Planning for 2023 the 'From Type A to Type Be' Way
I love the blank slate of a brand new year. It’s a creative time to imagine what might be in the months ahead.
My process has evolved over the years, as I’ve written about in The Athena Principles, gradually shifting from goal-oriented to intention-driven planning. And that evolution is ongoing as I shift From Type A to Type Be, learning to rely less on my logical intellect and more on my intuitive heart.
I’ve been playing with ideas on how this evolution might impact how I go about planning for the upcoming new year. What does heart-based planning look like?
Last December, my studio was covered in Post-it notes. I was in the middle of creating an online course and was learning all I could about how to nurture and sustain a successful online business. The Post-it notes contained all the things I felt I should do in 2022.
While my heart was in the right place, my head took the lead and I created a multi-page plan that included my business purpose, vision, pillars, client results, calls to action and an overall objective for the year. There were intentions, focus areas and a two-page spread with 11 sub-categories with bulleted action points for each.
It lit up my Type A brain and filled it with feelgood dopamine. Yet looking at it today, all it does is make me feel on edge. My 2022 planning process, while focused on work that I love, was steeped in 33 years of corporate planning. And even though this process has served me well, it feels like it’s time for a change.
It’s been said that we teach what we most need to learn. It’s no coincidence that my work today is about helping clients ease up on their Type A defaulted tendencies and invite a calmer, more wholehearted way of being in the world.
And what I learned this year is that I can be more productive in meaningful ways when I’m calm and focused. It was a gradual change. As I worked through my 2022 production plan to get the course written, recorded, edited, operationalized and launched, I followed the From Type A to Type Be steps. Looking back I realized that I transformed before inviting clients and students to transform.
All that said, for 2023, my intention is to plan in a way that nurtures my Type Be self. And since shifting From Type A to Type Be is a journey, I want to create a way to honor the progress made on the pathway. So it’s time to create a new approach.
Here are three things I’d like to change about my current planning process:
Perpetual forward motion: Once I complete or achieve something, my focus is always on the next thing – the next milestone, project, deliverable, event or experience.
Unrelenting idea treadmill: I evaluate ideas I find compelling by trying them out, so the list of what I could do is unending.
Continuous metrics monitoring: How many times have I heard (and said) “What gets measured gets done?” It’s true. And it can be soul-numbing.
And here’s how I’m going to work with these elements as I plan for the new year:
Looking back to move forward: One of my intentions is to identify what will propel my business and life forward, focus solely on those things, and let go of the rest. In order to do this, I plan on looking back at my 2022 calendar and journals and making four lists. They are: 1. What I Loved (found joyful); 2. Labors of Love (time-intensive but meaningful); 3. What Worked (celebrate and do more of); 4. What Didn’t Work (re-evaluate or let go).
Identifying growth opportunities: When I’m most engaged in my life, I feel a mix of enthusiasm for what I’m doing and some apprehension from being a bit outside of my comfort zone, at the edge of my perceived ability. But this is a deep and rich place that brings new perspective and insight because old habits and patterns do not serve. I plan on doing some brainstorming and creating List #5 of potential growth opportunities.
Redefining a successful outcome: As I work with these five lists to plan the year, I’ll need to reconsider how or what to monitor, or even if that’s necessary. What is success in 2023? Since the shift From Type A to Type Be is a journey, maybe this is about tracking signs of the journey’s progress instead of measuring outcome, with encouragement to break new trail, course correct as I learn, and align daily activities with my time and energy.
I’m looking forward to developing this new approach and the timing is just right. Each quarter, I block my calendar for a week with no scheduled client-facing meetings. It’s usually a time for me to think about the upcoming quarter and start or finish a big project that needs some quiet time and concentration.
My next one is scheduled for next week. And I’ll be using that time to settle into my Type Be self and dream up a new year.
So here’s my invitation to you: Think about how you usually approach the new year. Is it time for a redo? Feel free to do something completely different or nothing at all. It’s a blank slate – your blank slate. Fill it as you see fit.
Journal Reflections: Does it feel like it’s time to approach the new year in a different way? What growth opportunities would you like to explore? How will you ensure you stay on track?