I can be a great one for listing things. Especially when my head is full and I have lots to juggle. That’s why I took the opportunity this afternoon to review my Passion Planner and check my progress.

In my corporate days I used to be involved in a lot of projects. I loved planning, checking and progress chasing the elements of a project so that we came in on time and one budget. If we were very organised and fortunate. Part of that process was listing all the things that needed to happen before I could pull a plan together. Later in life I realised what a gift my project (and programme) management skills had become. Every time I needed to make changes, or set off in pursuit of the next dream, ourt would come my paper and pen. I would get busy listing all I could think of to make sure I got where I wanted to go. Especially when I started to run my own business. Then my lists became a vital part of my everyday work. They helped me to stay on track.

Even the items on the list that I didn’t complete. Listing things down showed me what was important – because those things got done – and what wasn’t. At the end of my projects I looked back at my lists and thought about what hadn’t happened. To see if those things were as important as I’d originally thought. So that, if necessary, I could build them into my next plan. I love using my Passion Planner now to help me do that same process. Because I feel I need more than a diary. I need a place to go to that helps me see the bigger picture. And my planner keeps everything in one place. Both the daily and weekly pictures and, most importantly, monthly and six-monthly too. But even more, when I look at my planner I can also see a list of my achievements.

Every tick against a task that got done encourages me to keep listing more items. The success of the completed work carries me forward to the next list.

That’s why, on my train journey today, I buried my nose in my planner to think about my November successes. Going through what I had listed brought me fresh ideas. There were gaps I needed to fill. Other actions that followed on from my completed list. And a timescale started to emerge. Considering where I wanted to aim for in 2018 I identified some key changes I still want to make. Listing them as the headline points I got a chance on my journey back to start to break each one down into more steps. That’s a form of progress too. I’ve learned from my Guides to go with the flow in very many ways.

I know that my plans might not happen the way I expect. That other things get to the top of my list in unexpected and surprising ways. So I understand that nothing is concrete. And I make room for the times I have to head off in a different direction. Having a series of steps acts like a baseline. If I have to change anything I can go back to the baseline and refocus. It’s great for helping me to stay positive about where I’m heading. And it also means that I don’t loose sight of my achievements. Something very easy to do if things get muddled up. At then end of my journey I had a great list of my successes over the past couple of months. With some great steps about how to move forward into 2018.

I also had some goals listed too. The key things I want to achieve by the end of 2018. Even some of the steps I will need to take. I’m going to keep listing those steps, reviewing my progress and celebrating my achievements. All with the help of my Passion Planner!

Day 753 of my blogging challenge