Plans Never Work

[mercuryrising]

I can not think of a time in my life where I planned something and events actually went according to how I planned it. I find it real difficult to realize any objective because of this...

My question is, have you ever made a plan and followed it through to its end?

If so, how did you deal with unseen obstacles or anything else that threatened to thwart your plans?

If not, what method do you use to reach your objectives?

[darthangel]

I agree with you 100%

Scroll down and read my post on "The Shocking Truth of Successful People." Most of them didn't plan but eventually caught the breaks, but to their credit they did plug away at what they were doing.

In fact, a one study show that if you plan too perfectly there's a good chance it won't happen. Too much planning limits scope, since this world is every-changing and your super-thought out goal can be nothing in one day.

Success goes to people who desire it, but don't plan it.

[Jarrod]

Don't plan what should happen, plan your actions to get you closer to a goal.

Then as time progresses you learn more about reality, you re-plan actions aiming again at your desired goal.

[gerardgoh]

Hi.
Everyone experiences your situation in their lives.

Jarrod and darthangel brought up 2 important points.

Don't focus on perfectionism, just start on whatever tasks you were planning to do, then later on you can improve on it.

And your plan should include the actions you must take, this will help you focus to get the results you want.

Plans work, if you are willing to work through it. If any obstacles comes up, you must have a back-up plan and just keep going. Stop thinking about the obstacle, it will only slow you down.

And keep in mind that you are not alone, many people deal with this situation, so don't stress over it too much. Start dealing with the problem and take action today.

I hope it helps.

[Remiel]

Hmmm I'm not sure how plans fit into my life. I set goals which to me are the destinations I want to visit and then for the most part allow my plans to remain fluid. Instead of planning out every single step I must take to reach the end goal I set sign posts along the way so that I can see that I am making progress towards my goal. That way I retain the flexibility of being able to do whatever whenever. I find that when I set my plans in concrete they tend to not come about to pass in the way I want them to.

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Hmmm, I was trying to think of how I've used plans in the past and I'm drawing a blank. I tend to set out with an objective and some ideas about how I might reach it, but if you're too rigid life is bound to muck it up.

Would you feel open to sharing what type of situation you are talking about and what your plan was along with the obstacles you faced? I have a feeling it might be easier to give advice. If not, no problem.

Basically, if I have a goal in mind I try to allow for unforseen obstacles. Since they are unforseen you can't really plan thoroughly around them, but the ability to "roll with the punches" is a great one to cultivate.

[writerros]

What's more important than the plan is your commitment in reaching your goal. All the best plans in the world won't work unless you believe in what you're doing and can see the end result.

Yes, I have had plans that have worked out - but they were flexible, allowed for opportunities that I hadn't thought of, and didn't concentrate too much on the "hows".

Ros

[uberinquisitive]

As everyone else said - firm objective/flexible plan.

For me, I believe that conscious mind actions (such as creating schedules, bouncing back from setbacks, or developing discipline) happen naturally when the subconscious mind is carefully monitored.

For me, I spent about a year trying everything from traditional cognitive therapy, EFT, accupuncture, inner child work, TAT, BSFF, NLP, group therapy, art therapy, hypnosis, etc.. It was worth every cent, every second.

[ingar]

I agree with you. If I plan i great detail then something allways comes up wich I have not thought of. I think that is more like a fact that we wont get around. There is allways something that has to be solved "on the spot".

But turn it around. If you tried to reach the same goal whitout any plans then you would have to solve everything "on the spot" and reaching the goal would be much more of a struggle. So planning is good, but one of several keys to success is desire. And that is a whole lot more important than planning.

If you truly desire a goal with all you hart, then you will be willing to go through all the problems that would show up along the way. You need to "implant" or "brainwash" a desire and when thats done, nothing can stop you from reaching the goals.

So the moral is, "How you reach your goal is not nearly as important as actually reaching it." So let plans be plans and focus on your goal that is ahead.

[Brutha]

Instead of planing, you should focus on being prepared for unseen opportunites.
Elliminate clutter from your life and work on increasing your skills.
Get friends that have the qualities you desire for yourself.

Prepare yourself for good opportunities.
And protect yourself from bad luck by doing things like backup up the data of your computer.
Look constantly for good opportunites regardless of whether they fit into your plan.

Be prepared for whatever good opportunity comes your way.

