TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME, ALWAYS HAVE PLAN B

“It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.” Same concept, with just a slight change in the order of the words.

This quote is an interesting paradox. If you don’t have a long range plan, how do you know what direction you’re headed and what the next few steps are?
However, fate can be fickle, and change is going to happen to even the best laid plans. To me this quote is a simple caution about planning too far in advance at too detailed a level. Yes, you need a plan for the future.

Just don’t write it down to the last detail. Between now and then, things will change. Sound simple enough?
To me, the concept of proper planning involves enough of a long range plan to know where you’re going, but not obsessing with the details past a certain point.

careful

Where is that point? Depends on what you’re planning. If it’s a picnic lunch, be careful of the weather.
Even planning a few days out could be too far (be sure to have a plan B, in case it rains).
Proper planning will give you a goal and an approach, but both will need to be flexible. It will include a series of steps designed to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

The first step or two may include some details, but after that, the plan should be as flexible as possible. At least that’s how I do it.
While we recognise that plans need to be flexible due to the inevitable changes of life, we still need to make plans. Part of the flexibility is in the level of detail.

specific

If you don’t know who’s going to show up at an event six months from now, don’t assign specific people to specific jobs. Just make a list of jobs and responsibilities and fill the details in when you get closer to the date, right?

For example, my project car has a fairly complete list of things that need to be done before its road worthy again. Some parts of that list are very specific, even though they are far away on the timeline. I don’t know who will do the work or what parts I will use, but know that I need to rebuild the rear axle and the brakes.

sufficiently

The plan is sufficiently specific to move me forward, but the details are deferred until later. Some alternatives are on a list, including different gear ratios, the possibility of upgrading to disc brakes and a limited slip differential of some sort. What I do will depend on what I am able to do myself, and what I’ll have to hire out, as well as how much money I’m willing to spend. How is that for an example?

With the New Year fast approaching, I thought it might be worth looking forward a bit and getting an idea of what you want to accomplish in the New Year. For the moment, don’t put too much thought into it, as this is just going to be a dry run, OK?

example

Grab some paper and select a portion of your life you want to work on in the coming year. As an example, I want to lose about 5 kg of fat and gain the same weight in muscle (for a net of no weight change). What is your goal for the next 12 months?

This is only a trial run, so just write something down. Now, let’s break it down into chunks. For me, the change I want to make will require more exercise and less eating. I know I’ll have to cut back on snacks. I don’t know how much snacking I can still do and make my goal, so that level of detail will be determined by feedback as I go.

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