Planning without a plan is a recipe for disaster. But don’t worry, with a little guidance, you can easily create a plan even if you don’t have all the answers. Here are five tips for planning when you don’t know what to plan for:
1. Define your goals.
Before you can start planning, you first need to define your goals. What are you hoping to achieve? What are your objectives? What are your deadlines? Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, you can start to create a plan of action for achieving them.
2. Draft specific goals.
If you can’t come up with a specific goal, try drafting out specific tasks that you need to complete in order to achieve your goal. For example, if your goal is to save money, make a list of all the expenses you will be spending and identify which ones can be reduced or eliminated.
3. Plan your resources.
Before you can start planning, you need to know how you will be able to achieve your goals. What resources do you have at your disposal? What are your limitations? Once you have a clear understanding of your resources, you can begin to plan which tasks will require which resources and when they will need to be completed.
4. Establish time frames.
How long will it take to complete your goals? What are the deadlines? Establishing time frames will help you to organize your resources and timeline so that you don’t miss your deadlines.
5. Take into account potential obstacles.
What could possibly stop you from completing your goals? What could go wrong? When you are planning, be sure to account for potential obstacles and anticipate how they might affect your timeline and objectives.
