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What is your top priority?
Planning!
Planning is my top priority. And if you want more success and less stress in your life too, then I suggest planning is henceforth your top priority.
Here’s why:
1) Planning creates results
Planning is thinking. Planning is also deciding. When we think more and decide more, we become more strategic, we create more results.
2) Planning helps you to clarify your priorities
If we don’t plan we spend a lot more time doing “busy” work. You know, all the little easy seemingly urgent things that come in every day? Those tasks aren’t necessarily important and often aren’t the activities that will help you reach your goals. When we don’t plan, we don’t give ourselves space to decide what is more important. We don’t give ourselves enough time to spend on the strategic long-term goals we have for ourselves. Planning takes care of this.
3) Planning reduces the things that are urgent
Do you find yourself often scrambling to meet deadlines? It’s probably because you haven’t allowed enough time to plan and think intentionally through how much time you really need to get something done. Planning also gives you the space to think about how to manage other people’s expectations of your time and what’s more important for you to focus on.
4) Planning helps you manage your energy
Have you ever felt exhausted at the end of the day? I bet if this happens a lot then you’re probably not planning. When you plan it reduces decision fatigue and switching between tasks – these are two of the main reasons we feel tired at the end of the day.
5) Planning helps you manage unplanned events
Yes, there are times when emergencies happen and we have to veer off of your plan. But do you know what? The plan can still help you because you’ve already used it to allocate your priorities and in an emergency, you can use it to quickly adjust, delegate or delay certain activities. Plus, a plan helps you to get back on track faster after an emergency.
Just imagine if you planned your week ahead, and gave yourself enough time to complete each task as well as enough time for breaks?
What would you be able to achieve in a year if you planned consistently?
Your top priority from now on is planning.
TAKE ACTION:
- If you haven’t already done so within your week, plan when you will work on planning. Schedule between 1-2 hours every week to plan your week ahead.
- My favourite time to do this is Friday afternoons for the week ahead. Some people prefer Sundays or Monday mornings. Find a time that works best for you.
- Plan time to think and for your big strategic projects and goals
- How much time have you planned to give yourself space to just think? To be creative? To test and play with some new ideas?
- How much time have you planned for your strategic projects and goals?
- Many executives say to me the thing they want most is time to think and be strategic
- Most CEO’s say to me the thing they want most is for their employees to spend more time thinking and being strategic!
- Plan between 1-8hours every week for thinking and strategic planning.
- COACHING: If you would like my help to double your productivity in the next 3 months, then book a free consultation with me here.
