Take Charge Get Results - COMMON SENSE PLANNING

Chapter 8

COMMON SENSE PLANNING

Planning doesn’t have to be elaborate, difficult or perfect, and it’s not vital to success. Action is vital to success. Planning is just a tool – nothing more, nothing less.”

Just as it’s important for you to define your own terms for success, you must also define your own terms for what constitutes a plan, and base your plan on what makes sense for you. I honestly don’t know who came up with the idea that a person can’t possibly succeed without an excruciatingly detailed plan; one that includes every teeny, tiny detail and explores every possible scenario, with projections for each. Regardless of who the person was, the notion that a detailed plan is vital to success is absolutely ridiculous.

There is no such thing as a perfect plan. It’s amazing how many people believe that a plan must be perfect before they can take action and succeed. Have you ever known someone who was so bogged down in the planning process that they never seemed to get anything done?

[Politicians are notorious for this.] Or maybe you know someone who decided to change their goals, because they were worried that what they really wanted to do would require elaborate planning. Well, planning doesn’t have to be elaborate, difficult or perfect, and it’s not vital to success. Action is vital to success. Planning is just a tool – nothing more, nothing less.

Think Easy

Planning is something we all do, whether we are aware of the process or not, from the simplest task to the most complex. We make plans every day – what clothes to wear, what time to leave for work, who’s going to pick the kids up after school, what to eat for dinner, who’s going to do the dishes, and what time to go to bed. Simple tasks we perform every day are planned quickly, almost instantly in our mind. With barely a thought we plan what we want, what we’ll do, how we’re going to do it, and when it has to be done – quick and easy. Planning how to spend a weekend usually takes a little longer, but again, can be easily worked out in our mind. Planning a vacation may require more time, maybe a little paper to write down information about travel and lodging, with some coordination for both – reservations, check-in time, how many nights-stay, when to leave, travel by car, bus train or plane, and what route to take. Regardless of the specific task, figuring out how and when we are going to accomplish something (planning) is part of our daily lives.

When contemplating the development of your strategic plan to accomplish the tasks that support the achievement of your goals and the realization of your vision, approach the idea with common sense. You have your own unique style of getting things done. You make plans everyday, and whether you are someone who does most of the planning in your head, or someone who needs to write everything down, make sure you stay true to your own constitution. Make it easy. Take it easy.

Understanding Strategy

The concept of strategic planning is to consider different options, or different ways to get a thing done, while considering the effect each option will have on your future success (which option, being considered, brings you closer to the realization of your vision?), and then selecting the best option. Simply stated, strategy is looking ahead in anticipation of the outcome, or learning to “look before you leap”.

As you move forward, making plans and taking action, consider how you can use strategy to enhance your results. When you develop ideas for how you are going to get something done, be sure to take a strategic “look before you leap”. Consider the quality of the idea by asking the following questions:

1. Do I like the idea?
2. Can I see myself doing it?
3. Can I anticipate the outcome?
4. Does it bring me closer to realizing my vision?
5. Is there a better idea at this time?

By using this simple method you will begin to develop the ability to think strategically (looking ahead for what might come next). This ability will aid you in choosing more effective options that compliment other areas of your life, and that are consistent with your definition of success.

Plan Your Work

It’s time now to finish creating your own Strategic Plan. I say “finish” because you’ve already done most of the work. You have established your vision, identified your goals and some tasks necessary to achieve them. You’ve made a decision to take action, and committed to continue taking action until what you intend to create has been completed. All that’s left to do is put the finishing touches on.

Step One:
Take your Outline for Success and give each task a strategic look. You may decide to add more tasks, or revise, remove or replace some tasks. When you are satisfied with the quality of your ideas, move on to step two.

Step Two:
Get a calendar. Set a deadline for each task, writing down the date you expect the task to be completed. Be realistic about your ability, and give yourself a reasonable amount of time to complete each task. Arrange the tasks in order, beginning with what you want to complete first. When you are finished, move on to step three.

Step Three:
Identify any tasks that rely on someone, or something else. For example: If one of your tasks is to record music onto your computer and save it on disk, but you don’t know how to burn a CD, then that task relies on learning how to burn a CD, or finding someone who can do it for you. Once you’ve completed this step, you will have successfully turned your Outline for Success into a Strategic Plan that will work.

That’s all there is to it. Depending on what kind of person you are and what kind of goals you have, your plan may be short or long, simple or complicated. Regardless of the specific details, the one thing your plan should be is tailored to fit your unique style of getting things done. That’s the common sense approach to planning. So finish up, and get ready to put your plan into action!

George J. Morse
Email: george@coachmorse.com
http://www.coachmorse.com