The indispensability of planning (I)

“CAREFUL planning puts you ahead in the long run; hurry and scurry puts you further behind.” Prov 21:5 MSG.

“Any enterprise is built by WISE PLANNING, becomes strong through COMMON SENSE and profits wonderfully by KEEPING ABREAST OF THE FACTS.” Proverbs 24:3-4

Success in the New Year is not a stroll in the park. It will demand hard work, mobilizing people and resources to achieve set goals, aims and objectives. It will involve a myriad of duties and responsibilities and without the ability to properly plan and effectively execute the plans, one is likely to be disorganized, disoriented, ineffective and frustrated.

To make our lives count we must have dreams and goals for which we must develop strategies to bring them into reality. Goals are what we want to achieve and plans are the how, when, where and how to achieve them.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” Pablo Picasso

Life doesn’t just happen. We cannot reach our highest potential or live a meaningful life if we are not deliberate and one critical step in this regards is goal setting, planning and action.

“Unless you have definite, precise, clearly set goals, you are not going to realize the maximum potential that lies within you.” Zig Ziglar

We need to plan ahead to be able to go ahead.

“Always plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.” Richard Cushing

We must know how to plan.

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” Proverbs 21:5 NLT.

Planning is a very critical component of our lives and we must be adept in “While vision is having foresight about the future, planning is having forethought about the future. Planning involves thinking through a given task, it is brain work. Someone said if you aren’t committed to mental work, you will end up doing menial work. Planning is trying to solve tomorrow’s problems before tomorrow comes, it enables the planner secure the future (Proverbs 21:5). Planning helps to prevent wastes and dissipate resources; Jesus before miraculously feeding the 5000 men instructed them to be seated in groups of 50 and thereafter gathered up 12 baskets of leftovers (Luke 9:10-17). Planning also helps to conserve energy and to relieve tensions. Planning helps the planner chart the course which is necessary for the next level of accomplishment.

To be continued.

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Nehemiah laid out a detailed and strategic plan before venturing to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and he was able to accomplish the daunting task in just 52 days.“ Adegboyega Esan

Lack of adequate plans will lead to loss of influence, a waste of resources and defeat of purpose.

“Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

The first thing we need to do at the beginning of the year or better still what we should have sorted out before the year started is our purpose. Purpose answers the question WHY. It gives a reason why something exists or has to be done.

There can and there will be no need for a plan if there is no purpose. Purpose comes first before planning. Purpose is anticipated outcomes. We must have outcomes we anticipate to happen in the New Year.

We must know how we will move from point “a” to point “b” and to do this successfully, there must of necessity be a plan.

Purpose without a plan will be unrealized. We must be a purposeful people who work out an executable plan to achieve our purposes. We must do things step by step. We must be strategic.

A plan is a series of steps to be carried out to accomplish goals, aims and objectives.

To fail to plan is to plan to fail.

TO BE CONTINUED.

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THE INDISPENSABILITY OF PLANNING Part Two.

“Any enterprise is built by WISE PLANNING, becomes strong through COMMON SENSE and profits wonderfully by KEEPING ABREAST OF THE FACTS.” Proverbs 24:3-4

Last time we began talking about plaig. Success in the New Year is not a stroll in the park. It will demand hard work, mobilizing people and resources to achieve set goals, aims and objectives. It will involve a myriad of duties and responsibilities and  without the  ability  to properly plan and effectively execute the plans, one is likely to be disorganized, disoriented, ineffective and frustrated.

To make our lives count we must have dreams and goals which we must develop strategies to bring them into reality. Goals are what we want to achieve and plans are a series of goals we project how, when where and how to achieve them.

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” Pablo Picasso

 

Consequences of lack of planning

 

1) Disorganisation

 

2) Abandoned projects.

When our purpose is formulated and well articulated then, we must plan to execute purpose by translating our purpose into work, schedules and habits.

These are three very critical elements of planning which we must adopt in executing our purpose for the year.

 

Our anticipated outcomes must be translated to work. Plans do not just happen they must be worked on.

“The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.”  Proverbs 21:25.

“Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan.” Tom Landry

For work to be meaningful and productive, it must be done at the right time. Doing the right thing at the wrong time will result in the wrong results. We must do the right thing at the right time in the right way in which it ought to be done.

“There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth.” Eccl. 3:1 MSG.

We must plan our time well. We must take control and take charge of our time. We must maximize our time knowing that time is the most important resource on the earth and we must also realize that time can never to recycled. Once time is lost, it is lost forever.

“Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil. Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 Amplified.

 

We have to plan if our lives will count.

“Too many people wander around without a clear purpose. With planning, you can avoid that type of time-wasting and aimlessness.

 

To me, there are five main reasons why I plan my days, months, and years.

 

More clarity—When I don’t know what to do, I procrastinate, waste my time, and feel bad.

Saves time—When I think about what I want to do in advance, I’m more effective.

Boosts creativity—Planning helps me come up with more creative things to do in my life. It also helps me come up with creative solutions to my challenges.

Momentum—Planning helps me keep moving forward, so I hardly ever get stuck.

Better thinking—The process of planning forces you to think hard about what you want to do, and how you’re going to do it. That will improve your thinking skills.

There’s one caveat to planning that I want to get out of the way before we get into the process. You can plan life and set goals, but you can’t control outcomes. In fact, planning has nothing to do with control—it has everything to do with getting started.” Darius Foroux

CONCLUDED.

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