Fall in Love with your Planning Process

So it’s valentines day tomorrow, and although I don’t celebrate it, I DO really love to spend time with my husband (one of my top love languages is quality time).

What I don’t love doing with my time is spending hours and hours needlessly planning each and every week! This is part of the reason that I left teaching. I felt that I spend a lot of time filling in forms for other people and that didn’t make me a better teacher, it made me grumpy!

One of the great things about being self -employed is being able to create your working week the way that you want it to look. This means spending time on things that you love and doing the things that are necessary in a way that is fun for you.

Planning is unavoidable, we definitely need to do it to deliver quality kids yoga lessons that flow, make sense and build upon skills that the children have learnt. But it doesn’t have to be boring, I believe that you can make it fun and something that you actually look forward to- yes really!

Last week I shared all about the three types of plans that I use (if you missed it, go and read the blog here or watch the video here). And today, I want to share how we can fall in love with the way that we plan our kids yoga classes.

One excellent tip that I use in every area of my life is to trick my brain into doing something I don’t like doing by pairing it with something that I do like doing!

As I’ve already mentioned, I don’t really naturally love writing lesson plans, I used find the process mind numbing boring. Thankfully, I know myself really well and so I can easily trick my easily bored brain into actually looking forward to it! It’s true!

Here’s how I have done it (and you might like it too!):

Batching and prioirtising
I batch my plans, which means that I do all of my plans in one big go, usually at the start of a new half term. This might sound like a nightmare, but it has become a special time in my calendar that I actually really look forward to.
Prioritising it in my diary and doing it all in one go works well for me because:
 a) It will definitely get done rather than being something that gets squeezed out of a busy day
b) I can focus all of my attention on it and it is quicker to do as my brain is in the mood for it.
 
Create space
An important aspect for me to get it done is to create spaciousness around it. For me, this means ensuring that I have enough time. I always used to really underestimate how long it would take for me to plan, which made me feel stressed and overwhelmed. Now, I make sure that I give more time than I think I will need.
How much time you need to plan will depend on so many factors, such as how many classes you have, how many different types of classes you have, how experienced you are in planning, the level of energy that you have available.
When I put my planning day into my calendar, it isn’t just about time but also about mental capacity. I am a mom and also have other family commitments which I need to consider. I need to think about childcare, my kids activities, whether my husband is working away etc.

Maybe you have other responsibilities such as caring for others, other jobs to do, can you arrange for those other duties to be taken by others so you have more mental space to concentrate? 

Consider how you can receive support here – asking for help is definitely something I am working on, it doesn’t come easy to me.

Another way that I create space mentally is by making life easier. When I have timetabled planning days for myself, I personally know that I can be a bit brain foggy by the end of the day. I hate making decisions I’m not really a domestic goddess and for me, making a complicated meal after a day of planning would just piss me off!  So I have learnt to either; make sure that it isn’t my turn to cook , cook something super easy that is a win for everyone (usually pizza!) or get a chippy tea!  This means that not only do I not have to think much but I also have something treaty to look forward to!
How can you make life easier for you when you are planning?
 
Super focus!
One of the (sometimes) benefits of being neurodivergent is that I do have the super power of hyper focus! This means that when I am in the zone I can get really into it and not think about anything else. I think that this is why batching works really well for me.
Some ways to make sure that you are staying focused are:

• Turn off notifications on your phone and computer.
• Don’t have your email open.
• Set yourself a timer this article (https://time.com/3518053/perfect-break/) suggests that working for 52 minutes and having a 17 minute break is the optimum time for concentrating and not getting distracted and sloppy.
• Don’t commit to doing other things on the same day that might distract you.

 
Pick the right time
For me timing is really important, I am not the same person on any two days! My energy is so completely affected by other things that are going on at that time with my family, my cycle and my own energetics- even the moon has a part to play! Unfortunately, I can’t predict entirely how my energy will be, but I know generally what things impact me and I can take a guess at what days would work for me and when wouldn’t.

I guess though that I am a sensitive soul, and not all people are so affected. I still think that it is wise to choose a time that works for you energetically and practically.
 
Make it special
I am really affected by my environment, so one of the best ‘hacks’ for me is to make my planning day feel special. For me this includes a tidy of my office, nice candles, music, maybe even some crystals, nice snacks, going for a walk at lunch and having something tasty planned for tea.

This is a personal thing so think about ways that you could make your planning day feel special for you. What do you associate with ‘special’ and how can you make this process feel special to you?
 
I hope that you found this interesting to think about. I’d love to know your planning process and how you make it enjoyable for you.
 
Next week I’ll be talking all about how to make your plans work for you not against you!
If you would like to get some help with the planning of your classes, get in touch and find out if a ‘Playful Planning’ session is right for you.
 
📽️ Watch the video here if you prefer video format.
 
🎁 Get the freebie here and receive the 3 planning grids that I use to plan my kids yoga classes.
 
🧠 Purchase the training ‘Structure for Success’ and learn how to structure your kids yoga classes for schools.
 
📧 Email me here: [email protected] to ask a question, give feedback or arrange working with me.
 
💞 Join our community here this facebook group is specifically for kids yoga teachers who work in schools (or would like to)

Thanks for reading x
Julia