Life is a choice; this may be a common understanding, but not everyone follows through this aspect of thinking. Often, people depend on destiny and blame fate when they begin failing in their life decisions. Sometimes, it is just easier to find something or someone to blame when things do not turn out the way that we expected them to be. However, there is a better way of handling these situations and end up satisfied with plans that actually pan out and give us the chance to see the results of our efforts.
Organization and planning are two very closely related words that help in giving every person a chance to live better and more directed lives. No, it does not need to be an obsessive pattern of wanting to be perfect, instead, it is merely a process of making sure you get from point one to point to until you reach your goal for a day, a week, a month, or even a year.
Organization is the process of putting your activities in place. This gives you a chance to create a map of activities you can follow. Like in using an actual map directed to bring you towards your destination, a map of your organized activities would help you see what you can do now, what you will do tomorrow and what smaller tasks you can engage with to be able to make the best out of your actions each day. Sure, not everyone wants to go through the whole process of organizing their activities. Nonetheless, those who develop a sense of personal culture of organizing their activities find it easier and more satisfying to reach their goals one step at a time.
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.”
Yogi Berra, former New York Yankees catcher
Planning, on the other hand, is more focused on putting the organized activities into workable schedules. At this stage, you will be able to see how each activity could be fit into a daily scale of different goals which means juggling your different sets of priorities which may include self, family, school, and work. Through planning, you will be able to get the best out every day and every hour- leading you to reaching your goal from on step towards another.
Others shy away from planning because of the possibility of failing. But in reality, failing is just an opportunity for you to reassess your plan and make a better one. The more important thing is that when you fail, you learn something food from it that will make it easier for you to grow.
The best form of self-growth is the one that comes from your personal experience. Failing should not be a hindrance, but a stepping stone for you to go further. Take note that when you go through this phase, you will be given the chance to take the next step better.
Planning gives you the winning edge, because you can track your path back and determine where you might have done wrong and start from there. In this case, you already have a head start on your next step. You can easily order a dated daily planner online.
So, how do you begin your planning process?
Here are some important steps you can consider:
ONE: What do you want to achieve?
When you know what you want to achieve within a specific time, it will be easier for you to determine what steps you could take. Your goals can be divided into short term and long term. Short term goals could be set within a day. Maybe you want to finish a project in a day. You might want to put in your schedule some simple steps you want to go through the day to make sure you reach your target project. Laying your plan out in paper will make it easier for you to visualize your process for the whole day and make adjustments when you feel necessary.
TWO: Give Yourself a Room to Wiggle
This will not just help you avoid being broken hearted when one of your plans do not go as expected, it will also give you the chance to enjoy every step of your planning stage. Be cool about everything. Putting too much pressure on yourself and being too specific on your self-expectations may only cause more pressure. For many, this often drives them to stop planning. However, when you have wiggle room, you have the chance to make immediate adjustments as necessary.
THREE: Celebrate Your Wins
Whenever you achieve something, remember to celebrate. This will motivate you to go through to the next step and find a way to achieve more.
Key Takeaways
Remember that the goal of planning is to set your work pattern and find a way to get everything done within your target time. If you do not like to use a planner that has specific writing space for a particular date, you may also use a journal or planning notebook that has a freer layout.
Pressuring yourself to get everything done perfectly is not part of this process. Remember that no one is perfect and that everybody makes mistakes. Also remember that there is no perfect plan.
So, if there are things that you did not achieve in your first plan, make sure that your next plan will be adjusted but do this with all the satisfaction you can get from trying.
Your small celebrations for your wins are as critical as the plan itself. Giving yourself a reason to move forward will make it easier for you to engage through the other activities you have in line until you reach your final goal.