The troughs and troughs of 2020 have made the pleasantries of daydreaming as distant a memory as most other aspects of life. Followers of this blog and the other online content which the good ship Make Me A Plan is fond of sharing with the rest of our United Plandom will know that our team of Planners is fond of encouraging mindful moments and programming in downtime.

But just how do you dare to dream in a year when things that weren’t even the stuff of your worst nightmares prior transcended from the domains of low-budget horror movies into daily reality?

This fortnight, I’ve pondered that in some depth, and some tools for you to try to lighten the load follow…

Your Mind’s Eye

Most of us mainly think optically when it comes to eyes…all the better to see you with. When we get stressed or overwhelmed by situations, our mind’s eye is one of the first things to cloud over or close its lid completely. We find ourselves firefighting and not attending to our welfare, or giving ourselves the headspace to contemplate how today’s activities fit into our life plans for the immediate and longer-term future.

Thursday Toolkit Tip: On a post-it note or piece of scrap paper, write down 1, 2 and 3 and next to these numbers, where you’d like to be right now, this time next year, and if you can have any wish in the world. This will remind you what its like to have your mind’s eye open again, even if only to take a peek this time.

What were the skies like when you were young?

With full due acknowledgements to The Orb and this classic line from their Little Fluffy Clouds track. Since we are all likely fellow pseuds here, it’s absolutely my license to incorporate a Simile of the Cave reference as I so wish, and then proceed to invert that, because pseuds is what pseuds does…reverie requires access to the domains you have known, or haven’t known, not the here and now towering over you.

So your Thursday Toolkit Tip on this one is to take five and draw the skies you remember from yesteryear. Then add a wish to one of those little fluffy clouds and remember, daring to dream has a strong track record of achieving greatness.

Next fortnight, I’ll be musing On Experiences. Please get in touch with any particular aspects of this topic you’d like me to write about.

In the meantime,

Happy Planning