People are divided into two types: those who plan their lives five years in advance, writing out every day by the hour, and those who let things drift away. Both are convinced that their methods are correct. I myself belong to the first type, but I respect the opinion of those who belong to the second. So do not come down on me if our opinions differ.
The pros and cons of planning
These advantages and disadvantages I have compiled personally from my own experience, and I think they will agree with most people's opinions.
Pros of planning
+ Life control.
By making a plan for tomorrow, a week, a year, or 5 years, you realize you have control over your life.
With planning, you can structure your day however you want. You have the power to make time for sports, hobbies, or games. It makes you feel a kind of control over your destiny.
+ Developing Discipline
Living on a schedule forces you to be busy all the time.
The power of our minds operates on a "do or die" principle. And if you also plan your day and set goals, that power doubles.
+ Efficiency and Productivity.
If you're one of those who complains about not having enough time, try scheduling your day.
Let's say you get up at 8am and go to sleep by 11pm. You have 15 hours at your disposal. Do you think that's not enough for your purposes? Not at all.
The most important and exciting thing is the allocation of those 15 hours. Remember, this will determine how quickly you reach your goals. The responsibility now rests solely with you.
"Every hour spent planning now saves every three hours in the future."
+ Don't forget anything
How often has it happened that you forgot to take time for other things because of work. For example, you were going to read a book in the evening, but didn't notice how time flew by and now it's bedtime.
Now, when you start to schedule your day, you will be free to decide what you spend your free time on. You will save your brain from having to memorize everything, because you will put your plans on paper and periodically look over them.
+ All successful people live their lives by planning.
You might ask, "But why would I plan my life if no one around me does?" I then have a counter question, "Who do you look up to?"
If you want to look up to successful athletes and businessmen, it is advisable to start planning. People like, Donald Trump, Michael Jordan, Bill Gates and others plan their day almost minute by minute.
+ Satisfaction
Often at the end of the day I feel a slight fatigue, but with it the satisfaction of the day. The realization that I've done so much is simply uplifting.
The minuses of planning.
I wouldn't call it a downside. Rather, they are mistakes that people make when planning. It's no big deal. How to fix and not make these mistakes again is written in the following paragraphs.
- Unexpected Circumstances.
The hardest part begins when unexpected circumstances burst into life and ruin plans. Remember, you can't know everything in advance. No one is in 100% control of life.
- Stress
If for some reason plans fall apart, many people become stressed and give up. Thus they buckle under the circumstances. Now fate owns them. And this should not be allowed.
- New opportunities
New opportunities can come at any time. And if your plans do not fit them, the opportunities quickly slip away.
- Frameworks.
Bad planning can easily lock you into a box and keep you there until you learn to adjust.
- Routine
Making a to-do list is far more fun than following it. Doing the same thing every day can be tedious and you may want to reschedule or bail. Gradually life on a schedule can turn into a routine.
What is the right way to plan?
Probably half of the readers, after looking at the cons, have changed their minds about planning. I declare that you jumped to that conclusion.
I will now break down all the mistakes and you will understand why you need to live by a plan.
Many people want to incorporate planning into their lives, but break down as soon as something doesn't go according to plan. How do you prevent this from happening? Here are a few recommendations:
1. First, goals and plans for the day come out of goals and plans for the week, which in turn come out of plans for the month, etc. So the conclusion is that in addition to a day, it is advisable to plan for a week, a month, and a year.
2. For each thing - a certain amount of time. This is the basis of the basics. I think I do not need to explain the principle of work.
3) To live according to plan - not bad, bad - not be able to adjust to circumstances. So you have to have backups. In the event that something goes wrong, there will be a plan B.
Sometimes circumstances are not the best. Do not worry about it. Step back from the plans and take a breath, give yourself time to think about what to do next.
5. Do not forget about rest. The best way to rest is a change of activity.
6. Prioritize. Prioritize each activity from 1 to 3. Where 1 is the mandatory tasks that need to be done. 2 are less important things that won't be as disruptive if you don't do them. And 3 are the things you can safely put off for later.
7. Write down plans in the evening.
Experiment: live all day on a plan and the second day without a plan
Day on the plan:
7:00. Since I had written a to-do list for the next day from the evening, I woke up in the morning with a specific goal in mind.
10:00. One task accomplished, now we can have breakfast. While eating, I don't waste any time but watch an instructional video on how to iron a shirt properly.
11:00. What's the next task there? Diary to help: open it, see it, go do it.
14:00. An hour and a half to practice and lunch.
15:30. And then everything goes according to plan: work - dinner - work.
22:00. I go to bed tired.
A day without a plan:
12:00. In the morning, I woke up when I wanted to. I felt a kind of freedom, but along with it a dissatisfaction with myself. It was 12:00 and I hadn't done anything yet.
13:00. After breakfast, I could not decide what to do now. I thought I should do "this," but I shouldn't forget about "that. In the end, procrastination overcame me, and I sat on the phone until 2:00.
14:00. With some grief I pulled myself together and started the job, but it was a mess. I was constantly distracted while working. Whether it was a text message on the phone, or loud music outside the window.
20:00. The next thing I knew, it was all a blur. It's 8:00 p.m., and I catch myself with my phone in my hands. "Oh no, I've spent the whole day watching useless YouTube videos again!"
23:00. While I was trying to come to my senses, it was time for a nap. Well, that was the end of my "no plan" day.
You can draw your own conclusions.
Why is it better to live according to a plan?
I choose to live according to a plan. This is my choice and it depends on the following factors:
It's the only way I feel like I'm making progress toward my goals.
It keeps me on track.
I enjoy it at the end of each day when I take stock.
When making plans, most people only focus on the future and completely forget about the present. That's the biggest mistake. Don't let this happen. Live in the present and appreciate the moments. Don't live only by planning.
I suggest you spend a day this weekend in which you forget about time and don't watch it. Try it and see what happens.
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