How to plan your time to get everything done. Mkrtchyan M.A. and other Theory and technology of collective training sessions. Beginner Course: Distance Learning Why Life Planning is Necessary

It will happen, but your lack of a life plan ensures that life either flows randomly or unfolds according to other people's plans.

Vision of my life: “Well, I will finish school, I will enter the Institute, I will start working, then I will get married… Well, we will probably have a child, we will solve the problem with an apartment, a car and a dacha. Then to retire - and to rest! - not life planning, but reproduction of a typical template. This is a story about how it usually happens with people, and a recognition that my life will flow like everyone else, along a well-trodden track.

Life planning is the construction of a specific plan for your life for a year, 3 years, 5 and 10 years and beyond, where high and inspiring goals are set. The first person to start planning his life (from famous people) was Benjamin Franklin.

Like long-term plans, life planning is a fairly rare phenomenon. Hardly more than 3% of the population of Russia have well-thought-out plans for their lives, especially well-thought-out and prescribed plans.

Most people live without setting any goals for themselves: goal setting is completely replaced by dreams, fantasies, grief, that “everything is wrong” and nothing at all: the phone rang, then the movie is cool on TV.

The plan is a throw into the future. The plan for your day is your future today. Monthly and quarterly plan is the future of effective organization. Your plan for the year and for life is your future. Few people live in the future.

How many people do you meet who seriously plan their lives, build a picture of the day ahead in the evening, set tasks for themselves in the morning, make a plan for the day and implement this plan?

Why is life planning important?

Both the most successful and the most worthless person on the planet have 24 hours in a day. But the first achieves a lot, and the second can get bogged down in a swamp of failures. The secret of this discrepancy is how and with what these 24 hours are filled. The first considers life as a long-term project, and the second, most likely, thinks little about the future - he lives for today and no more. Life planning is important for those who approach their lives responsibly, who want to do and achieve a lot in life. Life planning usually attracts results and is alarming, as it drives life into certain limits.

What would you say to the builders who, when planning to build your dacha, would ask for money in advance and say: you know, we will not draw a project, this reduces the freedom of creativity, and in general we are not used to it. Whatever happens, we'll build it. Would you give them money? There is a feeling that it is not. Now imagine that you are building a life. Do you have a blueprint for your life? Is this less of a responsibility for you? To yourself, as a builder of life - would you give money?

Life planning is thinking through your life in such a way that its result will definitely please you. It is necessary to develop business and life success, improve the ability to build relationships, strengthen your health and improve the well-being of yourself and your loved ones: create a life base. You can dream beautifully, but serious people think about the end result.

Vasya was a creative person, and working sleepless nights, he wrote very sincere poems in his village. His girlfriend Masha and another friend Fedya liked the poems, as a result of which, on the basis of common interests, Masha married Fedya, who also made good money as a machine operator. On this occasion, Vasya wrote another collection of poetry and sent all his poems to the city ... When Vasya was dying, his soul was warmed by a small gray pamphlet: after all, they managed to publish the poems in a scanty edition, although they were not sold out. Since Vasya was extremely poor, a commemoration was organized by Masha and Fedya, who had long ago built a strong house, raised children and planted a beautiful orchard. Of course, Fedya, unlike Vasya, no one could call an exalted and creative person, but how would you rate the result of their life?

Moral: the success of the project is determined not by the strength and loftiness of intentions, but by the amount of actually achieved result. ("The formula for success or the philosophy of life of an effective person")

Myths about life planning

A planned life is boring. Never true. A planned life allows you to accommodate much large quantity events and adventures. Imagine that you, going on vacation, left things in a suitcase somehow: not enough will fit into it. And if you folded things neatly, the vacant places were occupied by small things - more fit into the suitcase. Likewise in life.

Plan - limits development. This is if the plan is small, simple and not inspiring. And if you wrote Maximum Life and suddenly realized that there is very little time, and there are a lot of things to do, you will develop at a triple speed!

Plan - does not give freedom of creativity. And it's not true. No one bothers you to review and refine your plan every day, month, year, three years, so that you can correct what has already been written and add something new.

Planned life does not allow you to enjoy the present. Nonsense - just gives, and more with a margin, especially if you plan it. And if you don’t know how to plan, you will only enjoy the present in snatches and to the detriment of yourself. LookHurry to live in the present

Competent planning

If you have adjusted your life and feel that you can do great things and achieve, think about your Maximum life.

Life can be amazingly beautiful - let's make it so!

