There’s this status quo I notice that most people are really bad at planning. When we grow up, our parents plan everything for us. Slowly (high school and beyond) that moves towards our own planning process and structure, but we’re just left to the luck we have in the guidance we receive from our surroundings.
We need to dramatically change this. The first step in owning everything in our lives is planning what’s ahead of us, using the learnings from what’s behind us. However, what I notice is that most people that suck at planning, postpone the planning to the ends of their days. When they wake up full of thoughts and feelings (and when the complexity and intensity of projects grows, this multiplies), they start being productive immediately. Work, work, work.
When actually this is as counterproductive as it gets. There’s just a certain amount of focused productivity we have in 24 hours. And the thing is, everyone gets the same 24 hours in their days.
What we need to learn is plan first. Instead of running around the whole day like a headless chicken.
People tell themselves that they know how to plan, but don’t have time to plan. But time, as we all know, is that equal-for-everyone 24 game.
If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend six sharpening my axe.
Abraham Lincoln said that. Indicating that there’s no point in just starting to chop. The same goes for working: You need to sharpen the axe; you need to plan.
Now don’t be shocked. If you want to plan impactful, you need to do something else. Communicate. Because planning without communication is just as sharpening an axe without a handle.
Planning first is as simple as this
- Plan (until it’s done)
- Communicate (until it’s done)
- Act (until time is up)
When you start off, you may be planning 20% or 30% of your time. That’s normal. You’ll get better at it, and output of your time acting will dramatically change for the better.
Now go. Plan first.