Hey guys , and welcome back to another episode of your Brain's Coach podcast . My name is Angela Shurina , I'm your host , I'm your Brain's Coach and it is my job here to bring to you all the best , cutting-edge , recent , most important and effective brain-body work tools so you could take better control of your thoughts , of your emotions , of your planning and , most importantly , of your action taking , so you get closer and closer and closer to the vision of your life that you absolutely love living . Today , folks , as you probably have guessed from the title of this podcast is all about planning what's the plan for the week . I quote setting challenging but achievable goals leads to 90% better performance , according to some good statistics . So by setting goals , you will improve your performance . Also , they say that written goals perform 43% better . So when you write things down , when you measure , when you track , you know , when you apply all the best practices , you get a much bigger chance of actually making things happen and improving your performance by up to 90% . Planning , goal setting , celebrating milestones that boost your dopamine levels in your brain , which gives you more energy , which gives you motivation , which keeps you feeling driven and wanting to do things , especially challenging things and don't we all need this to move things forward , to keep putting action steps in place .
Speaker 1Over the past weekend I've been reflecting on my business development , on my life development and how I'm feeling , how I'm managing my projects , and I realized I needed some other way of planning things . So I do feel motivated and driven doing the most mundane and far away from my vision , things like reaching out to 100 people in businesses to offer my services , to find those few who will absolutely love what I'm doing . I needed a way to plan things so it keeps me motivated , even when doing the most mundane things , laying those bricks to build the cathedral of the ground and to have a solid action plan which doesn't just inspire me but also brings the results , however small , and moving me closer and closer to actually building that vision that I only have in my head . And I think , till this point I had either or either fully connected and driven by my vision , or doing the work , but then feeling so demotivated and drained by the end of the day and the week that I would not be able to continue and had to redo something . And so I was browsing in my head , in my database of knowledge , different concepts of planning and figuring out how to organize my action steps . So again , so I consistently show up , so I do the actions in a way which will move me closer and closer towards progress and ultimately towards bigger vision , without having my head all in the clouds and chasing ghosts . That cannot actually become reality at this point for me , not yet right .
Speaker 1So as I was browsing through different planning models , I remembered about natural planning model , which I first encountered , going through first time , going through the book Getting Things Done by David Allen , which it's not only a book but a world known system for planning , organizing and getting things done without overwhelm , without burning and crushing , but feeling this ease and peace and flow of getting things done and moving towards your vision , but not out of place of exhaustion , pushing , burning out and overwhelming yourself with too many things on your to-do list that you don't even see forest for the trees right . So I remembered about this model of natural planning model , and the reason why it's called natural is because we actually do it naturally for the small things at least , like planning your dinner . Do it naturally for the small things at least , like planning your dinner , and as I'm going to describe the model , you understand how it works for dinner and then we somehow forget to apply it for the biggest stuff where it could actually make a huge difference . So I remember that model and I got back to it because I was going through a new book by David Allen Getting Things Done Teams . It's getting things done with other people , and in this book David Allen goes into a little bit more detail at least that's how it felt in my head specifically on this natural planning model , which I'll describe in a minute and how I use it and why it's so good . Well , let's actually start with why it's so good .
Speaker 1Natural planning model allows you to have a vision , to have grand goals for your business or yourself , for your life in general , but at the same time keeping your feet , keeping your footprints on the path . So you are making progress in real life , knowing what it's all for , building your cathedral , having the plan in mind , but then again , most of the time spending your time on the ground , where you can make a difference , where you can get results , progressing and learning and eventually actually having a chance to achieve that grander purpose and vision that you have in your mind . And I realized that might be a perfect system that I miss . That will allow me to feel motivated and connected to a bigger vision , purpose , but then also will keep me on the ground where the work has to be done , combining me doing progress on my life goals and my financial goals and my business goals , however mundane some actions will be required and then keeping my motivation , my spirits , high so I actually have the energy to also do the work , feeling on purpose , feeling mission-driven , feeling inspired . Don't we all need that ? Sometimes you wake up on Monday morning and you feel like the to-do list I have is so mundane and so boring , so disattached of this bigger vision for myself that I have in mind , that it feels so demotivated because you feel I'm so far from where I want to be . And should I just give up on my dream and get a job and do the stuff that I hate , or should I just keep my dream and just keep failing ? And is there a middle ground that gives you both ? That gives you the vision , the purpose , the drive , the motivation , but also ensures that you're making progress in real life , taking care of your life , of people you care about and of all the stuff that needs to be taken care of in real life , from our bills to our commitments to other people . So natural planning model seems to be the answer , and it's been used by David Allen's clients all around the world for decades now . It probably works , and also it is a natural planning model that we use when we plan things like dinner . So what is natural planning model ? It has five main steps .