Who among us has not wondered what is the greatest value? Quite often opinions differ on this issue. Some believe that information, others - time. Although modern society has enough opportunities to save time, for some reason there is just not enough time. And immediately thoughts come to mind: “Why is technological progress playing a cruel joke?”, “How to have time to do everything and even well?”, “How to distribute and plan your day in order to at least partially unload yourself?”. Everything is very simple. You just need to learn how to plan the time correctly.

Rules to follow if you want to be successful

In order to do everything and have time to rest, you should:

develop a specific plan;
prioritize dealing with small matters of importance, without leaving them for later;
not to spend working time wasted on unnecessary things;
analyze completed tasks on a daily basis;
properly prioritize according to importance;
to keep order;
develop the willpower to follow new habits.

How to learn to plan your day: the stages of planning the time of the head

It seems to be correct to allocate working time, to determine the sequence of daily work is not difficult, however, not everyone can do it. If thoughts come to mind about how to do important things in a timely manner and not get tired, it is important to learn how to properly plan and allocate time. An important role here is played by a properly drawn up plan of the daily routine.

Do not forget about such an important factor as limited time. Time cannot be stopped, changed, returned, which means that the same applies to work, affairs, and our life in general.

There are the following stages of working time planning:

developing discipline (learning to control your day is an important task for a successful leader);
determining the degree of importance of cases (it is allowed to plan no more than 3 urgent cases per day);
rational distribution of cases into important, urgent, light, simple, insignificant;
drawing up a phased plan for the implementation of work;
getting rid of simple, small, easy things that take less than 10 minutes to complete (unloading the next days);
refusal of the manager from activities that “steal” time (watching TV shows, many hours of communication on social networks, gatherings with friends);
definition of each thing in the house and at work of its place;
getting rid of work junk (10 minutes a day is enough to sort through documents and throw away unnecessary);
choice of hobbies for leisure.

In order not to lose friends and save time correctly, you need to follow the rule: visit pages on social networks 2 times a week, set aside weekends for meeting friends, plan personal meetings in advance, reduce the time of “empty” telephone conversations to 15 minutes a day.

How to make a work plan

Fruitful planning is possible if you adhere to the following sequence in your work:

Determine the goals and objectives on the basis of which to develop a work plan. It can be short-term (for a week) or long-term (for a month, quarter, year).

Attention: A successful leader should not deviate a single step from the plan. You can make adjustments to it, for example, swap things, the days of important meetings, plan events for another time, but you can’t change them radically in any case.

Assign tasks and set deadlines for their completion. It is important to learn first of all to do things that have a limited time frame and those that require a lot of effort. Then you can plan medium-term tasks and work that requires the implementation of standard functions. The last thing to do is the less important work.

Mandatory marking of urgent matters that arose on the eve of execution in your diary or calendar (allows the manager to have time to do everything on time, without missing important points).

Analysis of all cases, reduction of the list of tasks (as far as possible).

To unload your day, it is important:

Follow the restriction of the execution of cases: no more than 3 urgent, no more than 10 in total per day.
In planning, adhere to the completion of complex tasks at a more favorable time, preferably in the morning, light ones - at the end of the work shift.
Do not perform the next work without completing the previous one (it is important to plan the tasks in stages, having completed the previously agreed ones).
Do not leave unfinished business, do not transfer them to the next business day.
If there are still outstanding tasks, it is recommended to make a note about them in the calendar of important cases, where they should be specially noted. In the event that the same task stably "lives" in the diary for several days in a row, it is worth considering how to refuse it or simply transfer it to another person performing it.

Secrets of rational planning

Proper planning of the day will allow:

assessment of the work plan, adjustment of tasks, drawing up a daily routine;
control over the execution of cases, elimination of the simultaneous execution of several tasks (otherwise there is a risk of low performance in work);
completion of the started cases;
elimination of obstacles that prevent the manager from fulfilling the assigned tasks, distract attention, affect plans;
alternation of work with rest;
time planning analysis;
continuous improvement of their performance.

Secrets of saving the manager's time

It is important to combine similar tasks, for example, combine negotiations, parse correspondence, respond to emails.
Equally important is the creation of a calm environment. This is necessary so that nothing distracts from work.
Limiting your working time will avoid unproductive results from business meetings.
The ability to prioritize is an important indicator of rationality and consistency of affairs, which affects the achievement of goals.
Performing exceptionally important tasks allows the leader to achieve high performance in his work.
A significant part of the time will help to save the distribution of tasks between employees.
Equally important is the phasing in the work. Moving towards the goal is much easier if you climb the stairs, starting with small things and reaching heights.
Keeping a diary of important things will help eliminate the overlap of one task on another, the accumulation of cases at the end of the month.
Important decisions are best made in the morning. In this way, you can create a feeling of success for the whole working day.
When making plans, schedules, it is important to take into account the true level of ability to work, since it is he who affects the final result of the work.

