It is said that poor planning precedes poor performance while proper planning prevents poor performance. We all want to achieve good results in life but not everybody is ready to do the needful- which is to plan properly. A plan is generally a diagram or list/outline of steps with timing and resources, used to achieve a desired goal. It is the road-map to achieving set goals. Having set your goals, you have to draw up a plan towards achieving each one of them. It’s like this; a goal is “what” you want to achieve while a plan is “how” to get the results! For instance, a student sets a goal to obtain a score of 90-100 % in his exams, he must be able to plan towards it strategically; he may decide to increase time spent studying, join study groups or get study aids so as to hit his target at the end of his exams. If your target is to lose some weight, you may need to draw up a weight loss plan like substituting unhealthy foods for healthier ones, eating more fruits and vegetables adding more physical activities to your daily routine and exercising more often. More specifically, this plan must be drawn step by step.
10 Benefits of planning
- Planning helps to organize your thinking
- It literally tells you how to hit your target
- It keeps you motivated
- It reduces uncertainty
- It allows for better usage of your resources; it prevents wastage
- It highlights your goals and objectives making them clearer and more specific
- It keeps you focused on the desired outcome
- It allows more creativity and increases your effectiveness
- It helps to save time and money
- It eliminates frustrations accompanied with not meeting unrealistic goals
Keep in mind that you always end up wasting a lot of time trying to fix things when they go wrong as a result of failing to plan properly. All that can be avoided with proper planning on how to achieve your set goals. You’ll be amazed at its effectiveness.