Let me walk you through Purpose and principles . Purpose why what you need to do right now . The project , or a few projects that you need to work on . Why do they matter ? What are you trying to do and why are you trying to do that ? What's the purpose ? What's your why ? How does it contribute to your meaning of life , to who you are ? Just why do you do what you do ? Why does it matter ? Principles it's how you do things . What kind of quality do you commit to ? How you're going to do the things you're going to do ? It's like with planning dinner .
Speaker 1For me , junk food is not an option , or cutting corners and compromising relationships , or compromising the quality of my work , or compromising the quality of my work Just not an option . I want to deliver great service . I want to build great relationships . While doing the work , I want to be proud of myself . So that is the principle , and there are quite a few of them that I wrote down while doing the exercise .
Speaker 1So , step number one purpose and principle . Why what you do is important , how it connects to your bigger purpose , to who you truly are . And the principles what are the rules , the values that you're not willing to step over , what are the lines that you draw , solid lines that you're not going to cross ? Number two vision . Okay , now we understand what drives us , what our motivations are , and the principles , the values that we hold that are guardrails that allow us to stay on the path that we are proud of Now . Vision to stay on the path that we are proud of Now . Vision what do you want to achieve in the next three months or six months , or maybe in your entire life ? What's the vision ? Where are you moving towards ? Be bold but also descriptive . Know what there , what success looks like , how do you know when you're going to end up there and instead of chasing ghosts like what there looks like . So , whenever you are confronted with choices on how to implement certain milestones of projects , you know what to say yes to , what to say no to , because you have a very clear picture of the end destination . You know it's like when you buy a puzzle you have a picture to compare , so you know where each puzzle piece goes . And it's the same with our visions . We need to be very clear about , at least for the moment , about where it is we are going . So when we get a piece of the puzzle , we more or less know whether it goes there , or maybe it's a piece of different puzzle that we can just disregard , at least for now .
Speaker 1Step number three brainstorming . Okay , now we have the vision , we have the purpose , we have the principles . What are all the ideas that can bring this vision to reality ? But with brainstorming you don't want to be all that grounded in reality necessarily . You just want to get out of your head as many ideas as possible . How are you going to achieve this vision ? What are the resources ? What are the partnerships ? What are all the different ways , sometimes very grounding , sometimes crazy ones that you've never thought of ? Who are the people who can help you brainstorm ? What are all the projects and things that you can do to make this vision reality , all the path to get you where you want to go ? And then step number four , that's where clouds meet the road , or where your feet get back to the ground .
Speaker 1Organizing Step number four time to get real . Okay , you have this vision for three months , six months , five years , seven years . But what are the projects for right now that you're going to commit to that will move you closer towards your destination and will also keep you taken care of ? What is possible ? What are some projects that have the highest impact or highest return on investment ? What is possible for you right now ? What are the resources , the help that you can ask for ? What experience do you have ? What knowledge do you possess ? What valuable thing do you contribute to the world ? What combines all of that ?
Speaker 1And organizing is the longest , the biggest step , because you need to bring all of these pieces together and then look also into each project , possible project in your head and actually break it down . Okay , what needs to happen ? In what order ? What are the resources I'll need ? What are the most difficult , challenging steps and will I be able to make them happen ? And maybe this is where I should start from the most difficult parts , and if I'm able to get this done , then the rest will be easier . Like , where you are standing right now , what is the highest impact , the highest probability of success from all of the ideas that you brainstormed in the previous step , that which will lead you towards your vision in however small or far away way from your eventual , or your end destination . So what are the steps that the projects that make sense to work on now ?
Speaker 1Organizing is again the longest step that will require you the most strategic thinking . So , by the way , this process best to do when your head is fresh and you have the clearest cognitive capacity . So for me , morning person that is usually morning before the day begins , with all of the problems and issues and then after organizing is done , the last and probably the fastest , the easiest step . Okay , now you chose a couple of projects or one project that you're going to totally commit to . Then , next steps what are the next steps that you can put on your calendar right now that will have the highest impact ? That will either teach you something about how to proceed or that needs to put in the place first to make your plan a reality , your project a reality , right , what are the very few next steps ? And put them on your calendar . Create a plan Like look at your week . Where are you going to put all of these steps ? This is where you put what you created in organizing .
