Batch Planning 101

This week’s theme: “Batch Planning 101”

VFit health tip of the day from Rachele Jaegers…BATCH PLANNING ! In this season of stress and chaos, or any time of year, batch planning can be your life saver.

Decision Fatigue is a real condition. When you are faced with a million decisions a day to make, having to make one more decision for yourself can cause overload to your brain. And that’s when we tend to just give up, go through the drive thru, stop exercising and switch to anxiety mode.

So what is batch planning? It’s grouping the majority of your daily planning into 15-30 minute periods.

Instead of having to make a million decisions throughout the day (what to wear, what to eat, when will I workout, where are the kids needing to be, etc), it’s incredible how taking 15-30 minutes a day to map out as many things as you can, can change your life.

And the goal isn’t that you need perfect execution of your plan. That’s not reality.

Instead, aim to take some time each day (it doesn’t matter when. For me it’s at night before bed and first thing in the morning) to scratch out a plan.

Pen and paper work wonderfully! Simple writing things out will regroup your brain and ease anxiety.

Here are a few of my personal planning habits I do virtually every single day and take no more than 15-30 minutes:

//Pack as much of my kids lunch the night before. Mornings are chaos and I know that. The more I have ready, the easier our days start.

// Have the coffee set for the next day. Coffee is life, it’s a treat to have it waiting to greet me good morning!

// Put out my workout clothes and have the kids pick their clothes out. Having my workout gear out helps keep me accountable to actually use them ?. And my kids like knowing what they are going to wear too. And I like not fighting with my kids on what they are going to wear!

//Plan out your daily schedule. I like to plan out what I hope to get done in 3 hour blocks. The more you get in the habit of planning, the more you will figure out what works for you best.

I have a monthly calendar the whole family uses to post main events and happenings, but I need to sit down daily and write out my personal to do list. And then I group it into 3 hour blocks of when I’ll execute each item.

// Right now I’m doing best with meal planning 3-4 days at a time and not a whole week. Because life is nuts with 3 kids and planning a whole week is overwhelming and we were wasting food.

Again, the more you practice planning, the more you can adjust for what will work for you.

I write my meal plan and THEN hit up the store for what I need. We eat more variety, I enjoy cooking more and we don’t get kitchen burn out which happens when you shop without a meal plan and buy the same things every trip.

// Batch cook some easy to throw together food. I make a batch of shredded chicken, boiled eggs, a few salad dressings and cut up veggies once a week. It saves a lot of “hangry” experiences from happening.

These are my tried and true tips! They help me run a family of 5 and a growing business! Without batch planning, I’d be a chicken running around with my head cut off.

It’s not about executing a perfect plan or getting everything done all the time. My to do list often goes unfinished and just transfers to the next day.

Planning is not meant to be stressful. It’s meant to give you some structure and a place to make mundane decisions all at one time.

Because even the easiest of decisions that you make on a daily basis, can cause you Decision Fatigue and that’s a condition none of us have to live with. It’s exhausting, debilitating and keeps you from living your best.

I hope this helps a few others out in this season. If you have any go to tips, please share with us!

In Health 365 days a year,

Rachele, VFit Owner

P.S – And if you are looking to be surrounded by a positive and inspirational group of teammates and trainers that will change the way you approach life, the VFit team has a spot for you! Don’t go at your health and fitness alone.

Fitness is a superpower that transfers into every other area of life.

Our passionate team is here to cheer you on, make you proud and show you that fitness is not a punishment. In fact, let us be the best part of your day!

Join the team for less than $2/day at https://thevfitstudio.com/join-vfit-team/

And if you are looking for nutrition help, we have set up a nutritional supplement program, VFit Squad,  with membership options, including nutrition coaching, that will help you dial in this important area of you health in the New Year.