What they fail to understand is that a plan is nothing more than a guide. It is used in the same way that a road map is used to help us travel on highways that are unfamiliar to us. Plans offer guidance, purpose, direction, a sense of perspective, and help us mark our progress.
Michael Hyatt, the Virtual Mentor, explains the importance of planning your life. He gives seven benefits of having a written plan:
- Clarifies personal priorities
- Maintains balance
- Lets you say "no" to less important things
- Helps you address and identify current realities
- Helps you envision a better future
- Provides a road map to accomplish what matters most
- Ensures you don't finish life with regrets
(read here for more details: http://michaelhyatt.com/7-reasons-why-you-need-a-written-life-plan.html)
In spite of this, some people still believe planning doesn't matter. They see it as a waste of time. To justify this attitude they misquote a popular slogan created by Nike many years ago, "Just do it..!!"
They fail to acknowledge this slogan was part of an advertising campaign back in the 70's, and guess what..? Nike did a lot of planning to launch that ad campaign successfully.
(Good thing they did; that slogan became a catchphrase that endures to this day.)
Check this out: folks who think planning your life is a waste of time are the same ones who take time to plan a vacation that doesn't last more than 1 or 2 weeks. Ain't that a kick in the head?
Think of it this way: planning is a close relative of goal setting. Yes, I know people don't care much about goal setting either; thinking that things just work themselves out...but then they're shocked (!!) when things don't work out the way they wished them to.
Life isn't a wishing well, people. You get from life what you expect from life, as long as your plan for it, prepare for it, and work toward it. Period. End of story.
Life is like archery. You don't hit the target without taking aim first. Besides, if you don't know where you want to go in life, how will you know when you get there?
Do you hop on a plane, bus or train and say, "I don't know my destination, I'll just take a ride wherever it leads..."? Not likely.
(If you do, the conductor and/or bus driver may have some "friends" at the end of the line who would like to meet you, maybe even offer you a nice parting gift, like a brand new jacket and a matching padded cell...just saying)
There are misconceptions with planning that I'd like to address. People hold certain beliefs about planning which cause them to stumble:
First, they believe that making plans means you can't make changes. They think plans are rigid.
Second, they believe that once you start working on your plan, you have to go "full steam ahead" from start to finish, totally nonstop until the task is done.
And third, they believe any plan which doesn't work exactly the way they expected is a total failure.
Let me address these one at a time:
First, plans are fluid. What you planned on Monday may have to change in some way by Friday, maybe even by Tuesday. Life is not an exact science.
It is not unusual to change your plan from time to time. Ask any football or basketball coach and they'll tell you: they go into a game with a set plan, then they go into the locker room at halftime to adjust the plan.
People make changes to their plans all the time. Just because you changed your direction doesn't means you changed your destination. You tailor your plan to meet different challenges like sailors adjust sails to changes in wind direction. You can still get where you want to go.
Second, a plan of action rarely goes nonstop from start to finish. (Come to think of it, the same can be said about you)
It may be necessary to stop, take a breath, get your bearings, then pick up where you left off. Why scrap all the progress you made and return to Square One? That makes no sense. It's counterproductive.
Imagine a mountain climber having reached a certain height on Day One, only to go all the way back down the mountain to scale it again on Day Two from the very beginning. You forfeit your progress when you do that, and it destroys your momentum.
The third one sounds like the first one, but I'll add a little twist. People who believe their plan cannot have any deviations are operating with some unrealistic expectations.
I say this because plans are like people, none are perfect. And just like people's minds, plans are subject to change. Different factors and variables which you never considered when you put your plan to paper may come into play.
Think of the surf of the sea: always rolling, always active, never stagnant. Your plan is the same way, always in motion, always subject to the winds of change, the storms of life, whenever they may pop up.
With that in mind, I have some suggestions to help make the planning process a bit easier:
1. First thing in the morning or before you go to bed, sit down for a few minutes and write down what you plan to do for the new day. Nothing earth shattering, just something you want to do. Remember, this is for you and no one else.
2. Write down 5-10 things you want to accomplish before the day is over. Again, this is not to impress anybody; this is just for your reference, it helps you to set your target, to take proper aim, to focus on your objective.
3. Mark each completed task with a check mark, an "x", an "*", or anything that works for you. This gives you a sense of accomplishment, builds momentum toward the next task. It also indicates that you made progress. This helps you grow as an individual and reminds you that you're capable of success. It's a little thing with a big reward; it builds self confidence, raises your belief level, as well as your self worth and esteem.
And most important...
4. Don't beat yourself up (!!!) if you didn't complete everything you planned that day. Just move those unfinished assignments to the next day's list and plan to complete them. This is not procrastination because you are already in action mode. You got some things accomplished. You are building momentum toward getting those other tasks done, as well as any new items you will add to your list.
If you can accomplish at least three things you planned to do each day...CONGRATULATIONS!!! You were productive..!! And it doesn't matter that you didn't get everything done. You got something done, and you're moving forward. That's what matters.
The result of this process can be summed up in two words... Personal Growth. You build self confidence, you build belief in yourself and your abilities, and you also grow as a competent individual in your eyes, and eventually in the eyes of others.
I realize this process isn't be perfect, but then again neither is anything else. This is something that works for me and I hope it can work for you, too.
Les Brown says it best: "Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes improvement." And that's what you want, daily improvement which helps you grow as an individual who has something worth offering to humanity, someone who deserves to be rewarded for creating value.
So plan your work, then work your plan. If you are willing to do this, you can be truly say:
"Every day in every way I'm getting better and better." - Emil Coue
"By the yard it's hard, but by the inch, it's a cinch." - Robert Schuller
That's all for now, gotta run. Until next time, remember...
Keep it simple... See ya!
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