“Plan to Take it Easy: How to Use Planners to Set a Gentler Pace”

Another week in quarantine and another week of personal reflection. After last week’s post about student planners, I found myself thinking about the current pace I’ve been living my life.

Although we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and I have been working remotely since March, I feel like I’ve been juggling almost as much as I was before things shut down. I work full time, have the kids to keep occupied during the day (their camps were cancelled), and have been managing some house decluttering projects.

And, life is about to get more frantic. No matter which path you choose, our school district will be having the majority of its classes online.

That means that I’ll be at home with the kids and trying to keep up with a strict schedule for them. Because I work full-time, I’ll be doing that in addition to maintaining my own work schedule.

Moreover, in the midst of stressing over school choices, I’m hearing from a lot of women who are feeling run down and tired. And who can blame them?

This is one of the most stressful times in modern history. We are all trying to stay safe and healthy during a pandemic that we all hoped would be over by now.

Our communities are also divided and hurting, and our kids are not sure what to make of the school year. It’s a lot for anyone to navigate, but especially for those who work, have kids, or both.

Learning to take it easy

I am and have always been a Type-A personality. I work hard and feel the need to take care of everything and everyone around me.

I’m also really concerned about doing a good job at anything I commit to doing, whether that be caring for my family, participating in my church, or working on my caseload for my job. Because of that, I have traditionally been pretty high strung and a bit of a perfectionist. (Understatement? You betcha!)

This has not served me well, as I have learned many times over. For example, thanks to my FaceBook memory feed, I was reminded me about last year’s visit to the ER. We had just returned from a family vacation, and my stress over being somewhat behind in my work gave me an anxiety attack that mimicked a heart attack.

It was terrible. I scared my family and myself, not to mention the big hospital bill that came thanks to all the tests they had to run to figure out there was nothing seriously wrong with me. It was a big wake-up call.

Since that time, I’ve been focusing on grounding myself in a more peaceful perspective, and one of the many mantras I’ve been using is “take it easy.”

Now, if someone had told me to take it easy a few years ago, I would not have responded positively. And, I think that is true for a lot of women.

Many women get offended at the mere suggestion of this phrase, or it’s counterpart, “just relax.” I had to think about why I, and likely others, become defensive at hearing this suggestion.

I think that, as women, when we’ve been told to “take it easy,” it has evoked some notion of our being hysterical drama queens. And, when we are in the midst of chaos and frustration, we don’t feel like we’re been unreasonably dramatic. Instead, we feel justifiably frustrated and frantic.

Another reason we may balk at that recommendation is because we women are often responsible for so much in our families. To “take it easy” sounds like we should be shirking our responsibilities or putting off something that will clutter up another day. It just seems like a bad idea when there’s so much to get done.

But, I have learned to set aside those possible meanings of this phrase. There are many other ways to consider how taking it easy can be a positive phrase and an even more positive call to action (or inaction, as it were).

Ways taking it easy can help in our daily lives

When I really started thinking about how to “take it easy,” I was surprised at the many ways this phrase can apply to and benefit my life. Here are just a few:

• Taking on only what I can reasonably accomplish in a given time frame. When we take it easy, we don’t bite off more than we can chew. Instead, we take small bites, making sure not to burden ourselves with insane to do lists or overwhelming tasks, which usually set us up for disappointment and failure. Taking it easy allows us to approach tasks, projects, and goals at a slower, more doable pace.
• Tackling easier tasks first. Sometimes taking it easy means that we break down large projects into more manageable tasks. When I approach a household project or work assignment in this way, I have found that completing the easier tasks first makes the project seem more doable. And, when I experience the satisfaction of having crossed certain tasks off of my to do list, I find myself more motivated to tackle the tougher ones. Victories propel us to keep going. It’s not cheating to start with the easy stuff. Take it easy and work your way to the harder tasks.
• Choosing to avoid the drama. There is no way to “take it easy” and also get involved in drama. Whether that drama comes from allowing myself to get dragged into someone else’s problems, or by me inserting myself in someone else’s business, there is nothing easy about those kinds of chaotic situations. Instead, by focusing only on the things I need to worry about and letting others figure out their own problems, I can experience a sort of freedom from that drama.
• Being less impulsive in our reactions and decisions. Difficult situations can lead us to react too quickly, and often in a way that leads us regretting the response. Taking it easy means that we don’t instantly react. Very few important decisions require us to decide right then and there. Instead, we can take a moment to breath, think, and reflect on what our reaction or decision should be. Sometimes that moment should last more than just a few minutes. Take days or a few weeks, if that’s possible. In the same way that we are more likely to make a mistake or have an accident when we doing something in a rush, the same can happen when we make our decisions hastily. And, when I’m not reacting frantically or dramatically, I am less likely to end up using a harsh tone. When we take it easy, we are more likely to make a well-reasoned decision in a more reasonable manner.