Think back to your biggest failures in life. Quarrels, misunderstandings that changed your whole life in a negative way. Failed exams, job interviews, etc. The reasons for such failures are similar, as a rule, they are the result of poor preparation and rash actions, below we will look at how to do everything and plan your day / week.

What will happen if an athlete stops training a month before the Olympics - skills and muscle strength will significantly weaken and he will take one of the last places. As in sports, in any business you need good preparation, without which the chances of success are greatly reduced.

The key factor in preparation is planning. There is "Rule 6 P": Properly undertaken planning prevents performance degradation.

Below I will give 7 ways to do everything with the help of proper planning of the day, week.

Method 1: Make a to-do list for the day

What is a task list for?

First, let's take a look at how our brain works. It has been found that we can keep under control no more than 7+-2 cases or important thoughts in our heads. To verify this, count how many circles are shown in the pictures:


Rice. one	Rice. 2	Rice. 3


Rice. four	Rice. 5

Most likely, in order to determine the number of objects in figures 1, 3 and 4, one glance is enough.

And for figures 2 and 5, one glance was not enough, it was necessary to count separately. The smaller the objects, the easier it is to manage them. The limit of the brain comes when the number Becomes more than 7+-2.

The same is the case with thoughts, at the same time in our head we can store no more than 7 + -2 tasks, the rest is forgotten.

Imagine a real life situation

You get up in the morning and go to work, on the way you remember that:

You need to buy a gift for the birthday of a loved one;
- Pay for the Internet, until it is turned off.

When you arrived at work:

Find out that you need to prepare a report today;
- I went in, a colleague asked to throw off the contract template;
- After the morning planning meeting, the boss asked me to do 3 things.

The head is already full, but time does not stop, a client, a loved one, a colleague may call you, an unforeseen situation may happen, etc. What happens in such a case? We forget something. If we forget to buy food in the store, then nothing terrible will happen, of course, but you can forget something more important: Do not come to an important meeting, take medicine, etc.

In addition, the more things we have in our heads, the worse our analytical abilities become, since energy is spent on remembering information.

Benefits of a notebook

Notebook - removes all the problems described above and has the following advantages compared to working from memory:

1) Writing down is always faster than memorizing. For example, write down cellular telephone 10-100 times faster than remembering. Also with business.

2) Energy saving. In order not to forget the important, we often remember, energy is spent on this. Notebook solves this problem.

3) Reliability. What is written with a pen cannot be cut down with an ax. Any business can be forgotten, against the background of fatigue, emotions or other things. But if tasks are written down, then forgetting is much more difficult.

You can keep a list of tasks on a regular sheet, notepad, but it is better if it is a notebook, because it has a calendar. The list of tasks for the day can be on a computer or paper. The most important thing is that you have it, because it is the basis for planning, like the foundation of a house. If the house does not have a foundation, then the maximum that can be built is a small one-story structure without heating made of plastic or plywood. Also, in planning, of course, you can do without a list of tasks for the day or a notebook, but you will be severely limited in your capabilities.

The most important thing on a to-do list or notebook is a list of things to do during the day. The second most important part is the calendar, in which you can see the tasks that need to be completed on a given day. Therefore, a notebook is preferable to a regular list, because there is a calendar there.

Method 2: Work with the to-do list every day

The most important thing when working with a time organizer or a notebook is to work according to a previously drawn up plan. To do this, review your notebook regularly to find out if you have done everything that you have planned for today. You can view the list after you complete the current task. It is very important to put in your organizer important things that you must do today.

Method 3: First write, then do

If a new task arrives and it is not urgent, then first write it down in a notebook and proceed only when it comes to it. Any new tasks seem very important and we start to take on everything in a row: check mail, make phone calls, etc. But as soon as you start first writing down all incoming tasks in a notebook, you will find that next to this entry there are more important tasks.

All movements of the right side of the body are controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for logic. When we write down a new task with our right hand, we activate the left hemisphere of our brain, which is responsible for logic. Activating logic when writing with the right hand will help us make better decisions.

By writing everything down in a notebook before starting work, you will be able to complete the most important tasks during the day and will be able to resist secondary tasks that constantly distract you.

4 way. First important, then urgent tasks

All planned tasks should be carried out in order of their importance, and then by the time of execution. Starting with the most important ones and gradually move on to the less important ones. Write down the tasks in your plan for today in order of their importance, then sort by urgency and start working with the highest priority.