Speaker 1Step to your calendar , where rubber meets the road , so to speak , and after that you should have a very clear but also simple point of action which has very good grounding in reality but also connects you to your bigger why , your purpose , your mission . And so , even when you have , again as a mundane thing like from my own experience , to do , emailing cold , emailing cold reach outs on different platforms to people . Even the most mundane thing can feel inspired and can feel motivated because you know what kind of cathedral you are building . Don't be just a brick layer . Realize that with this small , however insignificant and mundane step , you are building the foundation for the inspiring future , for the vision that you have , for your life and your impact in this world . So , natural planning model .
Speaker 1And why is it like dinner ? Well , if you think about that , when you have dinner you have a why , a purpose and principles . We are trying , for example , if it's just your daily dinner , you're trying to satisfy your hunger , to nourish yourself , and you have principles . For me , again , junk food is not an option and there are principles that my dinner has to be built on . Then the vision what is the vision . What is the blueprint for your dinner ? What are we going to have right ? What's the ideal situation , what's the blueprint ?
Speaker 1And then you start brainstorming Okay , what kind of foods can we try to put on our plate ? Where are we going to get them ? What are all the possible options and possibilities ? So you can quickly run through all of that in a matter of seconds in your head and then organizing Okay , these are the options , but because of my maybe time availability , maybe time availability , different stores , seasonality and all the small things , I have a very specific plan that I can implement that has the vision , the grand purpose and principles in its design , but also grounded in my daily reality and what's possible now , also grounded in my daily reality , and what's possible now . And then you plan the next steps and you implement . So this is why this is natural planning model , which is applicable to our dinner , but just as applicable to our business , health , relationships and any other goals we might have . So a little bit more detail on natural planning model from David Allen , depending on the time horizon you're going to be planning for , meaning whether that's just a weekly plan or a monthly , or maybe you want to start with five , seven-year vision because you just need to have a more long-term understanding of where it is you are moving . Depending on that , you probably end the time available .
Speaker 1You want to use either short or long version , like I used a longer version and you can even make it a longer version . But , as with any other plan , you know Mike Tyson has this saying everyone has a plan until they punched in the face . So you don't want to be planning too much , but spend just enough time planning . So you have some action steps , well-thought-through action steps , so you can get out there and test them in reality and get the punch in the face and plan from there right . Don't get stuck in the plan , because no plan survives the contact with reality . Realize that . You know it's been quite a journey for me to realize that . Don't spend too much time planning . It's going to change as soon as you start implementing . So you might as well just have a rough estimation and jump into that and figure out things from there , right . So short and a long version .
Speaker 1I did the longer version , short version . The timing Purpose about 45 seconds . I used timer and I timed it . Principles 45 seconds , vision , two minutes . 30 seconds , brainstorming three minutes , organizing four minutes and then next actions one minute . That is a short version . Timing proposed by David Allen and Getting Things Done teams Long version Purpose this is the one that I did Purpose four minutes Principles four minutes . Vision 12 minutes . Brainstorming 15 minutes . Organizing 20 minutes and then next actions five minutes . The whole process takes an hour . Next actions five minutes . The whole process takes an hour .
Speaker 1Again , the beauty of natural planning model is that it forces you to start exactly where you are with your feet on the ground , not in the clouds , but exactly where you are with all of your shit forgive me for my French and all of the imperfections , while keeping you incredibly focused and connected to your bigger purpose your vision that inspires , motivates and drives you , no matter how far your current action is from that big vision . Natural model planning allows you to remember why you started to leave and be that cathedral builder , not just a brick layer . So I hope now you are inspired and ready to plan , take that hour and go through all of the steps , from purpose and principles to vision , to brainstorming , organizing and putting next action steps on your calendar . And humbling task will allow you to feel inspired and motivated and , at the same time , making progress , making meaningful and measurable and trackable progress towards that big vision that you have for your life , your business , your service to others . So , out and over , have fun planning guys
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Speaker 1If you have any questions , please do reach out Angela at brainbreakthroughcoachcom and share with other superheroes who might be struggling with getting those boring steps done which allow them to actually have a chance to build a bigger purpose , a bigger vision . So share the link from Spotify or whichever podcast player you have , or maybe screenshot and send that to them . And use natural planning model . Very often that's what I'm going to be doing for the next I don't know few weeks to maybe forever , depending how well it serves the goals . Natural planning model . Apply it , especially if feeling unmotivated , bored and unenthusiastic and just crushed and overwhelmed by the amount of work you have to do and how far away you are from your vision . Use natural model , natural planning model , to get the job done , however small and mundane , and invest into your bigger purpose and vision . So out and over plan , have an awesome week , inspired week ahead , and you'll hear from me very soon .