You know that feeling you get when you look at the swirling mass of tasks in your planner that still need completion? This usually leads to a worse feeling: you realize there’s no way you’re going to complete everything on time. Finally, as you stare at your planner in despair, the feeling of irony sets in. You wonder why your planner is even called a planner. Nothing seems planned.
But don’t worry. You’re not alone. Ineffective planning plagues many of us. Whether planning a meeting, an event or to lose that post-Holiday paunch (we all know how that one goes), it is necessary to have a clear understanding of how you will achieve your goals in an efficient way. Proper planning requires proper structure.
However, what many fail to recognize is the structure should work for you—not the other way around. This means your goals must be manageable. In fact, what limits you from reaching your goals in the work place is the same thing that limits you from reaching your New Year’s Resolutions year after year.
Psychologist Richard Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire conducted a study on 700 people to understand why some are successful in reaching their New Year’s goals and why most are not. In his study, 78 percent of the participants did not achieve their resolutions. The mere 22 percent who did, often broke down their goals into a series of smaller, realistic steps.
This technique can help you structure work related goals as well. Your plan should be realistic and accurately reflect your abilities. If you know a certain task will take you an hour to complete, do not attempt to finish the whole thing in that half-hour time slot before lunch. It may be more effective to break down the task in a way that suits your working style and speed.
Wiseman also found successful participants did not lash themselves over minor setbacks. We often forget that we are not the computers with which we work (and if you think about it, even computers fail sometimes!). While it is important to recognize the necessary steps to reach your goal, you should also understand some tasks will require more time than predicted. Your plans should therefore, be flexible. There’s a reason we call it a “plan”, and not a “do-or-die-written-in-stone-list-of-commandments”.
So if you take away anything form this article, remember these R and Rs of effective planning:
Realistic—Keep your plans realistic as to what you are capable of achieving in an allotted time. Break up you goals into attainable steps.
Rigidity—Avoid it. Keep breathing room. As a human being, you need to breathe and include breathing in your plans as well!
Hopefully these tips will help you plan more efficiently at work and who knows—maybe even with your 2012 New Year’s Resolution!
