Yeah “Scheduling Dreams” doesn’t sound right does it. It takes something fun and exciting and makes it boring and predictable.

Or does it?

Writing in Agenda sxc

If you think about what you get done in any given day or week, it’s the things you have created time for in your schedule that happen, at least with any regularity. You go to work, you get kids off to school, you pay your bills. You make time to get the car repaired, to fill up the gas tank. You plan a party. You don’t just invite friends and hope food and drink are there when they arrive, that party supplies just happen. You plan, you think out, you make lists, you decide which stores you need to go to and what you need to buy at each one. You assign tasks to other people.

Do your dreams deserve any less?

I know in my life unless I put it in my calendar or on a list, it’s unlikely to happen. And dreams are the same way.

So the first step is deciding when and what days you can devote to your dream. I doubt there are just wide swathes of time in your calendar with nothing to do, so you will have to prioritize. Get creative. What part of what days can you carve out an hour or two to move forward? One client could carve out two hours twice a week after her children went to bed. Another client negotiated with her husband to put their daughter to bed twice a week. She didn’t want to give it up altogether as it was precious time to her, but thought twice a week was reasonable. Another client used Sunday morning to start writing her book, plus Thursday evening.

I always ask clients to give me exact times and days, and then to put them in their calendar. It is so important to GET SPECIFIC.

Something that works for me is I use Google Calendar and have the built-in reminders set so that it emails me my appt/task a day before and 15 mins before the task. That way I’m reminded of what’s coming up, and I get a reminder shortly before I need to start. And for me, I HATE having unopened email in my inbox, so I do not allow myself to open or delete the reminder until I’ve completed it. That way I don’t let it slip off my radar.

And since you have your running list of little baby steps from last week (and to which you can always add to whenever inspiration strikes), you always have specific actions you can take. You don’t have to spend the first 15 minutes trying to remember where you were or what’s next. You can just jump in and get going.

If you decide to just let your dreams show up, then they will happen just as likely as a trip around Europe will just happen.

Just remember, little baby steps, some time carved out each week, and you will create your dreams. Woohoo!

If you want to make it even more real, let us know in the comment section below what days and times you are committing to.

Next week we’ll talk about when you aren’t sure which dreams to pursue and/or can’t focus.