A lot of people believe that there’s something attractive in the idea of spontaneity. Movies and books also reinforce this idea—that you should break out of your routine and do something different.
Although the idea of spontaneity may be appealing, you can’t actually achieve everything you want in life without effective planning. No matter what you want to achieve—better health, a better career, and even a better relationship—planning can help you do it.
Planning and Goal-Setting
Planning doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to account for every minute of the day. You don’t have to pack your day with things that need to be done. That’s just busywork. Planning is more about putting some thought into how you’re going to achieve your goals.
Your first step is to be clear about your goals. Do you want to get a promotion? Do you want to become the CEO of your company? Do you want to improve your health and fitness? Would you like to participate in a triathlon? The more specific your goals are, the more likely you are to achieve them.
Doing the Research
The second step then, is to consciously think about how those goals can be achieved. You might need to do some research before you can come up with an answer. For example, you may not even know what it means to eat healthy. What’s healthy and what isn’t? Unless you’ve done some research into the topic, you’re going to be at a loss.
The same is true of getting a promotion. How do you go about doing it? Do you simply work hard? Do you apply for more jobs? Do you approach your boss? These are all good ideas, but the best way to figure it out might be simply to ask someone who has gotten a promotion, especially in your company.
Planning and Preparation
Once you’ve done your research, you’ll need to plan things out in advance, in order to achieve your goals. For example, if you want to prepare a healthy meal, you’ll have to order the ingredients in advance and set aside some time to actually do the cooking. If you’ve decided to approach your boss, you may have to rehearse exactly what you’re going to say, maybe even come up with a presentation.
Preparing for what you want to achieve is the essence of planning, and the more you can prepare, the better. Keep in mind that sometimes, things don’t work out exactly the way you want, even if you’ve done all the planning. But that doesn’t mean the planning went to waste because then you’ll know how to approach that situation the next time.
Contact us to learn more about the importance of planning and ways to incorporate it into your life.