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Your Visual Journal - Woman Planning

Why you may want to plan in a 13-Week cycle

Last updated on April 12th, 2022 • Planners and Planning

Did you know that there is a trend to move from planning out an entire year in your day planner to only looking at 13 weeks at a time?

I didn’t.

Which is why when I purchased a Self Journal I was shocked to find out that it only ran for 13 weeks. You know what I discovered after diving in and using it? 13 weeks is a much better length of time for a planner than a year.

Here are three reasons you can get more out of planning for only 13 weeks than for a full year:

Are you still using a planner that runs a full year? You are missing out on hitting your goals faster! 
 Why You May Want To Plan In A 13-Week Cycle
#planners #planning #dayplanner #showmeyourplanner

1. Motivation is a perishable commodity.

We’ve all experienced starting a project with great enthusiasm only to have it wane as time goes on.

Executing in short timelines keeps our motivation high.

The faster we can get from ideation to execution, the more likely it is that we will put something new out there. Perfectionism, fear and insecurity chip away at ideas. If we can execute quickly—before we start to question and second-guess ourselves—then big things can happen.

2. 13 weeks shortens the timeline from planning to execution.

Brian Moran in his breakout book, The 12 Week Year asserts that the problem with annual planning is that the cycle is too long to connect results with actions. The urgency incurred by shortening the cycle moves people from planning to execution more effectively.

In Moran’s system, there is never a year with four periods. There is simply 12-weeks, followed by 12-weeks, followed by 12-weeks. The year-end push to hit your goals happens all of the time.

3. Shortening the timeline makes us leap and take action.

Tara Mohr outs us in her book, Playing Big. She shines a light on the hiding and delaying tactics we often use to keep from doing things that we are afraid of. She exposes things that feel like action, but aren’t really.

Mohr writes: “A leap is never a decision. It’s the decision plus the action.” Mohr also highlights that leaps are never solitary. They always put us in contact with those we want to reach or influence.

John Lee Dumas, host of EOFire says focus is key to success.

4. Badass John Lee Dumas does this.

Podcast host, John Lee Dumas of EOFire has interviewed over 1500 successful entrepreneurs and identified that 100 days (13 weeks) is the sweet spot for setting goals that are: S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Attainable, R-Relevant and T-time-bound.

Dumas created The Freedom Journal to help entrepreneurs achieve their #1 goal in 100 days.

Time and energy are finite resources. We have to focus them, or we run out. It is much easier to plan resources for shorter periods of time. If we focus on a primary goal and align our time and energy to meeting that one goal, we are much more likely to achieve it.

Have you test-driven a 13-week planning cycle yet? Pick your goal and go for it!

And you don’t even have to purchase a special planner. Here are 10 reasons you should use a sketchbook instead of a planner.


Want tips on how to journal? Get the free ebook on How to Journal with 28 ways to journal and hundreds of resources so you can find the method that is right for you.

About Cathy Hutchison

Cathy Hutchison helps people get more joy, meaning, and freedom in a world of demands through the practice of visual journaling.

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Cathy helps people
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This book! I read The Buy Nothing Get Everything This book! 

I read The Buy Nothing Get Everything Plan at the intersection of: 

+ Feeling overwhelmed by how much plastic I use (and learning the severe limitations of plastic recycling.) 

+ The extreme cost of alternatives like toothpaste that comes in tablets, biodegradable plasticware, etc.

This book is SO PRACTICAL! Not only did it connect me to the Buy Nothing app which has resulted in some great gifts with people in my neighborhood, but it also reminded me that our grandparents didn't use all this stuff. (Commercials changed the way we live.) 

This book reminded me that: 

1) My mom brushed her teeth with baking soda as a child. (I put some in a diner-style sugar dispenser with peppermint essential oil and the cleaning results are pretty great.) 

2) Homemade salad dressing is easy and WAY more delicious than what comes in a plastic bottle.

3) Tons of things can be repurposed. (And Amazon doesn't need to be my first move.) 

I highly recommend downloading the free @buynothingapp and grabbing a copy of this book. (I first listened to it on my library's app, then decided to buy a copy so I could mark it up and use flags on the pages where I want to implement the ideas. 

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This is the most complex #urbansketch I’ve compl This is the most complex #urbansketch I’ve completed to date. Saturday, my @starbucks was crowded. I started with a quick pencil sketch, but the reality is that the scene kept moving. People standing there are amalgamations of those who came and went. 

It's interesting the decisions you have to make to simplify what's there so the drawing communicates, but still remains authentic to the scene. (ie. there's a lot of stuff missing behind the counter) I'm deeply enjoying this practice of drawing everyday scenes. 
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Ever hear something that resonates so much you hav Ever hear something that resonates so much you have to write it down in your #journal word for word? #artjournaling
I'm finding that the more digital my world becomes I'm finding that the more digital my world becomes, the more satisfying it is to touch pens and paper. It's part of why I'm enjoying practicing #urbansketching.

The thing about urban sketching is that you learn it by doing it. I have a small pouch of pens and #watercolors with me all the time, so when I had some wait time at the Arboretum I tried to capture what was right in front of me. It became the backdrop to a #journal entry.

#yourvisualjournal
I carry my notebook with me everywhere and capture I carry my notebook with me everywhere and capture whatever feels significant or particularly charming. Because it is such a hub I keep my calendar here as well. It gives me a visual overview of the month and the doodles make me smile when planning. #journaling #yourvisualjournal #bulletjournal
Wine and I are not friends. (Yes, I know. Shocking Wine and I are not friends. (Yes, I know. Shocking.) 

However, I do enjoy wineries (= sitting on patios in beautiful locations talking with friends.) 

So, this weekend, I went with my wine friends which gave me the chance to practice #urbansketching in new locations. 

I find I keep focusing on the people and ignoring the scenery. By far to me the best part of any “place” is the people who are part of the fabric. 

It’s been fun exploring this type of #visualjournaling
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I love capturing moments in a conversation in my j I love capturing moments in a conversation in my journal. This page was captured while sitting around Melanie’s kitchen table drinking tea.
Yesterday I went out solo for lunch to practice mo Yesterday I went out solo for lunch to practice more #urbansketching. This is such a fun challenge trying to build the skill.
Lately I’ve been practicing #urbansketching in m Lately I’ve been practicing #urbansketching in my visual journal. It’s a fun challenge and can be done with a brevity of supplies.  #artjournaling #journaling #leuchtturm1917
Holiday morning means time to journal at Starbucks Holiday morning means time to journal at Starbucks ♥️ #yourvisualjournal #journaling #artjournaling #artjournal
This year, BFF Weekend was held @lynettesug's brot This year, BFF Weekend was held @lynettesug's brothers house at Lake Tahoe. This area remains one of the most beautiful places I've ever experienced. I tried to capture it in my journal. 

Of course, a favorite part (besides just getting to be with these women) was sitting on the deck watching birds come to the feeder. There were Stellar Jays, Juncos, and--what I drew--a Mountain Chickadee. 

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Disclosures

Some links on this site are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The author receives a  small (really small) commission if you happen to buy something.  Funds are used to support journaling supplies & four crazy sweet Aussies who bark for treats every time I come in the door. (To be fair, I have a pattern of giving in to them.) I write about all kinds of journaling, and if Bullet Journaling is your thing, I’m here to support you. But if you want to go deep, go to the original source–Ryder Carroll, who created the system, and started it all at bulletjournal.com. I use the method daily which is why I started writing about it here.
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