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Earlier today, I found myself feeling stressed about deadlines while working on some material for the World-Changing Writing Workshop. The task was taking longer than I had expected, but it needed to get done, so I frowned, grumbled, and carried on.

Wait, what?

Once you’ve got a solid plan, trust it. Count on it. Rely on it. Stressing out about it is second-guessing your past self (or your manager/partner, if the plan isn’t your own).

Plan as though time is precious.

Focus on the tasks that will help you achieve your goals. What will help your life be more fun, fulfilling, and aligned? How long will those tasks take? Leave some wiggle room if you’re not sure. Leave some wiggle room if you are sure, because things will always come up.

A great life is a life made up of great days, not a life of stressed-out struggle working toward a far-off achievement. How can you plan to give yourself as many great days as possible? Hint: It doesn’t involve lots of stressed-out struggle.

Work as though time is abundant.

And then, once you’ve created the plan, take all your worry and stress and let the plan carry it. Now that you’ve done your best job at planning, your task is now to do your best job at doing. And you can’t do that if you’re constantly worrying whether you’re doing the right thing, worrying whether you’re doing it well enough, or stressing out about the deadline.

Let go of all those concerns, let the plan carry those burdens, and lose yourself in your work.

In other words…

You won’t enjoy the journey if you’re trudging along with your head buried in a map, constantly consulting your compass.

You will enjoy the journey if you take some time to plan your route and itinerary first, then take in the sights, sounds, and smells as you walk your path.