For example, a friend called you to chat. Phone call, urgent matter, because the phone is ringing right now, but it may not be important. If you have more significant tasks, for example, to prepare a report on work, then it is better to do more and more important tasks first, in particular a report, and then, if there is time, call back and talk with a friend. But not vice versa, otherwise, due to an insignificant call, you may not have time to do more important things.

Importance over urgency. Urgent tasks should be taken on only if you are in control of the situation and are sure that you will have time for all the more important ones.

5 way: Electronic organizer

There are a huge number of electronic notebooks. An electronic diary has undeniable advantages over paper ones:

A. Save time. On the electronic diary, you do not need to rewrite tasks from the previous day to the current one, and you can also work with it both on a computer and on a phone or tablet, synchronizing data on all devices.

B. Volumes and speed: In an electronic diary, you can very quickly copy a large amount of information for further work. For example: You want to bake a banana pie in the evening and you need to write down the necessary ingredients before you go to the store. If you have an electronic organizer, then you can quickly copy an entire recipe from the Internet into a diary, in just a matter of seconds. At the same time, to write down only the ingredients by hand on a piece of paper, you will need more time than for the entire recipe in electronic form. And in the store, it will be enough to turn on the diary on your phone to quickly understand what to buy.

B. Convenience. It is inconvenient to use an ordinary notebook in transport, in a store, on vacation, in these places it is difficult to write down and look at notes, because the paper diary is large and you need 2 hands to open it. But the electronic notebook on the phone will always be with you, wherever you are: Transport, shop, street. You can quickly take notes on your computer and then sync to have those notes on your phone in seconds.

Method 6: Plan the next day in the evening

Make a plan of action for the next day in advance, the best time is the end of the working day before you go home. This simple action will help you sleep better, because often the cause of insomnia is that in the evening we go over in memory all the important things that need to be done tomorrow so as not to forget them in the morning. And it is these thoughts that prevent us from relaxing and falling asleep peacefully, but if you write down all your plans, you will ensure not only a peaceful sleep, but also an evening.

In addition, when you make a plan in advance, your subconscious mind will constantly work all night on how best to do the planned. The solution to complex problems can come to you at breakfast, on the way to work, or even in the middle of the night. It is in the morning that new ideas most often come and you will use this time with maximum benefit, it is enough just to write a to-do list for the next day in advance.

By the way, if you have questions that you want to get an answer to, then before you fall asleep and close your eyes, ask them to yourself, preferably out loud and immediately fall asleep. And in the morning, get ready to immediately write down all the thoughts that may appear at the moment when you wake up or later.

Method 7: Schedule complex tasks for the peak of your activity

Make a plan for the day so that the work that requires a lot of energy falls on the peak of your activity, when you have a lot of energy and you are as productive as possible. As a rule, the peak of activity begins in the morning, because after sleep you have a lot of strength and a fresh head, but it happens that the peak of activity can also occur during the day and even in the evening.

The most energy-consuming activities are things for which there is no talent. Typically, these are the things you don't want to do the most. These tasks in time management are called frogs, because these tasks are unpleasant to start doing. There is a rule in time management - start the day with a frog, i.e., from an unpleasant affair. This rule will allow you to work more efficiently, because it is usually in the morning that you have the most strength, and these forces are extremely important to do the most unpleasant work.

I will give an example from life, I have a technical mindset, so exact sciences such as: Physics and mathematics are easy for me, but with humanitarian subjects it’s harder, so when I was at school, I often prepared for a test English language in the morning. I got up 1-2 hours before school and studied English. It was in the morning that I had the most energy, so at this time it was easier for me to do difficult task for which I had the least talent. The results of the preparation exceeded all my expectations, I got excellent or good in a subject that I did not like.

Plan the most unpleasant tasks for the peak of activity, for example, in the morning, and you will see how you will get more done and your personal efficiency will increase.

P.S. If you have any difficulties or questions on the article you read, as well as on the topics: Psychology (bad habits, experiences, etc.), sales, business, time management, etc., ask me, I will try to help. Skype consultation is also possible.

P.P.S. You can also take an online training "How to get 1 hour extra time". Write comments, your additions;)

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If you start to thoroughly understand what factors influence a person’s life, in general, then you can find a great many of them. Any area of a person's life and each sphere of his activity, of course, has a number of peculiarities inherent in them, and sometimes what is applicable to one is completely inapplicable to another. But there are, despite this, some fundamental principles that are effective in absolutely everything. One of these principles, or more precisely, laws that can be considered guarantors of success in any field, is the ability to plan and prioritize. Why this is so important, we will find out in the presented lesson.

