The Hidden Power of Planning

One shift that can help us all is to change our minds about planning. Like search, planning is a literacy that’s not taught in school, and yet it’s a key to success in life and work. We plan events, trips, families, sites, systems, companies, and cities. We do it all the time but make the same mistakes. First, we procrastinate. We fear complexity,

planning is an essential tool for constructing a meaningful life, and for exercising our responsibilities towards other people. The real problem isn’t planning. It’s that we take our plans to be something they aren’t. What we forget, or can’t bear to confront, is that, in the words of the American meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, ‘a plan is jus

planning is an essential tool for constructing a meaningful life, and for exercising our responsibilities towards other people. The real problem isn’t planning. It’s that we take our plans to be something they aren’t. What we forget, or can’t bear to confront, is that, in the words of the American meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, ‘a plan is jus

Planning is important, but the most important part of every plan is to plan on the plan not going according to plan.

Planning is important, but the most important part of every plan is to plan on the plan not going according to plan.

In fact, the most important part of every plan is planning on your plan not going according to plan.

When planning we focus on what we want to do and can do, neglecting the plans and skills of others whose decisions might affect our outcomes.