Planning

[Kevy]

hi, does any body know of books or websites etc, that show you how to plan effectevely.

[machoman]

I think you must read this book definitely :
Amazon.com: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (9780671708634): Stephen R. Covey: Books

[sling15]

just curious but what do you want to plan for...is it something in particular?

[Kevy]

its not for anything particular. I am trying to improve my planning skills. I have read the 7 habits of highly effective people but i dont remember any systematic planning techniques in it.

[machoman]

Kevy, I think you need to be more specific if you want to get useful replies.

where do you need planning skills? Do you want to plan to improve your life? Or is it somewhat "technical"?(Like Engineering,etc)

[sling15]

i suggest you start by planning each day in advance. Jim Rohn said never start a day until the day is finished and that means you should plan your day the night before.

i had written a post about this in my blog a few months ago if you are interested

this is it
How to make the most of your priorities | Brian's Motivational Blog

[Kevy]

sorry for being so vague machoman, Its for planning my goals. I would like to know a systematic way of making effective plans that would allow me to achieve my goals and give me a bit more clarity.

[AlmostGodess]

Hello, Kevy,

I believe that in order to be successful with planning your goals, you need to find your own way of planning. For some people daily planning is perfect, for others weekly planning is more suitable and still for some of us some general guidelines for the month are enough. Try all the methods you learn about and see how you can personalize them.

If the big issue for you is starting to plan, then an initial brainstorming might be useful. Just write down everything you want to do. Everything. Then see if you can identify some categories (health, finances, relationships etc). Finally, put each of your goals in one of the identified categories.

If you could tell us more about the types of goals you are trying to achieve, maybe I could get more specific

Good luck!

[CoolBee]

First off, you could start with planning your goals in detail using the common technique known as SMART goals.
Specific - what specifically are you going to do
Measurable - how will you know when you have it - what will you measure?
A (Achievable/Ambitious various version) - is it doable by a human (walking to the Moon eg would not be!) or alternatively - is it ambitious enough to get you very excited and challenged?
Realistic - given your time constraints, resource constraints - doesn't mean you should limit yourself but say - if you could devote 3 months to this and nothing else is a different kettle of fish to having 3 months during which you are working full time, doing overtime at work, your wife is having a baby and you're moving house!
Time - what timescale?

So, for example, you might start with "I want to lose weight".

First of all try and state that in a positive way "I want to become slimmer or more healthy or look more attractive" (whichever is your real aim!)
Ok so

specifically, I want to become slimmer - for me this means losing 10kg.
Measurable - I will measure it using the weighing machine at the local gym which is more accurate than the scales on my bathroom floor which will vary by 2kg if I get on with the right foot first instead of the left foot. I will weigh myself once a week on a Tuesday morning at the same time and in the same clothes.
Achievable - yes people do it all the time, ambitious - yes because I have a number of hurdles to climb to get there
Realistic - yes - I have 2 weddings and a batchelor party to attend in the next 3 months but no holidays, and my mother is not coming to stay for 2 weeks feeding me up with home cooked food (whatever you need to note!)
Time - 3 months is a reasonable time scale for this goal.

Sometimes people also add ER -
E=ecological - how is this going to affect the people/environment around me - family, friends, colleagues
R=rewards - what is my motivation for this and what will be my reward for achieving it?


So then you look at all the factors and you can do this using a little mnemonic called:

SCHEMES

S=spaces - what spaces do I need for this project - eg you might need space to prepare food at lunchtime at work if you decide to take your own food in to follow your diet plan. Or you may need space to run if you decide that daily running will be part of your plan.

C= cash - what money do you need and do you have it? You may find buying more healthy food costs more than your regular food, or if you normally eat with family, providing separate meals might cost more. Gym kit or training shoes whatever.

H= helpers - what people are involved - who can help you with your project, who is affected by your projects etc.

E=equipment- you may need new shoes, kitchen weighing scales, whatever

M=materials (usually consumables) eg foodstuff, drink stuff, vitamins, these kinds of things.

E= expertise - what expertise is needed for this project - do I have it, do I need to buy it in, can I learn it, does one of my helpers have it?

S = systems - how are you going to do it, monitor it, log it, measure it etc.

So, once you have those down, this may help you see what you need to get in place first or start working on first to help you draw up timelines.

[Kevy]

thank you so much coolbee this is exactly what I have been looking for. Ive heard of the smart system before but ive never heard of schemes. It sounds really usefull. ill look into it abit more thanks again.