After studying this material, you will learn about what business planning is, and what are its features, why it is necessary and important to make lists of work, personal and household chores on a daily basis. In addition, we will consider several effective planning methods and principles, some of which are designed for every day, and some have a more promising focus - for a week, month, year, and even several years. This lesson of ours will be useful to people of all ages and professions, and it will be possible to apply the information received to achieve your goals from the first day.

What is planning. Types of planning. Prioritization

The planning process

Planning is the process of optimal allocation of resources necessary to achieve the goals and objectives, as well as a set of processes that are associated with their setting and implementation. Planning is an integral part of time management () and, with skillful application, greatly increases its effectiveness.

In its simplest and most formal interpretation, planning is characterized by the following steps:

Stage of setting goals (tasks)
The stage of drawing up a plan to achieve the intended
Variant design stage
The stage of identifying the required resources, as well as their sources
Stage of determining executives and briefing
The stage of fixing the results of planning in physical form (plan, project, map, etc.)

Types of planning

Planning, as already noted, is applicable to absolutely any sphere of life, but, depending on this, it may have its own characteristics, which, in turn, is expressed in various forms and contents.

The types of planning differ:

By necessity

Directive planning - implies the obligatory execution of the tasks set, always has a specific addressee and is characterized by increased detail. As an example, we can name the setting of tasks related to solving issues of state / national importance, work at enterprises, etc.
Indicative planning is the opposite of the first: it does not imply mandatory and precise execution, it has a more advisory and guiding character. This type of planning is widespread in the system of macroeconomic development of various states.

Timeframe for achieving goals

Short-term (current) planning - calculated for a period of up to 1 year and may consist of plans for a day, week, month, quarter, six months. The most common type of planning. It is used both by ordinary people in the process of everyday life, and by leaders of various organizations.
Medium-term planning - calculated for a period of 1 to 5 years. This form of planning is common in activities public institutions, firms and enterprises, but is often used by strategically minded people. In some cases, it can be combined with current planning, which in combination is rolling planning.
Long-term (prospective) planning - is calculated, as a rule, for several (5, 10, 20) years ahead. Most often, this type of planning is used in large enterprises in order to fulfill tasks of a social, economic, scientific and technological nature, etc.

Strategic planning is mostly long-term. With the help of it, the main directions in the activities of organizations are determined: expanding activities, creating new directions, stimulating the workflow, studying the market and its segments, studying demand, characteristics of the target audience, etc. Widespread in the activities of organizations.
Tactical planning - most often is the same - long-term. Its main goal is to create necessary conditions to realize opportunities found through the application of strategic planning. As a rule, tactical planning is used in planning the economic, social, and production development of an organization. Widespread in the activities of organizations.
Operational-calendar planning is the final stage of strategic and tactical planning. It serves mainly to implement the process of achieving the set results. With the help of it, all indicators are specified, and the work of the organization is organized directly. Operational scheduling involves determining the time for completing the tasks, preparing the implementation of the process, keeping records, monitoring and analyzing the process. Widespread in the activities of organizations.
Business planning - serves to assess the feasibility, relevance and effectiveness of planned activities. Drawing up a business plan takes place very carefully, taking into account all kinds of indicators, opportunities, proposals, etc. It is common in the activities of organizations and the work of businessmen.

In addition to the considered types of planning, which take into account the primary aspects, there are also those taking into account the secondary ones. They, in turn, differ:

By degree of coverage

General planning - covers all the details of the context.
Partial planning - covers some details of the context.

By planning objects

Target planning - involves the definition of the required goals to achieve.
Fund planning - involves planning the means necessary to achieve the result (finance, information, personnel, equipment, etc.).
Program planning - involves the development of programs necessary to achieve the result.
Action planning - involves determining the actions necessary to achieve the result.

By depth

Aggregate planning - occurs taking into account common parameters.
Detailed planning - takes into account all the details and features.

Coordinating plans over time

Sequential planning - implies a long process, which consists of several smaller stages.
Simultaneous planning - implies a one-time short stage.

Accounting for data changes

Rigid planning - implies the obligatory observance of the specified parameters.
Flexible planning - implies the possibility of non-compliance with the set parameters and the emergence of new ones.

in order

Orderly planning - involves the sequential execution of plans, one after the other.
Rolling planning - implies the extension of the plan for the next period after its completion in the current period.
Extraordinary planning - implies the implementation of the plan as the need arises.

