Planning prevents poor performance, so the saying goes. In fact, some people extend the phrase to include another P…. but we won’t talk about that. Everyone knows that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Well, I planned today. I had a list of actions I wanted to achieve (goals if you like) and a few meetings slotted into the day, some at home and some away. Well, at the end of the day, I have to ask: Why did I bother to plan?
Quite frankly, even with the plan, I failed on many counts. The list is longer than it started this
morning (which is good as, once again, new commissions are flying in) and the only things I have managed to stick to were the appointments I had, as a billion other things have cropped up during the day. You know that wonderful feeling when you cross things off the list and then that sinking feeling, within minutes, when that person you had just emailed replies straight away…. It’s been one of those days.
Now, the task list is up to date. Yippee! I can see the deadlines ahead of me and I can look at what can be fitted into tomorrow …. eek. The diary says ‘boiler service sometime between 9 and 1’ (helpful these plumber types), ‘meeting’ at 12noon and then another one at 1pm, followed by a long drive to Reading to teach for a few hours in the evening. I’m not sure those things are on the short, medium or long-term task list plan but they are in the diary so clearly must be done. So, how is all this work going to be done this week? Proof reading, writing courses and articles, case work, invoicing and estimates along with all these business meetings, teaching, conference calls and heaven knows what else…. Will the planning ever pay off?
I won’t give up with the concept yet but I do think that Mr Strategy and Ms Plan need to work with me…. right now, they aren’t my favourite clients. Maybe in 2015 where positivity rules, they might change their allegiance…. Here’s to planning a manageable task list and completing it by the end of a working day! (I can dream….)
