What is Planning?

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” Alan Lakein

Planning gives you the certainty of what you should be doing. It helps you avoid the pitfalls of allowing yourself to get sidetracked by events and circumstances.

We have to know what we want (our goals), why we want them and take action to move towards them.

I.                   WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT PLANNING

1.     Right planning leads to increase

Prov. 21:5

⁵ The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

2.     Planning is Wise

Prov. 6:6-8

⁶ Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, ⁷ Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, ⁸ Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.

3.     Planning can save you from embarrassment

Luke 14:28-32

²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—²⁹ lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.

4.     God Plans

Isaiah 46:9-10

⁹ Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning…”

II.                PLANNING IS ESSENTIAL FOR A PREFFERED FUTURE

1.      Without plans and clear-cut goals our dreams are doomed.

Gen 8:22

²² “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

2.      Goals are powerful, but without a process to follow that can lead you to their completion, they are almost worthless.

Every year more than 70 percent of people make New Year’s resolutions Forbes magazine reported in 2013 that only eight percent of people who make New Year resolutions keep them.  In fact, 35 percent of people who make New Year’s resolutions break them by the end of January.

3.     Plans and Goals must be written

Habakkuk 2:2-3

² Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. ³ For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, It will not tarry

In 1979, the graduates of a class of Harvard were asked, “Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?” The results of this survey showed that only three percent of the graduates had written their goals down and created a plan. Of the remaining graduates, 13 percent had goals, but they were not in writing, the remaining 84 percent had no specific goals at all. Ten years later, in 1989, the researchers interviewed the members of that class once again. They found that the 13 percent who had set goals that were not in writing were earning, on average, twice as much as the 84 percent of students who had no goals at all. However, the three percent of graduates who had clear, written goals and a plan when they left Harvard were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97 percent of graduates all.

III.             STEP BY STEP PROCESS FOR PLANNING THE MOST PRODUCTIVE YEAR OF YOUR LIFE

1.     Review the Past

Do an overview of your life. Look back over your last 365 days and recall both the good and bad events. Capture all your memories of the events, and results you have achieved. Record everything you remember.

2.     Rate Your Life as it is Now

Look at your life as it is right now. Dig deep and find out how you are doing in the 8 key areas of your life (Finances, Social Life, Career, Professional Life, Possessions, Health, Passion, Purpose and Relationships, Mind & Personal Growth. Rate yourself in each area from 1 to 10. Be honest.

3.     Determine Things You want to Improve

Having examined your life and scored yourself for these eight key areas, you now need to determine the things you want to change or improve. Look over each of the key areas and ask yourself what one change will bring about the biggest improvement in my life for each of the eight areas. Write as many answers as come to your mind. Then choose the four that you feel are the most important.

IV.              ENVISION YOUR FUTURE

Now you will daydream and see how life has worked out, what you are doing, who you are with, picture everything you can about this life. See yourself waking up in the morning and see a perfect day play out. Look ahead somewhere between three in five years into your future. The key here is not what you decide but what you see

  

V.                 MORE CLARITY ON YOUR FUTURE

Go through your perfect vision see all the things you want to “be”, “do” and “have” and write them down. Check over your list of things you want to improve, to find anything else you may want to add to your “be”, “do” and “have” list.

VI.              DETERMINE YOUR BREAKTHROUGH GOAL

Look at your preferred life vision, your “be”, “do” and “have” list and the things you want to change and determine one big goal that, if you achieve it in the next 365 days, would result in the four improvements you want to make, and bring you closer to your preferred life vision.

VII.           BREAK DOWN YOUR BREAKTHROUGH GOAL

Break down your Breakthrough Goal into four specific goals, the achievement of which will bring about your Breakthrough Goal. Write these goals down.

VIII.        WRITE DOWN YOUR WHY

You now need to give yourself powerful reasons for why your goals are must-dos. Go through your four 365-day goals and think of all the reasons these goals are truly important to you. Write these reasons down.

IX.               DETERMINE HOW

Determine the actions you need to take to bring about your 365-day goals. Be specific, decide exactly what task need to be done to achieve these goals. Work out every action you need to take to attain each goal and then categorize them into four high valued activities.  Write these down.

X.                  LIST YOUR LONG-TERM PRIORITIES

You must never lose sight of your long-term future, always keep the long term goals before you.