Kickfannie TimeMatters

by Terry Monaghan for Kickfannie Operations

Planning 101 (or NOW what do I do?)

“He who every morning plans the transactions of that day and follows that plan carries a thread that will guide him through the labyrinth of the most busy life.” ― Victor Hugo

Last spring, a workshop participant sent an email asking me to clarify for her how she could take her current work and life schedule and move it to the schedule she had designed in the exercises she did in the workshop. My first response was - you have to sit down and do some planning. She said she knew that was what she needed to do next, but she wanted to know what that would entail.

I remember thinking – wow, she really doesn’t know what I am talking about! This made me look at what planning is, how it happens, and was there a basic structure that could be used to allow my clients to plan out their projects, the fulfillment of their goals, their vacations, their lives, etc.

Now, almost everyone has had the experience of planning something. And many of us have planned for something, only to realize that we were missing some key information that would have completely altered the plan if we had had it!

Some people will plan to plan to plan to act (without ever taking the first action), while others will just jump in, work furiously, and hope it all turns out.

What do you think might be possible if you set aside 90 minutes each day when you could just focus on your most important project? Don’t answer the phone, don’t answer the email, don’t answer the door – just focus? Do you think setting aside the 90 minutes might take a little planning?

Now add in the fact that we all have lives outside of work which come with their own set of demands on our time and resources. And there are times and circumstances that will throw a monkey wrench into everything (blizzard, anyone?).

What is needed is a simple framework for planning that can be applied and adapted to any situation. Remember, I said simple – so those of you who are planning-phobic can use it. And it will also satisfy those who want a detailed plan before they act.

What is this framework? It consists of seven basic steps:

1.  Set the objective
2.  Assess the present situation
3.  Examine your alternatives
4.  Decide your course of action
5.  Provide for control
6.  Implement the plan
7.  Repeat steps 1 through 6 as often as necessary

You could think of it as a process of asking and answering a series of questions. Your plan is complete when you have sufficient clarity in your answers and can virtually see the accomplishment unfolding before you. You do not have to have ALL the questions identified and answered – this would lead to paralysis! As you move through the implementation phase, more questions will arise – and the ‘repeat steps 1 through 6’ will come into play.

Let’s go back to the first six steps above, and look at what some of the questions might be.

Set the objective: Where are you going? What is your intended outcome? What is the point of the activity or task? The answers to these questions keep you on track, and keep you connected to your goal. Without the question – the goal become all too easy to forget and the task becomes some horrible version of going through the motions with no real point.

Assess the present situation: Where are you now? What is your starting point? What resources are available? What resources are not yet available? Knowing exactly where you are as you begin to plan is just as important as knowing where you want to go. Think of your plan as the output of a GPS – you have to enter two key pieces of information before anything else can happen – where you want to go, and where you are.

Examine your alternatives: Brainstorm. What are all the possible ways you could get where you are going? This is not the time to be practical or realistic. Remember, brainstorming is designed to bring up some ideas you may not have considered or even thought of. So, swing out – do whatever you have to do to get yourself outside your box. Bring in a team or group of friends to help with the brainstorming. Outside input is very valuable at this stage. Your friends and advisors are not as deeply invested and attached as you are, and will always be able to see things you can’t.

Decide your course of action: Which route are you going to take to reach your goal? Determine the schedule and milestones for the project. Decide who is going to do what, when, where. Communicate it. Schedule it. Many plans fall apart when it comes to putting everything into the calendar. Remember, you aren’t operating in a vacuum. There will be activities and other tasks in the schedule that will impact your plans. What are they? Check back to step 2 – assessing your present situation would also include a review of what is already in process. You will most likely discover that there are already commitments in your calendar (and the calendars of team members and collaborators), which will necessitate tweaking the plans somewhat. Better to discover this now.

Provide for control: When are you going to review progress? Get it in everyone’s schedule. How will you determine if you are ahead or behind? Go back to your milestones – they should include not only what will be done but also by when. What will you do when breakdowns occur (and they will)? What if you are way ahead of schedule? Do you have a plan B? What can go wrong with the plan? If you think through this now, it will save you a great deal of time going forward. Think of it as a form of disaster preparedness for your plan – and every plan should include it.

Finally, implement the plan: Go do it! Follow the plan. Review your progress regularly. Correct and adjust course as necessary. Incorporate new information into the plan as it becomes available.

Before you know it, you will have reached your desired objective.

About the Contributor

Terry's clients find themselves working on what is most fulfilling and what really matters in moving things forward rather than what they previously thought they "had to do." The things you hoped to get to someday become the things you work on today.

With over 30 years of business and entrepreneurial experience, Terry's unique technology has dramatically increased the productivity of Fortune 100 executives and entrepreneurs in a variety of industries. As a Keynote Speaker with the Tony Robbins Power Team, Washington, DC, Terry inspired audiences in our Nation’s capital to “Eliminate the Overwhelm!” To learn more about Time Triage™ check out Terry’s website at www.timetriage.com

Submit Questions for Terry to answer at TimeMatters@kickfannie.com