If you are a management student, the first definition you will hear is that of planning! It is fundamental and the most essential step in the principles of management! Planning is the basic foundation that one lays down for a big project! It is the standard of performance and comparison tool for the targets set! It is also an action-oriented task put into words.
Going on an unplanned trip for a couple of days with family or friends, may or may not work out. If it does, then you might be good at doing and getting things done on an impromptu basis. But can life be unplanned? Can your entire life be such an unplanned trip?
So what?
These multimillion-dollar companies, government measures undergo brainstorming sessions of ideas, in-depth analysis of every step to be taken towards the project, and it does not just stop there, on a timely basis they are rechecked and reviewed! In fact, there are various books and articles just on the concept of planning!
When they can undergo such a process, in this entire universe, we all are just one tiny element. Despite the vastness, the creating energy had a purpose and a plan for this tiny element. When such a force can set us out for creation with a plan, can’t we take a step forward and plan a goal for ourselves? Can planning like your boss, or like a futurist bring some positive changes in your life?
What am I gaining?
Yes, plans may not go the way we want to. But it keeps you and your schedule active! It helps you gain clarity on what you desire, dream, and want to do! It makes you the boss of your life and a futuristic person with a solid plan in hand! We listed a few of these benefits for you!
1. Helps you stay focused- in this online era the drive to multi-task has shot up! Either you end up doing a lot or end up doing nothing. While the ideal life that we all seek is balance in this yin and yang, but it just doesn’t get along, does it? So what should be done? It is simple. You start planning. Yes, it is future-oriented, but it is to be manifested in the present!
It all begins with what you want now, what you want for the future, slowly focusing on the necessities, and you finally head towards your goal in life! Voila! You feel a sudden gush of positive energy within you! With this simple pen-paper / digital planner’s task, you start gaining back your focus of what you want in life, of what you want to gain in life!
2. It makes you chase your dream- just like any blue-print of a company’s new project, there is an end goal set, a dream project that comes true and everyone is heading towards that. For once you actually feel like going to work because you have what you want! Yes, you got our point!
Planning helps you chalk down all your aims and ambitions. Right from what you have with you today to what you want to achieve; right from whom you are to who you want to be; right from where you are to where you want to be! It can be a plan for the next week, year, or a couple of years later! Your future visual begins with writing them now, and by acting towards it!
3. The concept of minimalism- at times it is the fear of missing out that makes you overwork, or makes you feel depressed that you aren’t doing enough. Either way, you are missing out on the peacefulness that life can offer you, you are missing out on how productive you can be with working on a few things that you do.
Minimalism is the art of doing what is the bare minimum required it can be on a day to day basis or that of the actions to be manifested. The rule of three works the best! What are those three things you want to achieve, what are those three things that you want to become, list all of them down! It would help you gain clarity, become clearer on what you really need! You would slowly start seeing the transformation by observing your wants change to your needs, through simplicity and minimalism!
4. Helps you work on your health schedule- we will live life the way it is, the way it comes to us! That might be a bit if an uncaring opinion, but hey! You are in charge of your life! You have to take care of your health. Most of the insurance and investment strategy looks into your health. Plan out a regular exercise schedule, or take time off for walking, or engage in recreational activities to keep you fit and fine. Yes, rest days are also included!
Having regular health check-ups would keep you be cautious of your food habits, lifestyle. Eternity is the soul’s calling, but living is your body’s calling. So as long as we have the time on this planet, why not live it with a purpose plan, with a healthy mind and body?
5. Walk your walk- you might have heard the phrase of walk the talk, and talk the walk! Life-lessons, elevating experiences, and personal stories click the most! Listening to all these inspiring stories is a big-time motivation. But most of the time, you fail to follow-up, or there is no set tracking system of what is happening with you. In the end, the energy fades out and you are back to square one!
But on the other hand, planning keeps you focused. When you know where things didn’t go the way you wanted to, you have your alternative plans ready. If not, then you already have begun working on “What’s next!” Planning keeps you disciplined, helps you stick to your goals, at the same time, it also lets you be flexible with any changes that come.
The Bonus tip
6. Prioritize- priorities simplify your life. There might be 10 things for you to do. Some require immediate action; some can be saved for later. But we end up focusing on all, most of the time multi-tasking and reducing productivity. Instead, if you could focus on things that require immediate attention, things that need to be completed the first thing, your productivity increases.
At the same time, if you prioritize your daily agenda, you will see your work quality as well as improve. Planning on this requires the utmost detailing. If you miss out on one single bit of information, you might have as well lost the war! In the process of planning, by default, you start prioritizing. When you do that with more consciousness and awareness, you will realize what needs more focus and priority.
How do I plan effectively?
T. Boone Pickens, Founder and CEO of BP Capital says, “A fool with a plan can outsmart a genius any day.”
Most of us make plans, but just stay stagnant in the planning part. It is equally important to ink down your plan, write down how would you achieve it, and also make a note of the alternatives available. But what tools can you use for the same?
A pen and a paper (just the wordplay here, we mean a bunch of compiled unwritten papers, we are referring to a journal) works the old school way. A digital planner works the modern way. We are sure that you now understand the benefits of planning (now at least on a personal note), then go ahead and start writing.
You can choose a yearly planner, a weekly planner, or if your agenda this year is to keep track of your habits then a habit tracker! If you want to keep yourself motivated, you could hang a motivational quote as well!
Life is a journey of progress; progress that you need to plan, that you need to decide for yourself. If not for you, someone else will. When there is that “ME” in that someone, why not plan for yourself as well instead of an outsider! So what’s stopping you from planning? What is stopping you from getting your plans into action?
Go forth, plan your dream project, and set the pen, paper, and planner to action mode!