If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Have you ever had something you needed to get done, but you weren’t sure how to start?  Was the task so big that it appeared overwhelming?  Carrying out some simple planning steps before you get started can not only help you get the job done quicker with less stress, it can also make it more rewarding.

Let’s imagine on your list of “Things to do” you may have:

Things to do

• Do the washing
• Buy cat food
• Organise trip to China

First of all, congratulations – writing a list is the first step in effective planning.  The next step is the most important: breaking up the big, ugly, important jobs into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Why?  Otherwise the job may not get done until the last minute or not at all, overtaken by the easier, more friendly tasks on the list.

So let’s make this job a bit more manageable:

Things to do

• Do the washing
• Buy cat food
• Organise trip to China
  • Set dates
  • Book leave for work
  • Plan route
  • Find hotels
  • Book tickets
  • Book hotels

The great thing about doing this is that the job no longer seems as scary or daunting, and once you complete each mini-task you can have the satisfaction of crossing them off the list.   The more specific you can make the tasks the better. You may find it helpful to set a deadline for your tasks – put it on your wall planner, or your computer or phone calendar.

Happy planning!

Flickr photo by Jayel Aheram