Planning and Organization

Key ingredients in a successful career and a successful life are planning and organization. After reading that you're probably saying, “No kidding! You think I’m a moron?" 

There's no way I think you’re a moron. I just don’t think people plan well or are as organized as they could be (or think they are). To be clear, there are two sides of the house; your working life and your personal life. As you get further into your life, you realize that planning and organizing are critical in so many ways. I won’t go into that now, nor will I write about time management; I'll save that for a follow-up to this blog.

Have you ever attended a companywide meeting, or a national sales meeting, or a convention trade show? Most are pretty good. Did you ever stop and wonder how it was put together, who put it together, and who organized the event? The planning and organization that goes into these events is unbelievable. If things go awry (and they will), your number one priority is to disguise the things that go bad, and fix them without notice by your attendees. Whether it's 30 attendees or 300 or 3,000, it takes a dedicated team, with delegated responsibilities and complete communication. You must meet, meet again, hire companies that can do what you cannot do, plan, rehearse, work endless hours, and have the ability to problem-solve on the fly. Expect the unexpected. And most importantly, inspect everything you do. Get on a team to learn how to do this, watch and observe. Attend as many of these events as you can; take notes; ask questions. Remember somebody is paying the bill and customers and employees are attending. You MUST be PERFECT.

In your personal life, this is just as important. Treat your life like you're putting on a huge event, because it is! (And you probably have a team to work with too, be it family, friends, financial planners, mentors, etc.) Life is not a dress rehearsal; we get one chance at this. Whether you are planning a wedding, or a retirement plan, or a vacation, or a party—the stakes are greater. Improvising your life is a recipe for being in the same place 10 years from now. I suggest 3-5 year plans, with real attainable goals, and sprinkle in some stretch goals. If you are in your job more than five years, consider a move. You must invest in your future by planning today. Life will throw you curveballs, and you should be ready to take a big swing at that pitch. 

Planning and organizing cannot be put off for another day. Think about it... If your car is filthy inside and out, what would someone think if you gave them a ride? That’s a reflection on how you lead your life. Organize your life. After all, its your life we are talking about! There is a line in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Life accelerates as you keep celebrating birthdays. 

It's great how much we use our phones to plan and organize our schedules, but it should only serve as that. Life planning and organizing requires a pen, piece of paper, and time to sit down and write your life's map. And you can do that today.