I am a def a “spur of the moment” kind of person. AND love planning, too!

I like the inspiration of what is happening in the moment and I like to plan so that things go well and move ahead.

I’ve not always been so good at planning but getting better with practice.

I like to live my life like I sing… when that realization hit me, I knew I was on to something!

Here’s the secret sauce… using a music analogy. ♬

I know my music like the back of my hand… I deeply understand the lyrics, know the arrangement inside and out, how my voice and/or hands will respond to each section.

• I practice a song until I reach “critical mass”.

You know that old financial term…I love how it translates as a musical metaphor!

Because I have done the work of the practice, I no longer need to focus on the music, I only need to focus on the performance.

This allows me to “riff” and go to unexpected places and not worry about if I won’t sound good. I KNOW it will all work because I’ve DONE the preparation.

• Planning is the same!

I work on my schedule for the upcoming week nearly every weekend. I make sure I know which voice students are coming, what client work am I doing for the Social Butterfly Group, what gigs are coming up so I know what to rehearse, what episode am I recording for the podcast, what am I writing about on socials and do we have weekend plans coming up, etc.

Some weeks are simple and some are a bit hair-on-fire.

• Messy consistency is my jam! Here’s what I do…

My official name for this is Adaptable Planning

KNOW your schedule. Like practically memorized know.

Account for every single moment of the day. Even if it’s time-blocked “not sure, maybe walk or maybe write or maybe piano practice”. That’s a real entry, btw.

My biz coach and friend Michelle calls it zero-based scheduling and WOW does it make a difference! I resisted it for a while because I didn’t understand how to use it.

NOW? Every minute is beautifully accounted for and no stress and YES OF COURSE SHIZ HAPPENS… that’s ok. That’s what erasable pens and delete buttons are for. 😅

Once I’ve figured out my week, I handwrite it in a notebook using all the pretty pens - I put in my digital calendar on my iPhone - I put it into my Notion dashboard. I see it 3 times.

ALLOW for disruptions both good and bad. Life, rescheduled appts, illness, kids, unexpected client work, fun, last-minute lunches out, etc. whatevs. It’s ok that what’s on your planner isn’t what happened IRL. I used to get all crazy about that. Not any more.

DO morning-of or evening-before meetings with yourself so you have a CLEAR understanding of your schedule. GO through your calendar and make quick notes for each thing, even as simple as “yay can’t wait to see her!” "remember email on X date" puts your mind in the right place.

CREATE clear space or use it well when the inevitable blank spots show up. Don’t let that time go to waste! Even if you use it for simple downtime, that is SO important!

My friend and biz coach, Kim calls it winning the time lottery, lol! Maybe that extra hour is just what you need to, call someone important, take a walk, do YOUR social media, text a friend.

DON’T overthink it. When things go awry, it’s ok!

I practice the fundamentals but like to “riff” and “go off script” when I’m in the moment of “performance”. It feels much more authentic *to me.

I’m also good at that BECAUSE I practice the basics so much.

I used to think I *should plan more - whatever that means - but I find writing and creating graphics to be both creative and heart-filling and sometimes getting to a “flow state” requires me to find white space… which can be few and far between.

Now when I find a moment of downtime or get into flow or find things adjusting, I go with the flow, readjust my schedule OR even say NO (“No.” is a complete sentence, friends) and my schedule becomes exactly that…

MY SCHEDULE.

Let me know how it goes creating YOUR schedule.

Stop the worrying. Start the doing. Stick with messy consistency.

You’ve got this. #Imwithyou.

XO, Karen

Planning AND Flexibility

Let's figure out HOW to plan AND stay flexible! #freelancelife

The all-in-one writing platform.

Write, publish everywhere, see what works, and become a better writer - all in one place.