might like it... don't buy them but try ebay, or read it swap it, or amazon - always cheaper!

Can I be honest? I think if you start writing lists of negative things (you said about the things that you don't want) then I think this will start to make you feel down... think positively and positivity will follow.

How about starting off with a little 'life plan'? Maybe pick one thing that you would absolutely love to achieve, a dream perhaps. Then maybe something not so big and one small thing for the week and then break them down into manageable chunks. For example - say your weekly job is to declutter the kitchen table which is covered in letters, newspapers, and stuff! Break that down into small bits so... a) collect up the post and put in a 'safe' place b) put the newspapers in the recycling c) decide whether you want to keep the 'stuff' d) if you don't, then list on ebay or take to chairty shop or have a car boot sale etc e) clean the table and put a nice vase of flowers on there f) then go back to the post and sort it, deal with it, pay the bills and file etc etc remembering to cross off each job as you do it! I find it very therapeutic to cross off jobs on my list and I know a lot of others do too.. it means something has been achieved and that is a nice feeling.

There is the fly-lady thread on OS but I find it a bit too twee (- no offence to the people that use it and manage to keep on top of it) and that breaks down tasks. I like the principle behind flay-lady, I'm just rubbish at housework and would rather blitz for an hour and not do 10 mins here and 10 mins there - but that is just my preference.

Thanks for the comment about good and honest, am sure that you are a good and honest person, but are just feeling a little low and fragile at the moment.

Start small but never stop dreaming

:heartpuls CG :heartpuls

GeorgeUK

Hi Sassers

Never done a plan like that but have been thinking about it lately.
My DFW wagon took a sharp left off the trail and over the side of the cliff recently. I guess after the dust settled, that's when i thought what next and how do i get there?

Before finding MSE, i found the thing that worked was to start small and build up from there. Make an island of calm that you can work out from and if things get too much, go back to what you have achieved and see that you are not a failure - you can achieve set goals and rebuild your confidence before giving it another try.

Sounds a little daft, but my sock drawer has been well organised and neat ever since. Start small and build it up gradually - just like getting rid of debt, chip away a little at a time and it soon all adds up.

Making a structured plan of goals i think would be beneficial even if you didn't stick to it. What do you want to achieve on a weekly or monthly basis? More "you" time so that you can de-stress? Where do you want to be in the long term jobwise or homewise? What are the steps that could get you there?

I think seeing it in some form written down will also provide motivation as it looks achievable with the dots joining up. Good luck with this - sorry i can't advise what to look for. I've not done one... yet.

ltm07

crawley_girl wrote: »

Hi there - what a lovely idea for a thread.

One of my friends has had a bit of a breakdown (relationship and work stress mostly) and luckily he is on the mend now. He has been a bit of a hero of mine as he has taken the time to take stock and decided what he really wants and how he is going to get there, all in about a week.

He is thinking about reducing his hours at work and getting rid of 'fairweather friends' who are good for a party or night out, but not when things get tough and a good friend is needed at times of crisis. I really admire his positive outlook, bearing in mind how unwell he was a while back.

In relation to myself, I used to be the one that played safe. Since quitting a stressful job and reducing my hours at work, I feel so much better. I too was diagnosed with a long-term health condition last year and decided enough was enough and I needed to be kind to myself. Since doing that, everyone has commented how well I look and that I am back to being my 'usual' self (whatever that means!) and I feel grrrrrrrreat!

My long term plans include:
* to get a job that is coming up at work (only 15 hrs a week) but it sounds very exciting and something that I strongly believe in
* to manage my health condition to the best of my ability and to ask for support when I need it
* to become Debt-free at some point in my life (but not to flog myself to death in the process)
* to continue to foster and maybe be brave and consider fostering younger children
* to complete my NVQ 4
* to be a good, honest person and enjoy my life to the best of my ability

My plan is not fixed and once one thing is achieved, then something else will pop up I'm sure. Mine just comes from my heart and head, but maybe some kind of self-help book would be able to guide you in the right direction - maybe?!

There seems to be a running theme... that ill-health/ operations and health conditions seem to be an instigator in reviewing where we want to be and what we need to do to get there!

:heartpuls CG :heartpuls

Hi,i like this post. Only yesterday i was on here feeling stressed about all the hours i am doing at work. Reduced the amount of overtime i was doing as it was half killing me! OH also taking on extra shifts to ease the pressure a bit. Our long term plan in life was going to go either of two ways & thankfully we are going to choose what we believe is right for us. More me than OH wanted to buy a house in a more desirable area than we live in now,but to do this we would have had to borrow at least another £50k on our mortgage & would have had to increase it to 25 years,as opposed to the 16 years we have left. Instead of this we have decided to stay put,as it isn't the worst area in the city by any means & we have a lovely home. We will have paid our mortgage off by the time i'm 51 at most. Once mortgage is gone we will be looking for a nice place in the countryside,but all being well won't have to break the bank to live there! So daily plan is to check finances without fail,weekly is to make sure we don't overspend & life plan is to be DF by the time i'm 40 at the latest & finally plan to wed(DFW style of course),MF by the time i'm 51 at the most,but hope to knock that down by a year or 2 & move to a lovely house in the countryside overlooking fields!