Planned Improvements

Hi All!

Today we get into the nitty gritties of planning.

When we talk about planning, we think of those great five year plans or something on that scale.
Not surprisingly, we are put off by the whole process. It is too big, complicated and if we ask "Did all that planning help us in any way?"..
the honest answer would probably be..
"mmm, not sure!"

So with this in the background, planning seems to be daunting.
But hey I am an optimist!
So let us start with the good news ..

Planning does not have to be so rigid.
Planning is not a do or die thing.
Planning is good for your health. ( truly... no jokes, it reduces stress!)
Planning is a good exercise for the brain.

...Can you tell, that I like planning?

So how can planning help your self improvement?

The best benefit of planning is not the plan but the PROCESS of planning.
The process of planning forces you to think of alternatives. It makes you ask those what if questions..

Q. What if I forget an important point?
A. May be I could take some notes with me.

Q. What if I over shoot the allotted time?
A. Oh .. I could ask Bala my friend to signal 3 minutes before the end of time.

Q. How can I remember not to put my hands in the pockets?
A. I need to find out what makes me put my hands in the pockets.. !

Well the last one is not technically a 'what if' question, but you, intelligent reader, understand my point don't you?

What are you waiting for?

1. Write down your objective.. no short cuts.. it needs to be written down.
2. Then start thinking how you would put into action.
3. Write down the questions that come up.
4. Then answer them to the best of your ability. All of the questions may not be answered.. never mind.. let it be. These unanswered questions are your limitations.

See, putting it down in writing is already giving you a good picture of how you can accomplish your objective.

This may seem a lot to do, to just learn to keep your hands off your pockets.

You are right! It is!!

More good news, as you get more practice with this planning thing you become adept at it and it becomes a natural process, like walking or drinking water. Even as you take up a new task, you would automatically start planning.

So what does your plan look like!

Do share!

See you all next week!

Gayatri