8 Great Reasons For Using Planning in Your Life

Our Guest author for this post – Janet Clark – shares why she feels planning in life is so important in today’s world she writes:

“It is good to plan ahead so that our lives are in order and maintain balance. Your needs will be met when you plan ahead.

But shouldn’t we just believe that God will provide?

I think that God provides when we work toward a goal. I don’t believe that He’ll provide everything without us doing our part and planning and working.”

We asked Janet to tell us some of the benefits of using planning in our lives – she gave us 8 great reasons:

1.      Planning helps you to achieve your purpose.

It doesn’t matter what your goal or task is, without planning, you cannot accomplish it. The destination of a plan is the end goal.

Planning in life gives you a sense of direction. It orients you in the proper direction you need to head. It gives you a growth mindset. If you jump into an activity without a purpose in mind nor a plan, you might not know when or where to stop.

2.      Planning helps you set your priorities right.

Planning allows you to lay out all the tasks you need to accomplish, sort them by priority, and deal with them accordingly.

And planning will make you identify what is most important. Your goals will be clearer and the process to achieve your goals will be without ambiguity.

Planning also helps you to say “no” when appropriate. With a solid plan in place, you know what is important to you and what is not. Using planning in life makes less important things a lot easier to identify and therefore, say no to.

Planning is bringing the future into the present

Ludwig Wittgenstein

3.      Planning helps to reduce a mountain into a molehill.

No one wants to attempt a humongous task. Most of us will procrastinate even getting started. However, when you plan out a huge task you create a series of tiny tasks that are much more manageable. That big task is broken down and now it looks more achievable.

Planning breaks down your giant goal into tiny objectives so that each small bit can be achieved one after the other until the entire humongous task has been accomplished.

4.      Planning clarifies the process.

Not only does planning make the destination or goal clearer, but it also maps out the road to get there.

Just know you are going from A to B without having the knowledge or means to get there is not enough. Planning maps out the process needed to achieve your goals in life.

Whenever you make a plan, you know what you want to achieve in a given time frame. Planning makes it clear what the future holds for you and what the ultimate goal is.

Knowing this ultimate goal simplifies your decision making.

5.      Planning makes you more efficient and more productive.

Efficient people are people that take their time to plan regularly. They figure out what needs to be done and in what order makes the most sense.

Planning takes into account a lot of things and reduces waste as much as possible. It reduces or eliminates excesses that would have occurred without planning. For example, through planning you can group all of your errands into one set and then plan the most efficient route. This will end up saving you both time and gas going back and forth.

As we increase our efficiency, we also increase our productivity with planning in life. We get more done in the same, or even fewer, hours and can go on to do other things.

6.      Planning gives you alternatives.

Have you ever been at a crossroads and spent time trying to figure out which way to go? Planning helps to prevent this kind of situation. And, if the situation does arise, an alternative plan will help you get back on track faster and easier.

A plan is like a compass that not only directs you but also helps you get back on your feet when you’ve been knocked down or gotten lost. A plan helps you figure out which direction you need to go next.

On the other hand, without a plan, you might find yourself completely off track.

7.      Planning ignites passion and motivation.

When all the unimportant and unnecessary tasks are gone, you will not only notice efficiency in everything you do but you will notice an increase in passion and motivation.

You will become more passionate about your goals and projects right from the planning stage. Planning keeps our eyes on the prize and increases our passion to reach the end.

Where passion is the feeling of enthusiasm, motivation is the force that makes things happen.

There is an urge for success and greatness within all of us but without a proper plan to motivate us, it might not be possible. Planning has a way of motivating you to push through the challenging times.

By cutting out all of the excesses, planning serves to motivate you, and nothing can stop you from attaining your goals. You will not only get to the target, but you could just go above and beyond to heights you never imagined.

8.      Planning gives you satisfaction.

Planning gives purpose, process, and direction to a goal. You get a sense of satisfaction as you complete each objective and task in a project. This gives you additional satisfaction over just reaching the goal without a plan.

Invest your time and resources here on earth wisely.

Janet, please tell us “How do you mix faith with planning ahead?”

I think one of the greatest ways to exercise our faith is to prepare the best that we can before embarking on a new goal or idea. Moving forward with blind faith is a dangerous habit and can even be an excuse for laziness in planning. Understanding the costs to a project will allow you to make the very best of what you’ve been given. This will build your faith even stronger as you approach God knowing that you’ve been a diligent steward of the resources He has provided.

But when making your plans, don’t forget what we’re told in Proverbs 15:22 (NIV): “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” Plan for your future and set goals with detailed action plans to get you there but don’t do it without seeking counsel from the Lord through prayer.

“For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37 (NIV))

Thank you Janet! We really appreciate you sharing your wisdom with us. Where can we find out how you use planning in your life?

You can learn more about the planning process in this post: A Sneak Peek Into My Planning Process