Prioritization

Prioritization is the process of setting priorities - an indicator of the predominance of the importance of one or another item of the plan over the rest. Prioritization is important because among a large number different nuances and features, there are both those that are of the least importance and have a minimal impact on the process of achieving the goal, and those that play a dominant role in this process. The ability to prioritize can be called another indicator of the effectiveness and efficiency of any planning process, because. the emphasis on the most significant points of the plan is often decisive in the question of whether the goal will be achieved or not.

As you can see, planning as a process is characterized by a considerable number of different nuances. Any of the types can be used separately, and maybe in combination with others. The main thing when choosing is to take into account all the features of your activity. But, no matter how many types of planning exist, no matter how much we consider them, no matter how many examples we give, all this will not be of any value if we do not understand why we need to plan anything at all, what advantages it has how will it help us in life? These are the questions we will try to answer in the next section.

What is planning for?

Considering that our trainings are devoted to methods of increasing personal productivity, here and further in the lesson we will consider planning in relation to the activity of a person, and not organizations, firms, enterprises, etc.

Planning is the factor that largely determines not only whether a person will achieve what he wants, but also what he will achieve in general. The fact is that the planning process itself does not have a single and narrowly focused effect, but affects in a complex way, influencing many personal indicators of a person, the direction of his actions and the way of life in general. Below we list just a few positive aspects of planning and the benefits that it provides.

Specification of the goal

As soon as a person begins to plan his activities, his thinking is activated, creativity is activated, and brain activity increases. You can want something and “as if” imagine it, while thinking that you know exactly what you want. But as soon as you sit down to draw up a plan and begin to think it through carefully, your goal from the abstract begins to transform into a concrete one (for example,). Gradually, you begin to imagine it in detail, take into account its features, somehow vary it. There is a saying that says that a ship that does not know where it is going will never reach its destination. So is a person - if he does not know what exactly he wants, he will never achieve it. Planning makes it possible to understand and realize what you really want and find a specific goal.

A clear plan of action

Even knowing what we want, we may never achieve it if we do not know what we need to get it. Our goals may be mega-global, good and wonderful, but they will remain just a picture of what we want to have and what to do. This state of affairs is corrected with the help of planning. First, it allows you to determine the specific steps that need to be taken in order to achieve the desired result. Secondly, it helps to determine the resources needed for this and their sources. Thirdly, it provides an opportunity to set a time frame. This way, by making a precise plan, you will know what you need to do to implement it, who or what to involve in this, and, most importantly, when you want to do it. Planning significantly speeds up the process of achieving the goal, because. is a practical guide to action.

Action, not thoughts about action

Until we have a plan to implement what we want, we are in constant thinking about this topic. We think about how much we want this, how good it would be if we had it, reflect on the topic of how it is lacking now, maybe even imagine ourselves in the process of action. But there is one BUT - apart from thinking, we do nothing else. And this indicates that, most likely, this will all end. It is important to understand that when you start planning, you are already taking the first and biggest step towards the implementation of your plan. This alone is already moving you forward substantially. And then it starts chain reaction: after drawing up a plan, you begin to perform specific actions, the first item is followed by the second, the second is followed by the third, etc. If you manage to instill in yourself the habit of planning even the smallest things, you will immediately notice how your desires begin to become a reality. Here you can apply another saying: "Water does not flow under a lying stone." Move off the dead center - start to act. Planning creates energy potential needed to achieve the goal.

Ability to maneuver

Without knowing exactly what needs to be done in order to achieve the set results, we can neither determine nor coordinate our actions. We can roughly imagine what we need to do, but acting without a plan, we risk reaching a dead end or even further moving away from the goal. When you have a plan and begin to act, you can, so to speak, manage the entire process online: it doesn’t work out this way, try it differently, one thing doesn’t work, think about what you can replace it with. Having a clear plan will allow you to make maneuvers on your way, varying different methods and methods. As a result, you will have a comprehensive plan that will take into account all sorts of nuances and options for the development of events. The ability to plan is the ability to be flexible and ready for any situation.

High success rate

And, perhaps, the most important advantage of planning is, if not a 100% guarantee, but still a huge probability of success. How many people we see who want very little, but, having no plan, achieve nothing! And, in contrast to them, there are a huge number of examples of people who have fantastic goals that, it would seem, are unattainable, despite everything they achieve them and even more. What distinguishes the first from the second is the ability to plan and prioritize. Define your goals, start making a plan - after a while you will see that you have reached the goal, and thousands of onlookers without a plan have remained in their places. Planning will put you in the lead in any field!

