Why Life Planning?

I know how to make things work, at work. You have a few goals, you put together your high level strategy, you survey the landscape, you figure out what you have to work with, and what you need to make happen, and what you need to acquire, you put together a rough timeframe when things happen, and you go to work. You set yourself up with a few key people to get the thing done, you make sure everyone knows what you're doing, why, and by when, and then you get your hands dirty. You plan a month, a week, a day, you put together the specific things you want to accomplish to move you towards the task, you figure out what you are going to measure and what you are going to observe when the thing you are trying to do is getting done. You do the work, and compare the outcome to what you wanted to happen and make adjustments along the way. And at the end, you have achieved something. Finally you take a look at what you've done, and start the whole thing over again.

I don't approach life the same way. And in fact I've had conversations with my wife where her obvious frustration and confusion over my lazy mishandling of my non-work life bubbles over. "I don't know how you do what you do at work, but can't do this simple thing at home. It doesn't make sense!" "That's different" I'd object, "work is different. It's more concrete. It's simpler. It's straightforward. I know how to do things at work!"

I finally realized that's a load of crap.

So, life planning. Applying some of the same principles, strategies, and tactics to life that I do everyday at work. Taking the same kind of care with planning out the development of my relationship with my wife (of 11 years) that I take with the development of a new engineering intern. Working with our home finances in a similar way I might work with my software budgets. Seems obvious, in retrospect.

Possible Life Planning Headings

Things that could go into a Life Plan, courtesy of Josh L.:

1. Purpose / Vision / Mission Statement - I like the idea of a bunch of pictures for the vision representing what you want in life. The purpose or mission statement should be clear and concise.
2. List Core Values / Beliefs – list of a handful of what you believe / don’t believe. What do you want to stand for? What are your top organizing principles?
3. Heroes - List a few people you strongly admire and why you do so. This will serve as guideposts for your own progress.
4. Life Categories:
1. a. A brief mission statement for each category of life: career, family, creativity, spiritual, educational, giving back, health / fitness, etc.
2. b. Break each category into 20 year, 10 year, 5 year, 1 year, 6 months, and 90 day goals that are as specific and measurable as possible
5. SWOT Analysis – re-do yearly, and confront the brutal facts. Need to have an accurate picture of your starting point, so you can map your route to your destination point.
6. List your main “sabertooth tigers” – those things that are most likely to take you off your path. The more aware you are of them, the more you can avoid them. In addition to distractions, list your top fears.
7. More of / Less of list
8. Commitments (see Achieve! Spreadsheet). Breaking down your goals into specific, measurable, trackable behaviors
9. System for penalties and rewards – build in accountability mechanism
10. Daily affirmations / inspirations
11. Write your own Epitaph. They always say, “start with the end in mind”. This applies to life also.

My immediate thought on this was:

These are great sections. It would be easy to turn this from a valuable personal exercise in developing a life plan, into a mechanical exercise in developing a template for life planning. I suggest a buffet approach, where a series of possible areas or thought exercises are out there, and everyone chooses the areas that are most meaningful to them. I personally love the visual (picture) vision statement, affirmations for each life category, 5/1/90 day goals for each life category, weekly and monthly commitments, etc. and will be developing those specific areas out for my plan. I would expect overlap with someone else's plan, but not 100% conformity.

Life Planning week I

Life Planning is going pretty well. I played a little bit with the spreadsheet, but managed to not drop a ton of time fiddling with formulas, as much as I’d like to. 36% through goals as well, but I have a few once/week review things that I’m planning on tackling this weekend anyway, I think it’s looking strong.

I’m already rethinking and wanting to add add add more things to the list. I’m resisting for at least a couple weeks.

Went to spinning this morning, and it kicked my ass. It’d been about a week since my last class (did racquetball a few times and didn’t pick up my normal Thursday), which I think contributed, but I also ate a ton of TERRIBLE SHITTY FOOD yesterday, which was probably the bigger deal. I deserve the pain.

I’m reading this book that I can’t stop telling everyone about. I went on about the magic of corn for 30 minutes the other day with Gabe, and this might turn me into a full fledged vegetarian by the end. It’s called The Omnivores Dilemma, by this guy Michael Pollan:

http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/

FASCINATING stuff, and I’m only through the first third or so. Take a peek, I think you’ll love it too. It’s equal parts genetics, history, economic policy, nutrition, and social studies. I read a little bit of his other book, In Defense of Food, and he just writes good stuff.

A guy I know online had a stroke a couple days ago. He’s mid-40s, and not unhealthy. His living together long enough to be called wife except by law partner is sending updates here:

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/010650.html

And lots of his online/offline friends are talking. What strikes me is 1) how out of the blue this happened, but more important 2) what Velma is going through because of this. I can’t not read her words and not realize how important it is to take ownership and care of myself, and how selfish it is, now, to go forth blindly. It hit me hard.

She also says this about him, which brought tears to my eyes it’s so beautiful:

I worry about sounding too sentimental, but the woman I have been since Soren chose me is ... just so much more than I think I would have been on my own. He is an amazing man, and my heart's favorite song.

My heart’s favorite song... Something to live up to, I think.