[Tabs]

The one big reason plans work is because YOU ACT ON THOSE PLANS. You set you goal, break them down to small tasks yada, yada, yada, I know you know the drill. This is the kicker, work effectively not efficiently. You do something everyday that creates a forward motion, as in, it gets you closer to your goal.

Cut out the time wasters, have you had days when you seat in front of your computer for over eight hows and accomplish nothing, but you were working all day. Time wasters like email, getting caught in the web of blogs (pardon the pun), forums and other distraction you will be spinning your wheels and getting nothing done.

When I start my day, I think, this is either going to be a successful day, I get 80-100% of my tasks done or a failure (i have done nothing tangible the entire day). Talk about getting my behind in check, I sleep much better on successful days and work twice as hard on days after a failed attempt.

Yes, calling a day a failed attempt may seem harsh, but in the time i have adopted this policy my productivity has quadrupled.

Hang in there, life is one big classroom...

One of my favorite quotes:
"If you don't have a plan for yourself, you'll be part of someone else's."
-American

[Trezker]

Don't think of your plans as something you make up once and then follow. The major reason for this is that a perfect plan takes an eternity to, err, plan. And that's a waste of time.

Of course you should do your research. But your first plan should be pretty undefined for the most part. Just make an approximating sketch, a loose layout to get a hint at how it might turn out. Only do a detailed plan for the foreseeable future, like the next week.

Every week you should review the whole plan, make adjustments and plan out your next week. Plans are fun if you keep them interactive.

If you only plan once and then follow the same plan for years, which is impossible, you'll feel like a slave under a plan made by another you. The plan might as well have been made by a sadistic boss totally out of sync with your current reality.

[Freelancer]

Ah plans, one of my favorite subjects.
I always make them and rarely follow them haha.

Doesn't matter either way, a plan is there to give me a sense of direction and where I am heading. Its not a exact schematic, its not like I have a building to make and everything has to be correct to the millimeter. A human being is never that rigid. Now I plan on how I want to build the skills that can then be used to accomplish my goals.

My basic reasoning goes like this;
Figure out what I want.
Figure out what skills I need to get what I want.
Figure out how I can get those skills.
Start taking basic steps towards developing these skills.
Make a plan to master these skills, keep on working.

Most important part is taking action, the plan always comes second.

[mercuryrising]

Thanks for all these answers.

To ATC, I didn't have a particular objective in mind. I could give an example, though.

I would like to go back to school. I've had a lot of ideas of what I might become. The latest (greatest) one has been an electronics technician and then going for electrical engineer. School, in a way, is easy to plan. You need so many credits in so many classes. But then a lot of weirdness jumps up in my way. Like I need to drive to class and the car breaks down. The class I'm required to take is at an odd time that is difficult for me to make. Something happens with my job or my family and I'm distracted by the lack of stability. It's not enough that I have to study and take tests, just showing up is a test.

Sometimes I get the feeling that whenever I create an objective, the world conspires against me. It's never simple and straight forward. I realize this is just a crappy perception of mine. I gotta tell you, though, there are moments when it feels very, very real.

I figure that I've been going about this the wrong way. Hence this thread. It's nice to see I'm not alone. I know that I'm not the only one, but sometimes I don't see it that way... if that makes any sense.

I like the idea of planning week to week or even day to day. Maybe with some long-term objectives hovering in the background. I live like a bohemian, but oddly enough, I crave a structured environment. I like having a schedule because then I don't have to worry about it.

Maybe I'm answering my own question here. I don't know... what do you think?

[{aspiring_to_clarity}]

Well, in your school example I can relate. When I started college I didn't have a car so I had to ride the bus. That was two hours each way with transfers. If it was raining, I got to class soaking wet. There were people there who were barely living (had really bad home situations, lack of money, no transport) and still made it to school.

I think that if you crave structure then it's a good idea to give yourself some. Just realize that it's not set in stone. I personally do really well with routine and planning, but I've had to learn that it won't always go as you think it will. You just have to adjust as needed.

Most of the obstacles you listed about school area easy enough to overcome. If you make them into something bigger in your mind (which is a skill I have in spades) then they will overwhelm you. I would keep your end goal (degree) in mind, plan for the day, week, semester and then take things as they come up -- rather than expecting all of these things to go wrong. When you worry, you create an environment for the unexpected and troublesome to happen.