Create a Vision To-Do List

I love the start of a brand new year because I absolutely, positively adore creating visions. There’s just something about sitting down and imagining the best version of my future self that fires me up and gets me going.

I create visions in a few ways: I draw pictures of the life I want to have, I create 6-word stories to act as a mantra for my work life, I write my ideal job description and even have fun creating the perfect day. I may have even been known to create a pinterest board or two around these visions.

There’s just one problem.

I’m not nearly as good at bringing these visions to life as I am at dreaming them up.

Until now.Not too long ago, I was creating my vision for the coming year and was determined to bring that vision to life in September. But, I knew I’d have to make some changes to my schedule and was overwhelmed.

What do I do when I’m overwhelmed? I notebook. And I plan.

So, I got out my notebook, a calendar, three brightly colored highlighters and hacked my way to the schedule I wanted. You can, too.

Here’s what I did and what I’d love for you to do alongside me:

Create a list of activities that represent your ideal coaching week. Avoid thinking in single days because the perfect day does not exist. However, an ideal week that ebbs and flows, does.

Next, highlight each item based on the effort needed to make it a reality:

• Green: I already DO this! Yay me!
• Yellow: I CAN do this with a few small shifts. OR: I already do this, but want to do this more often.
• Red: I DO NOT do this yet. OR: I CANNOT do this without outside changes, such as administrator support or a scheduling switch.

Now, it’s time to look at those highlighted items and celebrate the items in green that you already do. Far too often, we focus on what’s lacking rather than what we already love about our coaching schedule.

Then, look at the items in yellow. These are the visions you can bring to life with just a few small shifts. Name those shifts and decide which shifts you can and want to make right now. Tackle one at a time.

Then, look at your items highlighted in red. Which things do you want to change first? How can you make that change? Who do you need to talk to?

As you reflect, create a vision to-do list for yourself. What seemed like a daunting task before is now something that is completely do-able since we’ve narrowed our focus and decided to start with the things that we can control.

This is where the woo meets the work (Thanks, Jenna Kutcher!) and how we can cultivate the kind of coaching life we want to have.

And the best part? This work isn’t reserved for the start of a new year. It’s for ANYTIME your coaching life (and your personal life, too!) needs a bit of a refresh.

Let’s do this!

If you love this activity, you'll want to take a look at my on-demand coach retreat: Coaching Visions, Calendars & Systems. This anytime-retreat is just what you need to build a coaching support system for yourself. Grab the replays, templates and tools today!