Time Management

 The military and business management gurus seem to pretty much agree on a standard set of planning principles.  They are:

1. Vision
2. Strategy
3. Tactics
4. Execution

 Seems pretty good doesn’t it?  Get a Vision of where you want to go.  This is the goal, or the outcome you want to achieve.  Then outline a basic Strategy.  The Strategy outlines how you are going to achieve the Vision or Goal. Next come Tactics. Tactics are the specific actions that you need to take to make the Strategy happen. .  The final step is the Execution. Here Nike said it best, “Just Do It.”

Have you ever done this? Did you notice that by the time you get the plan done, if you get it done, the world has moved on? What happens if the target is moving swiftly?  Today, it seems like everything is moving too fast for this model.

Watch the real Masters of getting things done.  They Vision what they want to accomplish.  Then they do it.  They may plan each day or week with an action list. They may even use Strategy and Tactics planning, but they use those quickly and with flexibility. They focus on knowing where they are going and getting it done. At most they spend 5% of their time in planning.  They spend the rest doing.

My weakness is planning.  I love the process of planning, and that is a weakness.

Get in hot pursuit of your Goal.