What to plan and schedule and what to forget about (planning pt 3)

You know why you should plan and how to do it. What do we need to plan and schedule in our lives?

There are three categories which we will place each item into: Essential, Important, and “forget about it.” Let’s look at each one.

1) Essential – the things we should all plan, schedule, and manage. This includes items such as your calendar, your finances, your health, and your major goals in life. The key question to ask if it’s Essential: is this a major piece to my life’s big picture?

2) Important – the things we each value most. They are often components of Essential items, directly or indirectly. Want to go away on vacation? You need to plan how you’ll pay for it, where you’ll go, and what you’ll do. These are all important items, and vacations help us achieve better mental and physical health (well, unless your diet is fried food and drink yourself into oblivion on vacation). It could be as simple as getting a haircut every three weeks and sticking to it so your hair is well-kept and you look better. The key question to ask if it’s Important: will this help me achieve an Essential item?

3) “Forget about it” – everything else. This is where personal preference comes in. What I’ve found is anything not worth thinking about as to when and how I’m going to do it is something I should forget about. If you have not answered “yes” to either the Essential or Important question, it fits here.

It’s up to you as to how much time you spend planning and what you focus on. The important part is spending enough time to stay on top of Essential things while having the time to focus in Important items.

If you’re looking to start somewhere, start by scheduling the 168 hours you have each week. It is the simplest and most beneficial place to start. Scheduling this time gives you a chance to see what you’re doing, what you’re not doing, and how you can get more out of your time. It also gives you a chance to schedule in your planning time.

At this point you have the fundamentals on why, how, and what to plan. The key is making sure you spend time on everything you think is important, including things you’ve been avoiding (we all avoid something). It’s all related – your career, your family, your health, getting things done, and achieving major goals. Tomorrow I’ll go more in-depth as to what I mean, and I’ll show you what outside factors you may not realize are holding you back.