Whether it be events for extracurriculars, goals for the future, hangouts with friends, or just your day, planning can be an important part of your life. Planning gives you structure, a sense of accomplishment, and more freedom to focus on the things you want to focus on. This article will detail how to go about making a plan for any situation.
Brainstorm
Before you can make a plan, you have to know what you’re planning! Brainstorming is a huge part of planning that is often overlooked. Especially when working with a group, it is important to share ideas so the best one is chosen. One way to brainstorm is to write down or say as many ideas as you can in five minutes. This allows you to consider ideas that you may not have originally considered because you thought they were not feasible.
Set Goals
Setting goals can really help you stick to your plan. SMART goals are a great technique for this step. The “S” in SMART stands for specific, the “M” stands for measurable, the “A” stands for achievable, the “R” stands for relevant, and the “T” stands for timely. By following this framework, you can make planning easier because you know what you want to accomplish. There are videos online that explain how to use SMART goals.
Allocate Tasks
When working in a group, it is important to allocate tasks because it takes some of the stress off your shoulders. Try to split tasks up evenly by people’s strengths and the amount of time the tasks take to get done, so people have something they are good at and that they can speak for. Even when you are planning something by yourself, you can allocate tasks to certain days or times to break things up for yourself.
Prepare
Preparation is a vital portion of planning because it allows you to execute on your plan. Making a list is a great way to prepare because you can see all the things you need to get done and can decide when each of them needs to get done by. Gantt charts are a good way to prepare for plan execution because they also allow you to see your plan. There are tools online for making Gantt charts, which are easy to use and super helpful for planning.
Execute
Execution is the most important part of planning because it is when a plan actually comes together. One of the places people go wrong with execution is not sticking to the plan they came up with. It is important to be flexible when things come up, but it is also important to trust yourself and what you came up with originally.
