Planning strategies are a key component of any entrepreneur’s work toolkit.

At their best, planning strategies can make the planning process incredibly rewarding.

The amalgamation of ideas, information, and feedback can be an exciting way to grow your business.

At their worst, planning strategies can make the planning process a confusing, chaotic, and tangled web of minutiae, restriction, and zero creativity.

That’s why it can be helpful to take a step back and view planning strategies themselves from a broader perspective.

Doing so can help reframe your thoughts around the planning process and give you a much-needed shot of relief and inspiration.

Here are three incredibly simple planning strategies for you to embrace in your business:

Set aside ample time to plan.

The act of planning does not exist outside of our space-time reality.

You can’t press “pause” on the clock and restart time when you’ve finished planning.

And if you think you can “squeeze” in some planning when you have a spare moment, think again.

Planning must exist within your everyday routine for it to be successful.

Get in the habit of physically scheduling ample planning time into your calendar or planner.

Doing so instantly prioritizes your planning sessions. Feel free to adjust the time duration of your planning sessions as needed.

You may find you need more time for larger or more complex issues, such as major projects, and less time for others, such as your daily to-do list.

You should also give yourself time to switch your mental gears from previous work commitments, such as client projects, meetings, and administration, to the planning process.

You need time to adjust your mindset so you can properly evaluate and incorporate information, notes, and facts.

It’s incredibly important to treat your planning time with respect. Putting a high value on planning time can transform the way you do business.

Planning will no longer be seen as busy work, but as a practical tool to reach your goals.

Be open to multiple planning sessions.

Planning often involves a variety of moving parts, many of which vary from minute to minute, day to day.

You must receive information, interpret details, and weigh possible solutions. Having said that, it’s completely okay if you don’t complete all your planning in a single sitting.

Sometimes, planning must naturally evolve from one stage to another and unfold in its own time and space.

And that can take the form of multiple planning sessions taking place over several days or weeks.

Rest assured, there’s no need to belittle your efforts or downplay your progress. A planning session is still a planning session.

Practice scheduling a handful of additional planning sessions into your calendar. Should you happen to finish your planning in one sitting, simply cancel those additional sessions.

And should you need more time to plan, you’ll have those minutes readily available to you.

Use a variety of methods to plan.

It may seem unconventional but adding variety to your planning sessions may stimulate your creativity. If you regularly use digital tools in your planning, try your hand at a couple of analog tools, and vice versa.

Jot ideas in a notebook or on loose sheets of paper and write on a collection of sticky notes or markup a whiteboard. Use your smartphone or dictation tool to make notes of thoughts when traveling or running errands.

Leave a notebook and a pen by your nightstand to capture ideas while you’re falling asleep or for unexpected late-night moments of inspiration.

Open a word processing or text document and start brainstorming ideas or do some stream-of-consciousness writing.

What’s more, plans don’t always present themselves in full during planning sessions. They may leap into our minds in spits and spurts throughout the day, often in the most unlikely places.

That’s why it’s critical to have reliable methods of capturing information whether you’re out in the world or simply sitting in your office.

How about you? Which of these planning strategies are you going to use at work? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!

This post originally appeared on Inc.com.