Surely, now it has become much clearer to you why you need to plan and think through all your steps. Planning is done by businessmen and entrepreneurs, heads of huge corporations, creative people, writers, actors and show business stars, in general, all those who are commonly called successful people. Planning is a part of the life and work of any person who wants to increase their productivity and achieve serious results. It is for this reason that, in addition to sitting down at the table, taking a pen and a piece of paper, and starting to plan something, today there are specially developed planning methods that have proven their effectiveness more than once. Short review the most popular of them we present in the next section.

Planning Methods

ABC planning

Prerequisite this method there is experience that clearly shows that the ratio of important and unimportant cases in percentages is always approximately the same. Any tasks, based on their importance in relation to the achievement of the set results, should be allocated using ABC letter values. It follows from this that the tasks with the greatest importance and significance (A) should be performed first, and then all the others (B, C). You need to plan your time using this technique, taking into account the importance of the tasks, and not the efforts required to complete them.

The ABC technique is based on three basic rules:

Category A - the most important cases. They make up about 15% of everything you do, but they bring about 65% of the results.
Category B - important things. They make up about 20% of all your cases and bring about 20% of the results.
Category C - matters of the least importance. They make up about 65% of everything you do, but also bring about 15% of the results.

You can learn more about this technique here.

Eisenhower principle

This technique was proposed at one time by the American General Dwight David Eisenhower. It is an excellent additional meter for making the most important decisions quickly. This principle implies prioritization according to the criteria of importance and urgency.

All your affairs you must divide into four main categories and perform in order of priority:

Category A - the most urgent and important cases.
Category B - urgent but not important cases. It is important to be able to separate them by the criterion of importance from the first category, otherwise you can spend time on their implementation, leaving the really important things for later.
Category C - not urgent, but important matters. Here you need to take into account the urgency factor: due to the fact that these cases are not urgent, they are often shelved, after which they become urgent, which is not very good. Therefore, their implementation should not be neglected in any case. Such cases, among other things, can be delegated - to entrust their implementation to someone else.
Category D - non-urgent and non-important matters. Often, a person is most concerned with such matters and spends most of the time doing them. Learn to accurately identify cases in this category. They need to be done last, when the previous ones are completed.

You can learn more about the Eisenhower Method here.

Pareto rule

This rule is sometimes referred to as the 80/20 principle. It was formulated by the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. Its main premise is that the smallest part of the actions brings most of results and vice versa.

Visually, this rule looks like this:

20% action = 80% result
80% of actions = 20 results
20% of people own 80% of all capital
80% of people own 20% of all capital
20% of customers generate 80% of revenue
80% of customers bring 20% of revenue
Etc.

Apply this rule to your daily activities, and you will see that 80% of what you do in a day is only 20% of the result you need, and 20% of well-planned actions bring you closer to your cherished goal by 80%. Based on this, remember that you need to start the day with just a few, but the most difficult, important and urgent things, and only after that, take on the implementation of light and no less important, but present in a much larger volume. It is very convenient to apply the Pareto rule in combination with the ABC method or the Eisenhower principle.

You can read more about the 80/20 principle.

Timing

The term "timekeeping" refers to a method designed to study the elapsed time. It is carried out by fixing and measuring the actions taken. The main goals of timekeeping are to determine what time is spent on, identify time wasters, find time reserves, and develop a sense of time.

Keeping timekeeping is quite simple: experts advise recording all your actions with an accuracy of 5 minutes for 2-3 weeks. Visually, it looks something like this:

8:00-8:30 - woke up, stretched, washed
8:30-9:00 - drank tea, turned on the computer, checked the mail
9:00-9:30 - went to social network
9:30 - 10:00 - prepared documents for work
Etc.

Entries can be supplemented with comments and additional parameters. There are several ways to keep track:

On paper - in a notebook, notebook, notebook
Using gadget - mobile phone, e-book, tablet
Using a voice recorder
Using special software on a computer
Online - Special Internet Applications
Gantt chart (see below)

Based on the data obtained through the timing, you can identify important features in the distribution of your time and correct them. Read more about timing.

Gantt Chart

The Gantt chart is a bar chart method developed by American management specialist Henry Gant. It is used to illustrate plans and schedules for various projects. The diagram consists of bars that are oriented along the time axis, and each of them displays a separate task that is part of the project. The vertical axis is a list of tasks. In addition, various indicators can be marked on the chart - percentages, pointers, timestamps, etc.

Using the Gantt chart, you can visually track the progress of the project and the effectiveness of the actions performed. But, in any case, this method will have to be supplemented by others, because. the diagram is not synchronized with dates, does not display the resources spent and the nature of the actions performed. It is best used for small projects. The chart itself is often included in various project management applications as an add-on.

