Time Management Skills: Planning Ahead

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Time Management Skills: Planning Ahead

One of the best things you could do for yourself is to develop the discipline of planning ahead

Planning ahead is the best way to improve your time management skills.

Planning ahead is the best way to maximise your personal effectiveness.

Planning ahead will allow you to make more progress, in less time and effort.

NOT planning ahead sufficiently is why you sometimes fail.

NOT planning ahead is why you are not doing as well in life as you think you could.

By the way; not many people do as well in life as they think they COULD, because most people forget two vital things:

1. They forget to decide exactly what they want out of life and..
2. They forget to sit down and write out detailed written plans of action designed to get them exactly what they want out of life.

Most people don't have specific goals and most people don't have detailed written plans.

And as a result, most people end-up working for the smaller number who DO have definite goals and detailed plans.

What is the goal? What is the plan?

The goal is the target to be hit.

The plan is the method by which you will hit the target.

In any situation you need to know at least two things:

• What is the goal?
• What is the best method to achieve the goal?

Planning ahead more effectively would probably change your life for the better

Planning ahead is the act of anticipating what you will need to know, what you will need to have, and what you will need to do, in order to achieve your personal goals.

So it would be good if everyone was a little more committed to planning ahead more.

How can I be a better planner?

The best way to be a better planner is to learn the following set of questions and answer them in writing.

1. What goal do I want (or need) to achieve?
2. BY WHEN does this goal need to be achieved? Meaning: What is the deadline? How much time do I have?
3. In order to achieve this goal, what mental tools do I need? Meaning; what additional skills or additional knowledge or additional information do I need to gain? From where can I find this information, skill or knowledge?
4. In order to achieve the goal; what material resources do I need to gather? Meaning, what additional money, or new technology, or documentation and authorities do I need to have?
5. In order to achieve the goal; whose co-operation and assistance would I need (or like) to have: and how can I gain this person's cooperation?
6. With the above information in mind, then what is the complete list of activities that I need to do? What is the full "to do list" of items written in the best logical order?
7. From the list mentioned above, what is the very first thing to do? When do I need to start?

Achieve more with less effort

If you were to get into the habit of thinking about these 7 questions, and especially if you were to get into the habit of writing the answers down on paper, then you would find that your ability to plan ahead and to avoid problems and achieve more with less effort, would radically improve.

And if you were to memorise the 7 questions and start to ask the other people you work with the same questions, you would find that they would make fewer errors, and would not mess up so often.

You would have fewer things to put right and things would go better for you and the others too.

So why not memorise the questions and start practicing the art of planning ahead more.

Plan ahead in writing and you will be amazed at how much time, money and effort you save.

Time Management Training

Time Management Training

Most people feel they need help with time management. How can you get more done in the same amount of time? How can you stop other people wasting your time? If you want to know how, then click here to find out more about our time management training course.

About the Author: Chris Farmer

Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years’ experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.

Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.

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Further Reading in Time Management

• How do you judge what is "important"?
  We all agree that we should do the most important things first. But what we cannot agree upon is: HOW to determine what are the “most important things”.
  Read Article >
• What is the Action Priority Matrix?
  Prioritise your work using the Action Priority Matrix method and instead of filling your day with trivial tasks, you will accomplish more of the work that really matters.
  Read Article >
• How to plan your time effectively
  Good Time Planning Planning ahead (in writing) is one of the keys to personal effectiveness. You need to plan ahead. Failure to plan ahead would force you into the position of acting without a plan, meaning; you would be making it up as you go along, which would mean that you...
  Read Article >
• Don't Leave it to the Last Minute
  One of the most common mistakes people make, is to leave things until the last minute. Preparation is the distinguishing factor that separates the winners from the losers.
  Read Article >
• Time Management Apps to Enhance Productivity
  Everyone wants to make maximum progress with the least amount of time and effort. We have created the best time management apps to help you prioritise, set goals and make decisions. These apps are FREE and will help enhance your productivity.
  Read Article >

Looking for Time Management Training?

If you're looking to develop your Time Management Skills, you may find this Time Management Training Course beneficial:

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