Introduction
There’s something I like to do every
day in order not to forget what I’m supposed to do, and that’s planning. If you
live with kids, have a full-time job, and have a side hustle like myself, it is
unavoidable to forget to do a lot of things. Situations like this lead to
delayed projects or tasks. You may have a task which ordinarily should take 2
days and because of lack of planning it may take 5 days. Quoting the 34th
president of the United States (Dwight D. Eisenhower) “Plans are nothing;
planning is everything.” Proper planning will be the difference between
success and failure.
Planning may take a while and seem
more like a waste of time, but it is necessary and beneficial. I take 1 hour
every week to plan my week and 10 minutes every day to plan my day. This
enables me to be efficient and happy. Yes, I say happy because it’s true.
Imagine having to beat a deadline every single day of your life. Whereas with a
good plan, you can be ahead of certain deadlines.
If you follow along with this post, I
will take you in-depth, on the essentials of planning, how to make a good plan,
follow through the plan, and certain gadgets and tools, I use to build my plan
in both my personal and professional life.
Why
Planning is Important
Planning is setting down a list of
actionable characters that you will achieve in a certain space of time or at a
given date. A good plan gives direction in one’s life. It is a way of doing a
certain percentage of the mental work to achieve success. Planning
also hones your managerial skills. If someone can be paid to be a manager for a
brand or even a personal assistant, then imagine how important it is for one to
learn the skill of planning.
Arootah in a recent LinkedIn post
iterates 10 benefits of planning which include increased proactivity, enhanced
focus, teamwork, improved risk management, increased success Rate, increased stress, Stimulates Creativity, Optimizes Resource Allocation, Inspires Greater
Achievement, and Enforces Decision Making. All of these benefits overall, make
life easier and you spend less on mistakes and more on profitable ventures.
I began to appreciate planning in
the last 2 years after, a research project was retracted because I couldn’t
meet the deadline. Having a full-time job and handling side projects can be
daunting, but my list of worries and things to do does not concern the client.
Scenarios like this question your character and stain your integrity. Ever
since I started using my daily planner, I have not missed out on any job or
deadline unconsciously. In fact, when I see that my schedule is booked I reject
some projects.
Types
of Planning
·
Short-Term: short-term planning involves
setting goals and creating action plans for a short period, typically days,
weeks, or months. This type of planning can include a to-do list which can be for
a day or span to a month. A calendar such as Google Calendar can also help to
save appointments or create reminders. However, it is important to note that
whatever plans or to-do lists you create should be achievable within the
proposed time. Examples of short-term plans can be reminders to visit someone,
go to the grocery store, or meet a physician. It could also be coined from a
long-term plan, like ‘remember to save $20 for my car.
·
Long-Term
Planning: long-term
planning involves setting goals and creating strategies for a period that
typically spans several years, focusing on significant life or career
milestones. This type of plan enables you to set goals for your professional or
personal life. For example, ‘buy a car next year July’; ‘complete 10 courses by
January’; buy a new house in 2 years. These plans form a bigger part of your
life.
·
Personal: personal planning involves setting
goals and creating strategies for various aspects of life, including career,
health, relationships, and personal growth. You can find examples of personal
plans in the previous paragraph. These plans can include personal development
or house chores.
·
Professional
Planning: professional
planning involves setting career goals and developing strategies to achieve
them over time, including skill development, networking, and career
progression. A career-driven person like myself finds this plan as a very
important part of my process. This type of plan not only streamlines your
focus but with a constant revisit of this plan, you get reminded of what great
things you can achieve in a space of time. Such plans include taking courses,
completing a project, some office tasks, going through your emails, or organizing
your workspace.
·
Strategic: A strategic plan is a
comprehensive, long-term blueprint that outlines an organization's or
individual's goals, the strategies to achieve them, and the actions needed to
implement those strategies. A strategic plan can be building your dream home in
9 months. The plans on who to call, who to pay, land purchase, and market
research are all part of a strategic plan.
·
Tactical
Planning: Tactical planning is the process of
breaking down a strategic plan into specific, short-term actions or tasks that
are designed to achieve the broader goals set out in the strategic plan. It
focuses on the "how" of achieving the strategic objectives and
typically covers a shorter time frame, such as months or a year. The tactical
plan however gives specifics to achieving the goals in a strategic plan. For
example, in the strategic plan, we have a list of ‘who’ and ‘what’, but in the
tactical plan, you answer the question of ‘when’. This enables you not to over-stretch a plan and end up giving up on the final goal.
Steps
to Create an Effective Plan
- Step 1: Set Clear Goals
- Step 2: Prioritize Tasks
- Step 3: Develop a Timeline
- Step 4: Monitor Progress
- Step 5: Stay Flexible
Tools
and Resources for Better Planning
- Digital Tools:
If you are an iPad user, you can create your planner with good notes, free
notes, notability, etc. There are a ton of writing apps that you can
download to set you up on your planning venture. If you are keen on aesthetics,
you can get an already-created planner, which has a daily, weekly, and
monthly schedule space for you to edit on the go. Other recommended apps
and software are Trello, Asana, and Microsoft Planner. A digital planner
is always recommended because, in this age and time, we are always with
our gadgets. It is also important because we can save our plans on a cloud-based platform like iCloud or Google Cloud. This way, our written-down
plans won’t be lost or destroyed.
- Traditional Tools:
If you are not into digital products, you can also get a journal, a
planner, or any simple jotter or note. The reason, I don’t always recommend
this traditional method is because it can easily be misplaced, destroyed, or get bulky.
Conclusion
Planning is a daily essential that should kick start your day and after a
successful day, you should check the list.