Nothing Changes Without Planning
Right now I'm "doing what's in front of me" so to speak.
However, when I decided to write articles, I knew I wanted it to
be consistent so that I would be sending a professional "signal"
to all of you. That took some planning. We most definitely have
to know what we want out of life in order to get it. That takes
some thought and some more planning. Do you want to travel to
Australia? Do you want to be a Doctor? The part of planning that
involves the big picture is called the Vision. Successful people
use their visions to help determine who the best team members
will be. When the going gets tough they use it to hang on to, to
enable them to let go of the small distractions that can seem
huge without a vision.
Let's say you are going to have a growth period in your
business. You are ready to hire another employee. You will need
to have enough money set aside for your expenses plus the salary
or compensation of that person until they are trained and are
able to generate more income for your business. By taking the
time to plan you can now execute your vision without going
through the added anxiety of not having enough money for
day-to-day operations. You are then able to carry on in a
relaxed pace.
Are you aware that every hour spent in effective planning saves
three to four in execution? Effective planning enables us to
sort out those things that can be delegated to others.
Planning is a time for prioritizing too. I could be "busy" with
many other things besides writing this e-letter. My desk needs
straightening. However, there will be time for that after I've
finished with my priority.
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Here are ten tips that are suggestions for planning out your
year. 1. Remember to mark off your vacation time. 2. Choose
goals that align with your values. 3. Say "no" when it's a
should, a could or an ought'a. 4. Mark off time just for
yourself. 5. Decide what you can delegate. 6. Prioritize
everyday 7. Use 10 daily habits. (more about this later) 8. Time
the things you do so you know how long it really takes. 9.
Remember, people first and results second. 10. Create a personal
mission statement for yourself.