• Taking the time to absorb new information. I feel like life is a classroom. I’m always learning something new. But, I find that my natural inclination is to learn and master something new quickly. I have often been in a hurry, wanting to reach my final destination rather than take my time and enjoy the trip. Whether I’m learning a new skill, adjusting to a new situation, or figuring out how to deal with a change in a relationship, taking it easy allows me to get my bearings and gain a deeper of understanding of what this life lesson is trying to teach me.
• Making time for rest and the good stuff. Life is rhythmic, and we need periods of rest alternating our times of action. When we take it easy, we are honoring that rhythm and allowing down time to help us rest up for those times we need to be energetic. No one has endless amounts of energy. In the same way that we all need to sleep at night, we need to make time during our days and weeks, months and years, for relaxation and recreation. Taking it easy reminds us to make that time.
• Being gentle with myself during challenging circumstances. Perhaps the most important way I can “take it easy” is by being kind and patient with myself when I’m facing difficult situations. When I push myself to get over a disappointment or quickly get past grief from a loss, I end up having to deal with those feelings later and when they’re much more difficult to process. Taking it easy also reminds me that I don’t have to do everything for everyone all at once, which is a hard standard for anyone to live up to. Taking it easy is a form of self-care and self-compassion, particularly during difficult times.

5 ways to use your planner to take it easy

Now that we understand some of the virtues of taking it easy, how can we practice those in our daily lives? Below are some ways our planners can help:

1. Goal-planning. Of course, our goal planners are a great way to start incorporating a “take it easy” approach to our everyday lives. Look at the goals you’ve set for this year or quarter or season. Ask if what you’ve set out for yourself might be a bit ambitious for the time that you have to complete it? Or, perhaps it’s a goal that is pushing you in a way that will make you feel frazzled or disappointed when you’re unable to keep up the pace it would take to achieve it. Basically, ask yourself if your goals are honoring your need to take it easy on yourself. That doesn’t mean to give up on your goals if they’re challenging. Just be honest with yourself and see if what you have planned will push you so hard, you’ll end up unhappy or resentful. Goal-setting should be a healthy, positive activity. You can even make taking it easy a goal!

2. Daily and weekly planning. Whether you use a daily planner, weekly planner, or both (as I do), you can incorporate the concept of “take it easy,” into your plans. Here are some ideas (bullets):

• Schedule in time for self-care. Self-care should include anything that makes you feel rejuvenated and replenishes your energy stores. This can be scheduling a massage, setting aside time for meditation and prayer, or just taking walk outside. If you set a specific time and treat it like an appointment, you’re more likely to make it a priority and see it through. Feel like you don’t have time for rest and relaxation? Next time you’re feel frantic, stop and do something enjoyable instead. You may end up spending less time getting yourself to a place where you can be more productive.
• Set a bedtime and include that in your planner. I’m really bad at getting enough sleep. But, when I write a bedtime in my planner, and that time rolls around, I tend to remember my reasoning for wanting to get to bed at a decent hour. Having an easy-going bedtime routine can also help with that. Write out your routine in your planner or on a lined sticky note that you can move to each day or week’s layout.
• Schedule days off and vacations. In the same way that we need to schedule in self-care during the week, we also need to use our calendars to block off days where we just focus on relaxing and recharging. Make sure to take time for yourself, if that is possible. So, as much as family vacations are a fun break, with younger kids they can be just as exhausting as our typical days at home. See if you can take a half or full day off to do something for yourself– not your family, not household tasks, and not doctor’s appointments- something that brings you joy and relaxation.
• Make sure your planner includes blank periods of time. White space is where the good stuff happens in a planner. For planner addicts, like me, it can be tempting to overschedule a day and fill in every bit of space in our planners. But, really, it’s the unscheduled free time that should be our reward for planning. When we plan out our days, we should aim for efficiency- making sure that we block time for tasks to maximize our time working on them. But, that means that we should reward ourselves by leaving the time we’ve saved for ourselves. While I don’t think it’s wise to spend hours mindlessly playing on social media, I do think that being intentional about our white space and free time will help us to take a break that leads to feeling more motivated when it’s time to get back on task.
• Write in mantras. Whether it is “Take it Easy,” “Breath,” Relax” or some other catchy phrase, you can always write it into your planner. Most planners have blank space where you can include some language to motivate yourself. Use this space to remind yourself of what is important.

