By: Dr. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Sr. Associate Editor, ICN Group
(In some of the previous articles, we were focussing on students specific topics. From today onwards, I will touch the hottest topic of the day i.e. time management. Today, we will see the importance of advance planning.)
Advance planning
NOIDA: After learning the goal setting process and goals achieving techniques, it is now necessary to learn to effectively utilise your time, so as to simultaneously work upon the goals in different aspects of life. If you look upon your goals list, you will find that you need lot much time to do some daily activities towards attaining your goals. For health goals, you need time for morning walk, exercise & meditation. For career goals, you need time to learn or improve skills and sometimes working extra hours. Similarly, attainment of each goal needs time. If you calculate the time required per week, you will find that it will come to about 250 or 300 hours per week, while you have only 168 hours in a week, which you can’t alter, as 24 hours day is a creation of God.
As you are not having enough time to do everything, you can do two things:-
1-Learn to create more time by effective utilisation of available time by following the simple techniques suggested by me; and
2-Make correct choices between all your activities.
Make a list of all the things you want to do, and decide, what are taking you towards your goals. Playing games 3 hours a day may be your enjoyment goal, but it will not take you anywhere in life, unless you are pursuing that sport to be your career.
Here, I have good news for you. Whatever disorganised you had been in the past; you can change and become the most efficient, effective and successful person of your field, as the time management is an easily learnable skill. I will guide you to add 3 productive hours a day within the ambit of God’s gifted 24 hours, which you can utilise towards achieving all of your goals.
The major keys of gaining productive time are advance planning, prioritisation of tasks, taking sufficient rest, and organisation in different walks of life.
At this juncture, you must be thinking that by following these things will take a lot out of you but it is not so. For the first 10-15 days, you will find that you have to take extra care. I assure you, once you inculcate these habits, within one month, you will start enjoying your life. You will have time for almost everything you desire.
As Brian Tracy says, “every minute spent in planning saves 10 minutes in execution.”
The starting point for you will be to write down your goals, which you have already done and then organise all the activities required to be taken in order of priority, which we have already learnt in previous articles of this series.
Advance planning and correct prioritisation are the starting points for effective time management. Use of GOPTA i.e. ‘Goals Oriented Positive Thinking and Action’ will provide you necessary thrust during this journey towards your goals. Achievement of your goals while maintaining balance among different walks of life and enjoyment in your life will be the ultimate rewards for the pains taken by you.
The most powerful utilisation of the time is for planning your work beforehand, as every minute spent in planning will increase your productivity and you will save lot of time while executing your plans, so that you may get more & more time for the things, you want to do, as per your own choices. You can plan your next day before leaving the office in the evening or before going to sleep or while commuting to workplace or before starting a new day at the office. The most ideal time is to plan the next day before leaving your workplace in the evening.
(In the next article, we will know about benefits of advance planning and some practical tips to do effective advance planning. I believe that you are enjoying the journey towards the future of your dreams with me. If yes, please stay tuned. Happy G.O.P.T.A.)
Dr. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal, Creator & copyright holder of the concept G.O.P.T.A.© is an Author, Certified NLP Lifestyle Trainer, Strategic Interventionist, Corporate Trainer & Motivational Speaker ( http://bit.ly/Signature-Workshops-Sanjay-Kumar-Agarwal ) and recipient of Honorary Doctorate of Excellence (Management) by prestigious Young Scientist University, California, USA. He is Founder of ‘Read, Learn & Earn Movement’ and is popularly known among his fans & followers across the globe as ‘Time and Goal Guru’.
