Why I plan my life on a science fair board (and you should, too!)

I plan my life on a science fair board every three months, and I think you should too...especially if you, like me, have ADHD and have been personally victimized by the world's obsession with SMART goals.

For years I gave up on planners, apps, SMART goals and ambitious plans, thinking I must simply be "too inconsistent" to finish what I start. What I've learned is that I need a Big Paper Planning Day, an approach to life design that combines motivation science with hands-on, visual goal-setting.

If you love school supply shopping, get real motivated by novelty, and/or need a way of goal setting and planning that doesn't ask you to do the same exact thing every day forever...this one's for you.

Join us for a Big Paper Planning Day retreat:
https://www.prettydecent.org/big

Related article about my beef with SMART goals: https://leximerritt.substack.com/p/to...

Reference: "How Focusing on Superordinate Goals Motivates Broad, Long-Term Goal Pursuit: A Theoretical Perspective" (https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/...)


00:00 - 01:51 Big Paper Planning Day Introduction
01:51 - 5:55 Why "Just do it!" didn't work for me
5:56 - 6:12 What materials do I need?
6:13 - 7:21 Why every three months?
7:24 - 9:42 Step One: Vision & Values
9:43 - 10:37 Step Two: Abstract Goals
10:38 - 13:32 Step Three: Action Menus
13:33 - 15:15 The Identity Shift
15:16 - 18:31 Step Four: Results & Targets
18:32 - 21:40 Consistency = accommodation