SMART technology

The SMART goal setting technique is recognized as one of the best in the world. It has its origins in NLP and we discussed it in detail in one of our lessons. Here we present only short description this technique.

The word "SMART" itself is an abbreviation formed from the first letters of five words that define the criteria for goals. Let's consider them in a little more detail.

Specific - the goal must be specific, i.e. when setting it up, you must definitely clearly imagine the result you want to achieve. For example, "I want to become a specialist in anthropology."
Measurable - the goal must be measurable, i.e. you must represent desired result in quantitative terms. For example, "by 2015 I want to earn 50 thousand rubles a month."
Attainable - the goal must be achievable, i.e. you must take into account the characteristics of your personality: abilities, predisposition, talent, etc. For example, if you have trouble with mathematics and you absolutely do not understand this science, it is better not to set yourself the goal of becoming an outstanding mathematician.
Relevant - the goal should be related to your other tasks. For example, the achievement of a medium-term goal should implicitly include the achievement of several short-term goals.
Time-bounded - the goal must be defined in time and have a clearly established time frame. For example, "I want to lose weight from 95 to 80 kg in six months by such and such a month."

Together, this will allow you to determine the necessary actions to achieve the desired result, take into account the maximum number of factors and constantly track your progress. Read more about the SMART technique written.

List of goals and objectives

The simplest method by which you can plan time and affairs. This is just a list of things to do. Such lists are very convenient in that they do not require any additional resources, such as a PC, mobile applications or the use of complex schemes, but they also allow you to visually display everything you need to do and control this process.

Making a list of goals and tasks is very simple: you can simply write down on a piece of paper everything that you need to do and when, and upon completion, simply cross out the completed items. And you can complicate it a little: make a table in which there will be columns: “task”, “priority”, “due date”, “completion mark”.

All of these techniques can be used singly or in combination. Try all the options - for sure, after a while you will select the most convenient and suitable for yourself, and maybe even make some of your own based on them.

In order to make it easier for you when planning your affairs and time, in conclusion of the lesson, we would like to present to your attention some very effective principles that you can use in your daily life.

Planning principles

Try all the planning techniques discussed and choose the most suitable for you. Use it daily and in all cases.
Don't try to remember everything - keep notes. As the saying goes, "The dullest pencil is better than the sharpest memory."
If you have a lot of things to do, do not try to have time to do everything. Take the time to identify the most important and priority, and proceed to implement them. Finish the rest later.
At the end of one week, make a plan of action for the next. Do the same at the end of each day.
Get in the habit of carrying a notebook and a pen or voice recorder with you to record interesting thoughts that come to you.
Start a “success journal” in which you will record all your successes, no matter how small, every day. This will keep you constantly motivated and remind you that you are on the right track.
Learn to say no. This ability will save you from wasting time, striving for unnecessary goals and communicating with unnecessary people.
Always think before you do anything. Weigh all the pros and cons. Try not to make rash actions and actions.
Whenever you are in the process of something, remember yourself, be aware of what you are doing at the present moment. If you feel that you are not moving forward, quit this activity.
Take a critical look at yourself: identify your bad habits, time-consuming, things that you enjoy doing, but that do not move you towards the goal. Then gradually and one by one replace these habits and deeds with new ones - effective ones.
Determine your main priorities in life and live according to them. So you can always be focused on the main thing, and will not waste time.
Do not perform unnecessary unnecessary actions, do not do other people's business. You must move forward on your own, but do not allow yourself to be used as a tool to achieve other people's goals if you yourself do not enjoy it.
Regularly and systematically allocate time for self-improvement: reading books, watching educational and motivational videos, practicing your skills, etc.
Do not stop there - having achieved one goal, set another, more serious one. So you can always be in good shape, you will have an incentive and motivation.

Applying all of the above recommendations will allow you to be successful in any field and achieve goals in as soon as possible. The most important thing is the constant work on oneself and the application in practice of the acquired skills. In order for all that you have learned from this lesson to begin to bear fruit, you need to start planning your future activities today. Start with any way, practice, hone a new skill and make it a habit. Of course, it is impossible to plan everything in our life, but a lot is possible.

You can find additional interesting materials related to planning and efficiency on our 4brain resource:

Test your knowledge

If you want to test your knowledge on the topic of this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions. Only 1 option can be correct for each question. After you select one of the options, the system automatically moves on to the next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on passing. Please note that the questions are different each time, and the options are shuffled.