The FLOW Planning Method

I used to have a bookshelf of productivity books (mostly unread), a recycle bin of half-used calendars and planners, and too many days where my bag was filled with ideas and reminders on sticky notes and envelopes.

I know I’m not alone, because over the years of helping families plan healthier meals, I kept hearing it again and again. We just can’t get together for family dinner. I’m too busy for selfcare. I don’t have time to cook the meals I really want to eat. If I work, I won’t be there for those I love, much less take care of me.

We are all busy. As entrepreneurs and loving women, as passionate people who want to explore our interests and live healthy lives, we struggle to find the time or  make the time.

I learned I couldn’t separate my healthy lifestyle goals, my family, and my spirituality and self-care from my work planning. Once I get it all on one page and look not for balance, but for FLOW between the different parts of my life, it starts to make sense.

This isn’t a quick fix solution, nothing that really works is. Instead you focus on breaking down your goals and continually flowing forward. And when you get off track, you have your system to come back into FLOW. 

I created the FLOW Planning method, because it was what I needed, and as I shared what I was doing, other women got interested. I want you to keep moving toward the life you want: a life where you reach your big business goals—and have time for family and health and spirituality too.

So grab a notebook and a pen and the calendar on your phone. I’ll walk you through my process (and share my daily planning pages). At the end I will share the easiest way to put this process into action. 

All Your Life on a Page

The FLOW Planning Method is a mix between journaling and calendaring. It is a way to keep moving towards what you want, one season and one day at a time.

It’s about knowing where to focus and what little things you can do in all areas of your life that will have a big impact.

It’s about starting from a kind, gentle, centered energy — always.

It’s about allowing yourself to imagine the best possible life, over and over, in each area of your life.

The FLOW process breaks life into 4 categories: food & wellness, lifestyle & family, om (aka spirituality and self-care), work.

Too often  we commit to our work or parenting for a phase of our life, and ditch the rest. When you get really intentional in all 4 areas, magic starts to happen.

Lean Into Your Feminine Energy

Remember the FLOW brings together all parts of your life. As you go through the steps don’t separate out work and home and self-care and health.

1. Tune in.

Let your soul guide you. Don’t choose based on what you think you need. The feminine gets centered and gets connected to a vision before making any choices.

This is when you engage your imagination, journal, meditate, walk, pull a card, open to a passage. Let yourself be guided and calm.

2. Get everything out of your head and onto paper.

We hold so much in our heads and it holds us back. Just the act of getting everything down on paper can greatly affect your productivity, your creativity, and decrease your stress level. In the FLOW Planning Method, we call this transfer from head to paper.

3. Make a plan for the next 90 days.

I always encourage women to think about their future self. 5 years tends to be a good timeframe, but really its about dreaming where money and current situations are no longer an issue. Design your top goal in each of the 4 FLOW categories for the next season. It’s more productive to focus on the next 90 day season.

Stillness and slowing down are essential parts of the process. Listen to what really feels right, what you want to lean into.

Once you identify your goals, know your why. What is going to motivate you to keep moving toward those goals when life starts moving fast again, when you aren’t still and quiet and focused? What will keep you going when things aren’t going well? Your why can do that.

4. Flow your goals forward each month.

Once you have your 90-day plan, break it down and keep flowing forward. You look at: What you will do this month to move toward your 90-days goal, What could get in the way, What can you do to streamline the little things that get in the way of your big thing.

Each month you ask yourself meaningful questions: Who have you become in the past 4 weeks that is different than you were when you set your 90-day goal? Does anything need to change? Is there a rhythm that needs to be learned? What can I let go of?

5. Set yourself up weekly.

Once a week you look ahead for the week and make a plan to keep flowing things forward. 

You make a meal plan, which decreases stress, helps you hit your food and wellness goals, and lets you move food forward all through the week. And when you eat better, fuel your body better, you have more energy for all the other things you plan to get done.

Each week you decide what habits to track. I am a big fan of veggies, water, and supplements. Other ideas are exercise, smoothie, Instagram, meditation, quality time with a child, hubby time, writing, journaling, planning (how meta!). Make a checklist for the habits you are building.

6. Create a daily practice.

A daily practice may sound like one more thing to do, but a well-crafted practice supports and sustains you. And knowing what you will do — and why you are doing it throughout the day keeps you on track.

When we declare, we do. When we think, we dabble. So declare and get doing.

Cast your vision.

Decide how you want to feel.

Write down 3 things you are grateful for.

Identify 3 things you are doing towards your goals.

Block off 30 minutes for email and phone calls.

Note what you will eat.

Block all your time.

Track what actually happens.

7. Celebrate and critique your progress.

I have a practice of going back through each day and time tracking. I do this because I do not always follow my own plans and I am trying to get better about that. I just try to pay attention if I got lost in Instagram instead of writing a blog post or making dinner. You can do this without judging or berating yourself. Just use the information to make choices moving forward.

In my daily practice, I move anything that does not get done to a new time. I find that helps me be accountable to what I want to do and the time it takes. 

It’s easy to lose track of what got done and what didn’t. Pausing to take stock of what actually happened in a day, week or month, helps you understand the reason you could not finish a particular project. It lets you reset for the next time with a more realistic view. But it also lets you stop and celebrate what you did accomplish. Recognizing our own progress is super important to our momentum and mindset.