Have you ever tried to plan backwards? No? Don’t worry, neither had we. So in this episode we kind of muddle through it. But I think we get to the point eventually.
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Backwards Planning
The basic goal of backwards planning looks like this: Instead of stating a goal as a someday in the future dream, think of it as something you have already accomplished.
So, for example, instead of saying, “I want to have an organized house”, you would reframe it and say the goal as if it has already been achieved, “My house is organized. My home is a place where I feel comfortable coming home at the end of the day and where I can invite company over.”
After stating your goal as if it has already been achieved, you spend time detailing the specific steps you took to achieve that goal. How did you get there? How did you achieve that goal?
In order to make this goal a reality, did you:
- designate a specific time of day when you worked towards this goal?
- hire an expert to support you?
- team up with a friend as an accountability partner?
- set smaller benchmark goals?
- set aside some other goals so you could have more time to focus on this particular goal?
It was fun to try and think about goals or resolutions in a new light. Even if you’re not into making resolutions, you might enjoy using backwards planning to get a stale to-do item unstuck. How did you get that item completed? What steps did you need to take to get that to-do done?
It’s like when you look at a maze backwards and the path is so much clearer. Give it a try! And let us know what you think and if it’s a method that worked for you.
Links Mentioned
If you’re interested learning more about backwards planning this article walks you through the step by step process. Also this article, from INC.com, explains the research backwards planning is based on.
Here’s a link to the article about the most popular New Year’s Resolutions from Reader’s Digest. No surprise that “Get Organized” made it into the top 3.
We also mentioned one of our favorite books, Getting Things Done by David Allen. There are some great strategies and takeaways. I even wrote a book review on it!
Meeting Peter Walsh, IN Person!
In this episode, we also share details of our school-night adventure in LA! We loved attending NAPO-LA’s event “Get Organized, An Evening with Peter Walsh.” From this picture, you can tell we were feeling the giddiness of meeting one of our organizing icons in person.
Here is the blurry selfie we mentioned in the episode that I, Autumn, was totally happy with! Looking at it now, I am so happy I have a friend who pushes me outside of my comfort zone to go back and get a real professional picture with Peter Walsh. Thank you Bethany!
His talk was inspiring and he was just as no-nonsense in person as he was on our favorite show, Clean Sweep and in our podcast interview with him, (Episode 26 if you haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet).
Two big takeaways from his talk:
- Banish the word “later” from your vocabulary.
- Don’t put it down, put it away.
Peter Walsh talks more about these ideas in his Facebook, 31-day January organizing challenge. It’s not too late to head over and catch up on his videos and great tips!
The reception before the event was a great chance to meet other wonderful organizers like Laura Ellis, Dorothy Breininger, Katie Regelin, and Shara Kay. We had the chance to talk about our mutual love of organization and Peter Walsh. It was so nice to meet you all!
Let’s Connect!
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