How to Overcome Planner Anxiety

Let God lead you to a life of unscheduled joy

Mary Gallagher
Mustard Seed Sentinel

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When planning goes wrong. (image created in Copilot by author)

“This isn’t working!” I shouted, wanting to throw the expensive planner I had invested in across the room. It was the third planner I tried using after embarking on my new life as a blogger.

I had just been laid off from a high-stress job where every minute of my day had been overscheduled for the past six years.

Not having an Outlook calendar dictating my days left me feeling lost, adrift, and unproductive. And I wasn’t making money, which stung.

I desired to nurture my creative spirit, develop a blog and website to honor God, and help other women learn to slow down and rest in the Lord.

Other online gurus advised getting a planner and creating a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly plan with clearly spelled-out goals and sub-goals.

That sentiment resonated with my get-er-done, productivity mindset. However, it didn’t work well with the message God wanted me to share and the lessons he was trying to teach me.

Every time I tried to get my schedule and goals into that planner, anxiety shot through my body until I wanted to crawl out of my skin.

Then God spoke to me. Stop it. Listen to your body. Would this be the right approach if it’s

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Mary Gallagher
Mustard Seed Sentinel

I cut the stress, slowed down, and learned the art of intentional living. When you declutter your soul, you make room for what matters. @The Decluttered Soul