5 Steps to Managing Anything. Part 2, Planning

In the first article, I explained how to analyze the task at hand, and draw up a list of goals to achieve it.

Once you've carried out your analysis, it's time to move on to the next stage.

Step 2: Planning.

Here's where you take your goals, your list of what needs to be done, and start to figure out HOW to do each task. You see, analysis on its own isn't worth anything. You may need to look before you leap and work out how high and how far you have to jump, but unless you actually jump, you're never going to make it to the other side.

There are four stages to planning:

1. Decide on the primary moving force which will set the plan in motion. The primary moving force is, basically, the initiative that will get things going. The spark that lights the fire, so to speak.




2. Apply this force at the proper place and time to get the easiest action.




3. Direct this action along lines which either offer least resistance or assure the greatest accomplishment.




4. Bring the activities to a focus at the place or time that will carry the work to a successful conclusion.

The thing is, you've probably been doing this all your life without realizing it. It really is very simple.

For example, if your goal is to read this article, then the primary moving force is the desire to know the information it contains. The proper place and time to get the easiest action to apply this force is when you receive the e-mail containing the article, or visit the web page that contains it. To direct the action along the lines of least resistance or greatest accomplishment, you simply open the e-mail or click on the link. The place to bring the activities to a conclusion is wherever your computer happens to be, and the time is right now.

In business it's the same. As long as you stay focused on your goal you'll be able to figure out how you can achieve it.

By the way, it's perfectly OK to change your plan if further analysis tells you it won't work. Let's say you're reading the article when the phone rings, and you have to break off to do something else. You may have to bookmark the web page, save it to your computer's hard drive, or print it out to read later when you're away from your computer. As long as you stay focused on your goal: to read the article, you'll be able to adapt your plan accordingly.