Outside validation is fine, but...

I caught myself in a feedback loop this week. Not the kind that makes you cover your ears in a conference, but the kind where I needed other people to provide me the information I needed to make a decision. Here's what happened.

It's September, and it is about 4 months later than my usual timeline for deciding I need a new planner. I'm pretty proud of this, and it does speak well to the one I chose last year. I rarely choose the same one two years in a row. After nearly 48 years on the planet, 30+ of which I have used some sort of paper calendar, I've become pretty particular. Yes, I have tried to go digital. Writing it down helps me remember, typing it in does not.

This week, I found a layout that aligns with what I am looking for in my next iteration, but it comes in a quarterly book, not a yearly one. Speed bump, my brain is telling me it has to be a yearly option. (no reason. Just the way I have always done it). I asked my sister. I asked my other planner nerd friend. I still couldn't decide. While I stared at the beautiful options, I realized a few things that broke me out of the feedback loop.

It's not up to them to decide what will work best for me. I already know what I want. I don't actually need them to validate me. I do need to get over my hesitation to change the way I have always done the planner thing.

And also, it's September. I don't have to decide now, my current book is good through December. AND while typing this, I remembered something I skipped over earlier. The company I'm eyeballing (I go back to them frequently) offered me a free layout to try. I get to try it before I buy it for as long as I want or need to. I'm going to print out a couple today and see what I think.

And finally, I don't have to buy now just because the sale is ending today. There will be other sales. AND it's a bigger waste of cash to buy something I am going to abandon than to pay the full price for something I love.

This isn't just about planners. It opened my eyes to how often I look for outside validation before I move forward. While gathering data is important, it's also important to know how to execute quickly when needed and to trust yourself to make the right decision. Will I fail sometimes? yes I will. That's okay too. I would rather fail and recover than stall and never begin.

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