In this episode, I’m talking about planning when you’re feeling depleted. If life or work has left you exhausted, your instinct might be to step away from planning entirely. I share how to approach planning gently and intentionally, focusing on what not to do, leaving space to recover, and giving yourself permission to let some things go. A thoughtful, low-pressure approach that actually supports your wellbeing.

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Welcome to Unfrazzle.

I'm your host Louise Miller, and one of the ways in which I'm creating space to enjoy my summer is by having a break from recording new podcast episodes for a while.

Instead, I'm doing an Unfrazzle summer rewind, sharing some of my favourite episodes from the last year.

So if you're hearing them for the first time, I hope you find them helpful.

And if you've heard them before, perhaps you'll take something different from them the second time around.

So have an amazing summer and I'll be back in your ears with new episodes soon.

One of my Make It Happen club members emailed me letting me know that she was feeling utterly depleted.

Life had been dealing her some pretty crappy hands all year and she wasn't sure how to go about making a plan without making what she described as a pressure filled plan.

So she was looking for suggestions on how to adapt to the quarterly planning process that we do in the club to suit what she described as this burnouty situation.

And I was so happy that she asked.

Not only because it allowed me to share some insights that would bring her more peace and ease, but because it also shone a light on one of my blind spots.

So an assumption that I've been making about how people relate to planning that's actually not how most people view it.

So first let me tell you what I told her in advance of our quarterly planning session in response to her email.

So she has given me permission to share this with you.

So here's what I said to her.

Focus solely on your recovery.

If you if there's anything else happening in your life that's non negotiable and has to happen, feel free to include that.

But if not, it's okay to have just one project and for that project to be getting yourself well again.

And if that means that you end up with a plan that feels sparse, great.

Space is your friend.

Embrace it.

And if anything, I share during the session feels unhelpful for you, given that your priority is you ignore it.

Maybe see this session as an opportunity to sit quietly, go inward and reflect, knowing that keeping things spacious will serve you best.

So that's what I said in response to her email.

And she then showed up to the session and during and kind of after the session, my wonderful, exhausted client let me know that this advice was a massive help and that she's going to use some of it as a mantra for the next little while.

And then in a strange coincidence that made me realise I needed to record an episode on this Another of our Make It Happen club members was messaging me during that same session, letting me know that her plan didn't have very much on it and questioning whether that was okay.

And my answer again, was a resounding yes.

Because I know that one thing this person discovered during her time in the club is that putting too many things on her plan makes her feel rubbish.

She's far more motivated and productive when she leaves herself plenty of space.

So reflecting on the messages I received from those two people on that same day made me realise that I think about planning in a different way to a lot of people, and that it would be a good idea to talk about that some more.

So here's the controversial thought that I want to share with you today.

If you're feeling depleted, that doesn't mean you shouldn't plan.

So I suspect that many people would say that trying to do some planning when you're exhausted is a bad idea, that it will add pressure and fry your nervous system even more.

And in extreme cases that might be true.

And I also think there's a way for planning to be helpful.

So I should say at this point I am not an expert in burnout.

If you are unwell and unable to make any decisions at all, please seek out support from someone who is an expert.

But if you're feeling depleted and you have at least some capacity to do this, then sitting down quietly in a cosy spot with a cuppa to create a plan can actually be a really good thing when it's done gently, intentionally, and with a specific purpose in mind.

That purpose being to help you recover.

So what I think most people fail to realize about planning is that it can be all about deciding what not to do.

Giving yourself permission to say no, to acknowledge that you're not firing on all cylinders and so some things will have to not happen.

And to make that a choice.

You know, when you give yourself a little time to look at the things you feel you should be doing and then decide not to do most of it, at least not now, you can stop worrying about it.

You can tell the people you need to tell.

Clients and collaborators are usually very understanding.

If you tell them you're having a tough time and won't be able to get things done by the date you'd originally said?

Is staying off social media for a while going to result in the collapse of your business?

Will the world end if your email list doesn't hear from you for a couple of weeks?

Is that more important than your well being?

Probably not.

So give yourself permission not to do those things instead of fretting about the fact that you're not doing them either way.

If you want to prioritize your health, those things are not getting done, but by sitting down and making that choice, you don't need to feel guilty about it.

Remember, planning is not about cramming loads of doing in so that you can meet your goals as quickly as possible.

And it's also not about planning out exactly what you'll be doing every minute of every day, leaving zero wiggle room for you to be human.

It's about paying attention to how you're doing and choosing where to focus your time and energy so you can move closer to your vision and take care of yourself along the way.

And if that vision includes being healthy and not working yourself into the ground, it's okay to have a season where the main focus is taking care of yourself.

And if that means you have a plan that feels a little empty or sparse, embrace it.

When you're exhausted, you need space to recover, and intentionally planning what gets your precious energy and what doesn't is, in my experience, a really great way of giving yourself that space.

I hope this helps you think about planning a little differently so you can lean into it when things feel tough, remembering that when done gently and thoughtfully, it can relieve the pressure rather than add to it.

And as always, I hope that this helps and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle.

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life and I'd love it if you could leave me a rating and a review as that will help more people discover this podcast.

If you'd like to hear more from me to help you stop faffing and take back control of your time, you'll find a link to join my mailing list in the show notes and I would really love for you to join us.

So thanks so much for your support and I look forward to seeing you next time.