3. Self-care and wellness planning– If you don’t have a self-care or wellness planner, you might want to try one. There are many versions of these planners, which often come with self-care goal planning and space for tracking habits, fitness, and rest times. I am still using a Happy Planner for this purpose (I also use it to track my fitness reminders and household chores – here is a post I wrote about using a vertical planning layout for this purpose). Just writing down my self-care goals and tasks for the day reminds me to make that time for myself.

4. Faith-planning. Taking it easy can be as much a spiritual practice as it is a wellness and self-care task. Whether you are a member of an organized religion or you have a looser understanding of the spiritual life, taking it easy allows time for us to connect with that higher sense of self or spirit that surrounds us. When we take it easy, in a spiritual sense, we recognize that we are not in control of the universe, and that can be a very freeing concept. In short, taking it easy means we live life with a faith that there is a plan in place for us. A faith planner can help with fostering a “take it easy” approach to life by encouraging reading spiritual texts, learning spiritual principles, and journaling about ways to take a faithful approach to our lives. (For ideas on setting up your own faith planner, see this previous article).

5. Budget-planning. The “take it easy” approach to life is equally applied to budgeting. Many people go into budget-planning with goals of becoming debt-free or living a cash-only existence. Paying off debt and setting in place the kinds of financial habits that lead to financial freedom take time, and it can be discouraging to work toward that goal without seeing much progress. When we remember to take it easy, we also keep in mind that small progress is still progress. And, if we happen to experience a setback (our emergency fund gets depleted due to multiple emergencies or we have to take out a loan because a car breaks down before its time), we can take a deep breath and know that we can still get back on track.

Taking it easy is a way to be kind to ourselves. It encourages us to breath more, reflect on our circumstances, and give ourselves some grace when things don’t go as planned.

Planning supplies to help you take it easy

I say this over and over again, you need to make your planner a welcoming and inviting space to write in. That’s one way to make sure you’ll use it.

Specialty Planners

I like using multiple planners- faith planners, self-care, there are so many to choose from! Here are some that easily incorporate the kind of self-care routines that promotes a take it easy attitude:

If you’re new to wellness planning, the Happy Planner makes an Undated Wellness Planner that includes all you need to track wellness goals and make time for self-care. You can find the link to the undated planner here.

If you already own a Happy Planner and want to include a wellness section, there is an extension pack for just that purpose:

There is even a small version if you don’t want to feel overwhelmed by a full-sized planner. This mini-sized Happy Planner is also undated, so you can pick it up and work with it when it fits in with your life:

For a goal-setting and wellness planner, all in one, try this undated, 6-month spiral bound planner:

If you want to try a more short term planner in a book-bound format, try this undated planner:

Planner Accessories

While you don’t need to buy different planners to incorporate some of the suggestions in this post, I do suggest having fun with the planner you are using by scattering a few stickers or other embellishments to make them more fun to look at.

Of course, Happy Planner has a full sticker book of wellness-themed stickers:

Here is another sticker book option, all about self-care:

Bloom daily planners also have wellness stickers, with sleep trackers:

This variety pack of health and wellness stickers are another great option:

And for those who like choices, here is yet another sticker set:

And, these were so on point, I had to throw them in:

Sometimes, you only need a small sticker to remind you about a self-care commitment. These will help you assign rest days in your monthly planning:

Maybe you want a little encouragement in a more prominent place? These larger decals are meant to go on water bottles, notebooks, and laptops. They would make great additions to a planner divider or dashboard!

Or maybe just one large decal that says it all:

I’m hoping that this week’s post encourages you to reflect on the current pace of your life. If it’s feeling frantic or chaotic, see if you can make some time to take it easy. Go for a walk, sit in the sun, drink some water, and get some rest. Plan it into your schedule! Just taking a pause will make things go more smoothly for you.

Do you have a mantra that helps you slow down and enjoy life a little more? Leave a comment below!

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**Image credits- “Take It Easy” tiles, woman holding head, steaming tea cup, planner and flowers, and “My Plans” notebook images found on Pixabay.