"I have so much to do; there's just not enough time for me to do it."

Everyone makes plans: what movie to see Friday night, where to vacation next summer, big plans, little plans, realistic plans and playful plans.

Most people plan haphazardly.  They usually do it when they feel forced to do.  If you only plan this way you run the risk of not planning when you really most need to.

The occasional time planner gets a fuzzy shot at his goal, and may even miss the mark entirely.  He’s uncomfortable with the results; they seem hardly worth the effort.  He concludes he’s not a good planner and gives up.

Many people seem to have difficulty planning because they regard it only as “thinking”—which all too often translates into “staring into space.”  It is much better to conceive of planning as “writing” than as “thinking.”

Call the time when you plan “Decision Time,” because that’s what planning is all about—making decisions as to what and when and, if necessary, how.

Read the whole story.