Planning When It Doesn’t Come Naturally: Neuroscience-Backed Strategies for Success

The article A Way to Plan If You’re Bad at Planning by Elizabeth Grace Saunders in Harvard Business Review explores how individuals can develop planning skills, even if their brains are not naturally wired for it. Saunders uses insights from neuroscience to explain why some people struggle with planning and offers practical strategies to improve.

Key Points:

1. Brain Dominance and Planning:

   • People with back-left brain dominance find planning easier as their brains are naturally wired for linear thinking.
   • Others must exert significantly more effort to plan, as their brain's neurochemistry makes it less natural for them.

2. Understanding and Accepting Difficulty:

   • Recognizing personal strengths and weaknesses through self-assessments (e.g., from Thriving in Mind by Dr. Katherine Benziger) helps set realistic expectations. 
   • Address the challenge from a position of strength. Know that normative expectations around the capacity to plan can restrict society's ability to fully access the broader ecosystem of awareness and knowledge.
   • Accepting that planning is challenging can reduce frustration and build resilience.

3. Overcoming All-or-Nothing Thinking:

   • Avoid perfectionism in planning. Progress, rather than perfection, is the goal.
   • Flexibility in adapting plans fosters consistency and reduces self-criticism.

4. Adapting Systems to Individual Styles:

   • Tailor planning tools to personal preferences:
     • Visual thinkers might use sticky notes or mind maps.
     • Spreadsheet enthusiasts could use Excel or numeric-based apps.
     • People who think in terms of flow may prefer adaptable paper lists.

5. Seeking External Support:

   • Collaborate with organized individuals for advice or borrow their planning systems.
   • Avoid overly critical feedback and focus on practical, beginner-friendly solutions.

6. Building Resilience Through Practice:

   • Planning skills improve through persistence and self-compassion.
   • Adjust plans as needed, embrace mistakes as learning opportunities, and focus on small improvements over time.

By understanding the neurological basis for planning challenges and adopting tailored strategies, individuals can enhance their ability to organize time effectively and build resilience in the process.