I have a confession to make. I hate planning. Planning is an essential tool for getting things done, but it’s rarely in my toolbox.

I have loads of justifications for shunning planning. For example, take a look at the standard 5 year business plan. They rarely come to fruition. That’s because they often change it a year and a half into it and start another 5 year plan. It’s like a treadmill to nowhere.

The people that make these plans love planning, but it’s not serving them.

The tedium of planning is my nemesis. Tedium is the ally of the planner.

Action is the ingredient that makes a plan work.

Too often all the action is either put into planning or into activities to avoid planning, but rarely into the execution of the plan.

I do get lots done but I make it hard on myself by having loosely basted plans. It comes down to a lot of last minute activity that gets the job done, but it always leaves a scar.

On the other hand, the perpetual planner is always left behind.

What’s the answer?

There are actually two.

1. Hire a planner.
2. Hire a doer.

They are the perfect solutions because a planner doesn’t want to do the work and a non planner doesn’t want to plan.

A third solution, which is rarely looked into, is to recognize the way you do things.

Many people are unaware that they would benefit by learning to plan, and others are unaware that they are held back by their penchant for planning.

You may be the rare bird that both plans and executes, so you can go read something else now while the rest of us discover which camp we fall into.

It’s often the simple recognition of your style that can spur you to take a different course of action.

Are you the planner without action or the action without a plan? It’s helpful to notice.

If you can’t afford a planner or a doer, it may be time to recognize your weak link and make a plan of action to remedy it.

We’re all familiar with the axiom, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” A more complete axiom that won’t fit as neatly on a poster would be, “If you fail to take appropriate action, it doesn’t matter if you have a plan or not.”

Will you take action when you recognize your style?

Sound like a plan?

All the best,

John

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