ACE YOUR PLANNING

 ACE YOUR PLANNING

 

When confronted with a mission, how do we go about it? There are two ways to do it. Plunging headways into it is one way. But what if we could break down the task and work at it systematically? Well, in other words, we have a plan of action.

 

Some people are meticulous planners while others just go with the flow. Love it or hate it, one thing is clear: planning scores over not planning any time. Well, here are four ways to plan our work.

 

#1. DETERMINE OUR GOALS

 For any undertaking, we first of all should have a goal in mind. The goal should be of two types: the short-term goal and the long-term goal. Once we are sure about these two types of goals, we should immediately take a pen and paper and write them down. This reinforces our goals. It is much easier when we have our objectives on paper. We should then sit down and write down all possible roadblocks that we might encounter, and only then should we create a plan of action. Once the red flags are identified we would be in a better position to deal with them. Our goals should be absolutely clear to us and we should be able to see it in our mind’s eye. But a thing to remember is that we should be flexible enough to make any necessary adjustments or changes as we go along.

 

#2. CARRY OUT THOROUGH RESEARCH

Then comes the part where we should gather all relevant information about our task. We should seek out experts and get their opinions and suggestions. We should read papers, surf the net, read blogs, books, periodicals, or anything that we can land our hands on about our mission. We should try and break down the task into small doable steps. When we are armed with all related information and materials, we will be in a better position to make snap judgments based on what we have gathered.

 

#3. IDENTIFY THE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS

Once we have broken the tasks into smaller manageable steps, we should then identify the most important ones and tackle them first. We should do away with the unnecessary tasks or at least keep them for a later date. When we can identify what’s important to us, we should focus all our efforts and energies on it. So, in other words, we are channeling our efforts on priority tasks first.

 

#4. EXECUTE

Then comes the execution part. Here we determine which tasks we will handle ourselves and which to delegate. If we are delegating to other’s we should make sure the tasks are a perfect match for our team players strengths. A deadline for the tasks delegated should be set. Moreover, there should be crystal clear communication about the desired outcome. Each team member should know what’s expected of them. Communication between team members should be simple, straight, and to the point. There should be no room for ambiguity and misunderstandings. We should be able to hold ourselves accountable. Having an accountability partner who will keep us on track helps a lot. We should be able to monitor our progress and that of our team members.  Rewarding ourselves from time to time and celebrating every little victory should be the norm.

 

CONCLUSION

“If you are failing to plan you are planning to fail.” The amazing simple truth about this line hit me hard when I came across it. I got a magnet with this line inscribed and stuck it on my refrigerator door. So now, whenever I open the refrigerator door, I am reminded of the wisdom of this line. I was so motivated by it, that here, I have jotted down four things about what planning means to me. So, now we know a bit about proper planning and how to go about it. Cheers!!! 

  

 

 

 

 

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