20 September 2022

This week, I want to talk to you about planning again, but this week I want to try to explain to you why time spent planning is not wasted time.
Many people think that time spent planning is just a waste of time, which could otherwise be spent more productively by doing what they had actually planned to do. There is also this productivity myth which tells you that if you spend more time on something, you will achieve more. It is very hard to argue against the logic of this concept, but please bear with me, as I’m going to try to do so anyway!
This is because, if you think about it, it can actually also work the opposite way too, since the more time that you then spend on something, the bigger that task can then seem to you and therefore the more overwhelmed that you can also feel by it, especially if knowing that you still have more to do to complete it. It is therefore not so clear cut as it may at first seem.
As you have heard me say before, things never seem to go to plan. Many people like to say that you should hope for the best and plan for the worst. Some even go further than this and say that you should expect the best, plan for the worst and always prepare to be surprised!
Remember, I also heard somebody say once that plans are worthless, but planning is essential, so you often need to plan for things not to go to plan. Sounds a bit contradictory again, doesn’t it? But it’s just another paradox isn’t it?
The process of planning is very important preparation for doing anything successfully. Having a plan from the start, even if things change along the way, helps makes clear before you start something, what you need to do. Planning also always helps you feel more confident. And when you get better at planning, it also helps you identify what you may need to do if things don’t go to plan!
You only need to spend about 10 minutes everyday planning out three main things that you need to do that day – such as a large, a medium and a small task. Do not worry if you have less than this to do, but remember, more than three tasks may start to feel overwhelming again. Also, always try to keep tasks simple if you can, otherwise you risk distracting yourself by having too much to think about.
Usually, when people start to plan their day, those 10 minutes (more if needed) spent planning are at the start of their day, either when they physically get up, or when they start work. However, when they get good at planning like this, they can spend 10 minutes at the end of every day, planning out what they need to do the next day and then start to plan out their next week at the end of the week before!
Finally, plans should not be carved in stone, as you should always feel free to adapt them as you go along, if things don’t go how you initially planned for them to. Do not give up on the whole project, if one task doesn’t go exactly to the plan you had in your head. The trick is always to try to plan things out in ‘chunks’ that you can do a bit at a time and not try and do everything at once.
So, this week, try to start planning. But don’t try to plan everything at first, as trying to do too many things means that you will probably not get through them and will then just feel disappointed with yourself and may not try to plan again!




