Hi, I'm Katie, and I’m a professional planner. That’s technically not my title, but it’s basically always been my job.
As a fractional product marketer, I build and execute launch and marketing plans and put together project plans for any type of initiative. I’ve been a great planner my whole life, but shockingly, my method isn’t what most people expect; I’m very Type B, which isn’t usually what you associate with a great planner.
I read Suzy Welch’s book, Becoming You, and while thinking about my own zone of genius, I realized the common thread for me was making a great plan and not being afraid to do something I’ve never done before. Those two things were linked, and my planning method is my secret.
This publication is meant to make it easy for you to steal my planning method and try something new, faster and with less stress.
I think a lot of planning advice is put out there by very detail-oriented Type A people, but that’s really not my approach, and those methods cause me to go way too far with “the perfect plan,” where I end up in analysis paralysis or all-or-nothing thinking, and that’s where my idea goes to die before “the perfect plan” ever is complete.
You don’t need a perfect plan™. You need a loose one. I call my method the 20/80 plan. Here’s v1:
Decide the 20% that matters. What is your actual goal? Pick only 1 or 2 priorities, not 15, that’s the most important part. If others are involved, you need alignment on this before steps 2 and 3. Thank me later for that.
Build an 80% plan around it. Good enough to start, flexible enough to figure out the rest as you go.
Go. Adjust once you’re in it and actually know more.
I’ve used this method for everything from starting a new sport in high school to multiple career pivots, wedding planning, postpartum, decorating my house, defining a company’s value prop, planning annual girls trips, hosting events, repositioning a company, and even meal planning, Christmas shopping, and losing weight. Different goals, same method.
What you’ll find here
Loose plans for work, money, family, home, travel, and the in-between seasons of life. Some are plans you can steal outright. Some are ways to think through what’s ahead. They all use the same idea: figure out what matters, make a plan that’s good enough, and go.
If you’re new, start here:
The 20/80 Plan: How to Plan Anything You’ve Never Done Before
Your first plan to steal
If you’ve got something coming up you’ve never done before, subscribe. I’ll help you plan it, loosely.