Planning And Doing

Planning and doing are two distinct modes of operation. Planning involves developing clarity about the goals of a task and devising an approach to execute it. When you plan, you visualize the actions and outcomes.

Doing, on the other hand, is simply the act of executing the plan.

When I catch up with my younger colleagues, I ask them to show me their plans for the day, week, or month. However, they usually show me their to-do lists- just reminders of actions they propose to take and nothing more.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” The ax is a metaphor for planning. Even if you’re the strongest woodcutter, without a sharp ax, you won’t be able to cut effectively.

Similarly, you may be great at doing, but if you don’t spend enough time planning and figuring out the what, how, and when, you’re setting yourself up for struggle.

You can work hard, put in the hours, and hustle, but the magic only happens when you have done the preparatory work of planning first. Planning is a force multiplier that enhances the quality and effectiveness of your actions. So, don’t just jump into doing.

Plan first and then only start doing.