I plan to be spontaneous

A couple of weeks ago I asked you on instagram if you would like to know how I plan out my year, my seasons within the year and still stay spontaneous. Well today is the day I am sharing it all with you including a free printable calendar that you can download at the end of this post.

I became a control freak

Let me preface this a little bit by saying that I have a strong tendency to forget things. That is because I have always been a dreamer, getting lost in my own stories. Growing up I had to learn to plan, schedule and make lists to remember. I also had to learn to live in real life 🤷🏽‍♀️ .

I got so into planning that I honestly lost all spontaneity. If friends suggested to go do something fun, drive somewhere but it didn’t fit my calendar I didn’t go. At some point the planning turned into being a little control freakish. Not good. I know.

When I realized what was going on I decided to make a change. The thing with spontaneity is that if you don’t have time or margin in your life because every minute is filled with stuff you won’t have time to be spontaneous anyways.

The first change I made was creating margin and intentionally leave room in my calendar.
If that is the only thing you are taking with you from this blog today I am really happy. If you want to take it further then buckle up for the full planning process.

My planning process to be spontaneous

Step 1. At the beginning of the year I sit down and in one big calendar I map out the year. I write down everything I already know because there are reoccurring things. I also strategically plan in times of rest. For me for example that is my Saturdays. When I map out the year I can usually see a trend or a tendency for certain seasons and make a note that I might need to take a few days off, take a weekend trip or make sure to plan in strategic times of rest.

The thing with planning is that things don’t always go according to plan and I can only see tendencies for a year but I don’t really know what people will come into my life or what kind of opportunities come up. That is why I usually plan more in depth for the next 3 months.

Step 2. I plan out my next 3 months (I included a template for that in the free printable calendar)

• I write down any and all bigger events I might be attending within those 3 months and if there is anything required from me other than attending. For example: Am I planning the event?
• Then I write down any and all monthly meetings I might have within those 3month and any to dos I already know at that point.
• After that I write down anything that occurs on a weekly basis.

Step 3. When I am done with this I usually see very clearly where I need to block time off where I strategically do not plan anything so that I have “disposable” days that I can use to have coffee or dinner with a friend, spend time by myself or just be spontaneous.

Step 4. I make a dream list of fun things I would like to do or see like going on a hike or going snowboarding or visiting a special restaurant. Whatever I can think of.

I do all of this every 3 months to check the pulse of my time and see how things are going.

The free printable calendar

I know it seems like a lot of planning but this system has helped me for a couple of years now to be strategic about my time, to get enough rest and stay spontaneous.

If this has really helped you and you would like to try this kind of planning out I have created a free printable calendar and 3 month planning template for you.

You can download it here. I really hope it helps you and inspires you.

Much love

Ramona