Think BIG – Crush Your Overwhelm With Planning!

Hello. Hi. My name is Keneena …… and I'm a multitasker.

Okaaaay…I hear you wonder – isn't that…. a good thing? What we pride ourselves on as women? Yeah. Yep. It kinda is.

For years I thought of multitasking as my super power.

And yes – I admit I feel pretty smooth when I can handle questions from three kids at once, while I'm in the phone to my husband, making dinner with the other hand. Without skipping a beat. BOOM! Come at me life, I can handle at least thirteen things at once!

Hitting Overwhelm

BUT. As the layers of life grow, I get to a tipping point now where too many balls get dropped. And focusing on so many things at once means I'm not focusing on anything at all.

A few missed nights sleep, a sick child. Lots of orders. Not enough orders. And suddenly I hit a point of overwhelm. And I just can't DO this anymore!

Sound familiar? Yeah, I've done it too many times to count.

Don't get me wrong. I love working under pressure and meeting challenges.

But now I can recognise that frantic multitasking is a sign that I am working without focus, and with no clear end point in view.

Other than DO ALL THE THINGS.

Working at this rate for too long leads to burn-out, exhaustion and all round nastiness.

I Need A Plan!

So multitasking is not necessarily a force for good in my life.

Where to from here then? How do I tackle the swarm of tasks flying at me every day? The most crucial point for me was the day I sat down to write a plan.

I used to think planning was for boring people. Ahem. (Oops – did I say that out loud?) People who like details for details sake. Yawn.

But it's not. Nuh-uh. Now I know it's for everyone who wants to reach the finish line…and keep going, when the rest are lying in a burnt out heap somewhere in the middle of the face.

Working IN and not just ON my Business

Why plan? For me, planning is about coming up with goals. Concrete things I want to achieve for my business.

When I have goals, then I can work out how I'm going to achieve them. You know that saying ‘a goal without a plan is just a dream’? I'm not much into quotes, but this one? Totes true.

Once I have steps, I have a way of making my plan a reality. Then no matter what life throws at me each day, I have something to focus on. Even if I only get one thing done each day, if that one thing is part of my plan, I'm moving forward, and I'm doing it with purpose.

A plan helps me to prioritise working ON my business where needed, instead of only IN MY BUSINESS. So my business can change and grow, and I can grow with it. Because I still wanna be here next year, and the year after that.

I'm not saying a plan makes me into superwoman. Far from it. Life happens. Kids get sick, or scrape their knees.

Just recently I had no internet service for a week. With a e-commerce store and a major online product launch to pull off. Lots of deep breathing. Possibly even pillow screaming. Talk about a spanner in the works. I had to drop some things. Adjust others. But having a plan meant I could stay focussed even in crisis mode.

My plan may not fully work out. I may have to adjust it. But having it means that when I don't feel like superwoman, I can still move forward. Even if it's with tiny baby steps.

My GO-TO Planning Resources

Wanna know what I rely on right now for my planning?

• My PLAN IT OUT book (from www.mumswithhustle.com) was the perfect tool for me to walk thru this process. Seriously loved it. It really helped me solidify why I needed to plan and gave me a process I felt comfortable with.
• Anna and Florencia at Business School for Mums (www.businessschoolformums.com.au) – these ladies are the bomb! I took the leap and enrolled in their program, and I seriously haven't looked back – best investment ever.)
• MY huge wall planning calendar from The Makers Collective. Which helps me see the bigger picture and plan backwards from key dates.
• A daily A4 page a day planner. I'm a scribbler and I love writing down everything in one place.
• My integrated online calendar on my phone and iPad for reminders, deadlines and dates. Especially little reminders of my plan and where I wanted to be with it at that point.
• I've also found Asana, Evernote, and the Notes App on my IPad really helpful tools at different stages.

What are your go to planning resources? I'd love to know! Drop me a line at hello@kablooiestore.com.au and let me know when – I might learn something!

Meet Keneena 

Lover of colour, words, puns, pattern clash and donuts. Definitely not a perfectionist. Keneena Fanning is the sole creator, maker and doer at Kablooie Store, her micro fashion label full of big bold happy pieces. Kablooie Store's vision? To create fun fashion pieces for you and your child that look fabulous, and make you feel deep-down happy!

A wife and mum of three, Keneena has worked previously in economics, strategic financing, and project management, and holds a business degree in economics and resources management. True story.

Now, in between dreaming up new colour clashes, sewing and packing orders, and snapping flatlays, Keneena finds joy in the happy chaos of family and church life, loves to exercise and dreams of one day doing one handed pushups. Followed by a pepperoni pizza.

Web: www.kablooiestore.com.au

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