YOU CREATE YOUR FUTURE BY DELIBERATELY CONTROLLING THE SMALLEST UNIT OF LIFE, TIME!
We can never get to our desired destination in life by chance, it must be by a calculated effort towards a desired goal.
PLANNING IS THE KEY TO CHANGE, ACHEIVEMENT AND TRANSFORMATION.
But planning is not just saying "i will do this", it involves strategy, detailed analysis, then of course, action.
In order to fully maximize ones potential and more easily achieve goals, it is important that we work towards developing every area of our lives. So in planning, we must plan to develop our total self, not just our finances or academics for example
AREAS TO PLAN
• Finance
• Relationship
• Academics
• Recreation
• Career/Business
• Family
etc.
STAGES IN PLANNING
Planning is divided into systematic stages.
Identify the goal
This is the first step, which must be done carefully and in as much detail as possible. “To become somebody “ is not good enough as a plan, rather, becoming a first class student within 2 semesters, or own my own house, buy my first car, grow my business to a 10 million naira investment in 1 year, these are specific plans.
Of course, you will most likely have a lot of goals you would like to achieve, but make sure you list them all and make them specific.
Break them down
Next you need to break the goals down into smaller steps. Becoming a first class student demands that you score all As in your courses, such a goal can then be broken down into scoring As in individual courses. A goal must be broken down into individual and distinct steps, the sum of which leads to the ultimate fulfillment of your goal.
Another reason why goals must be broken down is to make them look more attainable. When you focus on achieving a small segment of the goal at a time, it makes it easier than when you only have the big picture to steer at all the time. after a while, the big picture will begin to intimidate you, when time passes and you are still far from achieving it in your own eyes.
Set a time frame
There must be a specific time within which you desire to achieve your goal. This has two advantages: first, it drives you and places a measure of healthy pressure on you, especially when the set time begins to draw near. Secondly, it gives you a way of measuring your progress.
However, ensure that the time frame is realistic.
Find out what you need to achieve your goal
Every dream has its requirements, every vision has its demands. To achieve your goal, there are things you must have, know and do, you must discover them all. You do this by asking those who have done what you want to do, and generally searching high and low, even the internet for information. This state is very crucial as a laps in this area means you miss out on a requirement which in the end could spell failure. Books are one of the most important means of getting such information.
NOTE: In setting a time frame for achieving your goals, ensure you put into consideration the time you will need to spend in learning and training, especially if demands a lot of it.
Set up Indices
You must have land marks, points you define that help you measure your progress. For example, you can define a level of progress within a week of a few months, which if you achieve, lets you know that you are on schedule.
Be accountable to someone
This is very important as you could get discouraged, tired or just bored along the way, but if you are accountable to someone it helps you stay focused and constantly reminds you that you have work to do.
Make sure you celebrate the little achievements at each evaluation point, it encourages you and helps you know you are making progress, even if you are still far from the goal.
Work daily
Every day, pick a task and tackle it. Don’t be weighed down by the size and volume of work to be done, simple take things one day at a time and after a month, you would have done 30 tasks (assuming you perform a task a day).
Planning Tools
There are various tools that make planning easier, some of them include:
• Outlook or other PC based organizer
• Task sheets for writing all tasks to be done and daily tasks.
Tasks are crossed out as they are accomplished
• Spending planner and budget sheet
• Organizing that you can carry about.
•
Live Deliberately.
TiOLUWA
