When Planning Feels Like Failing

Learning to plan with care, not perfection

Dear you,

I used to think planning meant perfection.
Wake up at 7, gym by 8, deep work until 6, and every box checked.

If I missed a step, I felt like I had failed.
I thought this routine was the path to success —
but ironically, it made me feel like a failure.
Every time I slipped, I gave up.
And going back to the routine felt harder and harder.

Eventually, I asked myself:
What if planning wasn’t about control… but about care?
What if writing a plan was just another way of saying:
“This is what I hope for — and it’s okay if today goes another way.”

So I stopped chasing perfect days.
And I started noticing real ones.

Focusing on now helped me overcome perfectionism.
I started collecting moments that made me feel alive —
like when I saw a cat on the street and smiled,
or when I cried and wrote it down anyway.
Those moments became my anchor.

Before going to bed, I’d remind myself of them.
And each time, I told myself:
“That was enough.”

This doesn't mean I stopped planning.
I just began doing it differently.

I’m sharing what my planning looks like now.