Effective Planning

Abstract

The term "Planning'' is not one which excites many people. Yet most of us have hopes and dreams for the future that do excite us. Planning is simply investing some time now to determine what steps will maximize the chances of attaining the things that are important to us. The term "investing" is appropriate, because it implies giving up something from immediate consumption in order to derive greater benefit in the future. With planning, we give up time now in order to have the future go better. Planning essentially consists of answering four questions; where do we want to go (mission), where are we now (SWOT analysis), how do we get to where we want to be (goals), and later on, how are we doing (monitoring).