Stop Planning for Who You Want to Be. Plan for Who You Really Are

Lovely, if your planner looks beautiful but your life still feels like spaghetti—this one’s for you.

I see you. Scribbling vision board quotes at 1 a.m. with three tabs open, a 52-step morning routine pinned, and a smoothie recipe you’ll definitely try tomorrow.

You’re not lazy. You’re just stuck in the gap between aspirational you and actual you.

And no, the answer isn’t another color-coded calendar spread.

It’s this:
Stop planning for who you wish you were.
Start planning for who you actually are.

The Productivity Illusion Nobody Talks About

Let’s be real. The world has sold you a dream planner life where you...

• Wake up at 5 a.m.
• Journal for 20 minutes.
• Meditate for clarity.
• Drink lemon water.
• Crush 14 business goals before breakfast.

Sounds inspiring. Until you remember you have kids. A full-time job. And maybe a dog who refuses to poop until you bribe him with the last of your dignity.

Most productivity systems were designed for robots or 24-year-olds in Bali, not actual grown women juggling ambition, groceries, and emotional baggage from 2003.

The truth?
Planning isn’t about becoming a new person.
It’s about giving the real you a fighting chance.

The Pinterest Trap: When Your Plan Is Actually a Performance

You don’t need a cuter planner.
You need a kinder strategy.

Let’s zoom in for a second:

When you write a goal, who are you writing it for?
Are you designing a life that works for you—or a life that looks good on Instagram?

Oof.

Here’s what often happens:

Lovely, you’re not failing because you can’t stick to a plan.
You’re failing because you’re sticking to someone else’s version of success.

God's Plan (No, Not the Drake Song)

Quick pause for a Holy Spirit moment.

Sometimes we think planning is all up to us. Hustle harder, vision board better, “manifest” more aggressively. But Scripture tells us:

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” – Proverbs 16:9

God isn’t grading your planner. He’s guiding your path.

So instead of planning from pressure, plan from partnership.
Ask:
“God, how can I steward this season—not escape it?”
"What assignments are mine, and what’s just noise?"
"Where do I need clarity, not control?"

Let’s build a rhythm that honors who you are and who He’s making you into.

The 3 Types of You (And How to Plan for Each)

There are really three versions of you trying to co-run your life:

1. The Ideal You – she’s got a 90-day content calendar and abs.
2. The Real You – she’s doing her best and praying no one looks in her junk drawer.
3. The Redeemed You – she’s honest about her needs and anchored in grace.

So how do you stop letting Ideal You sabotage Real You?

Try this instead:

1. Audit Your Energy, Not Just Your Time

• What time of day are you sharpest?
• When do you crash?
• What drains you (even if it "shouldn't")?

Use this data to build a rhythm—not a regime.

2. Plan Your Capacity Like a Christian, Not a Capitalist

More isn’t better if it breaks you.

Ask:

• What’s sustainable this week, not forever?
• Where am I saying yes to things God never asked me to carry?

3. Build "Grace Buffers" Into Every Plan

Real life doesn’t fit neatly into time blocks. Leave space for:

• Interruptions
• Messy moments
• Emotional Mondays
• God detours

You’ll stop calling it "failure" when you call it flexibility.

The Planning Method That Finally Made Sense

Spoiler alert: I had to create my own method.

It’s called The CLARITY Method (not yet trademarked, but it should be, right?)

This isn’t a plug. It’s a lifeline.

CLARITY stands for:

• Calibrate – What actually matters this season?
• Layout – How do I map a plan that fits?
• Align – What systems help—not suffocate?
• Refine – How do I show up more clearly?
• Yield – What’s working? What’s not?

It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing what matters—without abandoning yourself or your sanity.

Imagine Planning From Peace, Not Pressure

Imagine opening your planner and exhaling.

Imagine writing goals that make you smile—not flinch.

Imagine a week where you:

• Hit snooze once and didn’t spiral
• Took breaks without guilt
• Showed up to your business (or job or kids) with more heart than hurry

This isn’t self-help fluff.
It’s soul-level strategy.

If You're Ready to Plan With God (Not Against Yourself)

...then stop dragging your future self into every to-do list like she's Cinderella with a KPI.

Plan for this version of you.
The one who needs a little more grace.
A little more sleep.
And a lot more clarity.