Five Key Planning Tips
I haven't written in a while and what I want to share today is tips I have on planning. I'm very good in planning and I believe in the saying of 'if you fail to plan, you plan to fail'.But why bother?
I come across people with different views of planning. Some people see the diary planner as a guide to life. Some people don't like it - they see it as annoying, too much hard work, why bother etc. My favourite reason why people hate planning is this - it limits my freedom of what I want to do with my time, I want to be spontaneous!
Planning shouldn't be a tool to limit us but for us to have a clear mind on how we can set milestones for ourselves in what we want to achieve. I cannot imagine a president of any country not having a planner of some form in what he wants to achieve for the country.
If you don't have anything you want to achieve, then it's best to look at your bucket list. Is there anything on your bucket list that you want to do and haven't done yet?
If you are now have the slightest interest in planning or just want to improve your organisation in planning, here are my five key planning tips:
1. Work backwards:
Set an achievable timeline to when you want to achieve a particular goal. Is it a few weeks, a few months or a few years? The goal should use the SMART criteria.
Then work backwards to set the milestone you would need to achieve every week or every month. It should look something like this, as an example:
2. Be flexible:
Schedule time in between to take into account travel holidays / social time or family time / work. The plan may also change for unexpected circumstances, for example if you fall sick or a friend unexpectedly comes to visit. The thing to bear in mind is to not try to get the right plan but update it when changes are needed.
3. Have a plan buddy:
I find this works for me when I just really want to procrastinate! (especially when my work exams are around the corner). Work together with someone that can hold you to account weekly, so that you would be motivated to stick to your plan.
4. Remind yourself why this goal is important to you:
It can get quite frustrating when sometimes we just want to kick back and not do a thing (or for myself, just roll up in bed and watch a movie). Why is this goal important to you? Ask yourself this question at least three times and it would lead to the bigger picture that you want to fulfill. For example:
Track your progress every week or every month to discover what you have accomplish and how you are one step closer to the goal. It's also a way to acknowledge yourself that you have made some effort! You can also reward yourself when you have done particularly well.
That's all from me for now! In the future, I would really like to share the different ways of planning and the different planners available in the market.
Till next time,
Jia
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