“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Adopting a new year resolution, which many will do in the coming weeks, is no different than planning for any another project…ok maybe the former tends to have a built-in guilt component. In any case, a little planning goes a long way, so let’s talk about planning.
Planning is a promise you make with yourself about work you will be doing in the future, irrespective how far in time that future is. Any task you put down is a contract with yourself for your attention, time, energy, …
Remember that:
- You can always negotiate with yourself at anytime. It is commitments made to others that can be more difficult to deal with.
- Be picky, it is your time, and it is limited.
- Be honest with yourself.
- Saying no upfront is sometime the best option. It opens up a lot of potential yes while one yes is basically saying no to a lots of other projects/tasks.
- Moving forward means that there should be less to do as time goes by (on a specific project) not more. If this is not the case, go back to planning as you might be starting new projects within the initial one without specifically identifying them as separate entities. The danger is that time will elapsed, the sign post get moved over and over again, and in the end nothing ever get completed. Seen this too many times over the years by exceptionally brillant peoples unable to keep their attention spawn on the orignal goal.
- Like it or not, time will pass irrespective of what you are doing. Make sure if you must set a firm deadline for a project that it is actually really needed. Remember to built-in some flexibility as it tends to be a much better avenue. It however might means scaling back on the scope for greater quality outcome.
Finally, planning can be fun but executing is even better. Go for it!
Ruminating... 