When we plan ahead, we bring order to our lives, and create an atmosphere for growth and prosperity. It is important for us to do this to be sure our lives are stabilized, balanced, and in proper order.
Our life, left to itself, is a life tossed to and fro. If we fail to chart our course, we leave our life to chance, going whichever way the wind blows.
When it comes to building a house, the first thing we do is develop a plan. Blue prints are created so that the contractors can build the house the way we want; a house that serves our needs. If the builder just did what was easiest for him, or if we made changes everyday (based on our mood), we could end up with a house that is not practical for our lifestyle. If building a house is important, and it is, how much more important is planning our life -- both day to day scheduling and long-range goals. Long range planning gives us the target to shoot at and day-to-day planning gives us the working plan to make sure that the long-range plan is accomplished.
When we are planning ahead, we have sight of a goal and it makes it easier to stay focused and disciplined. Planning ahead enables us to use a lot less energy making hasty decisions and working up the courage to say no. When we know where we are going, we are developing positive steps toward our goal instead of wasting our time and energy recovering from missteps.
An unplanned day usually becomes a day when our weaknesses emerge and flourish!
To reach our maximum potential we need to capitalize on our strengths. We are better able to capitalize on these strengths when we have our life on a schedule. People of great wealth follow routines. They know where they are going, how they want to do each thing, and remain consistent in their actions to achieve the task.
If you will sit down and write out a schedule for your week, including your day off, everything you need to get done will have a time slot. Too often, when times get busy, we end up neglecting things that are important. Schedule each part of your life - you do not want to leave any part to chance. Any area we leave unplanned becomes prey to the devourer.
Think through your day to day life and determine what is important to you (family, exercise, finances, prayer, reading, vacation, day off). Make sure they are all in your schedule. Now that you have a schedule, you can keep track of what you do each day which will enable you to enhance your scheduling process. Your life’s focus and direction are defined by having a daily plan. With your schedule defined, you can take your daily to-do list and place each item into time slots or add them to the appropriate day. Not being side-tracked will enable you to reach your goals and objectives.
By making a daily to-do list, you set yourself up for success. We remember what needs to be done and we see our progress as we check off each item that is completed. This gives us a feeling of accomplishment and causes us to feel good about ourselves. It also creates an environment that allows us to accomplish more with less effort. We eliminate stress and misspent time.
Think of the events you have done the most planning for throughout your life. These are the most memorable, enjoyable, and productive days of our lives. Think about Thanksgiving Dinner. We spend days planning, shopping, preparing, and cooking -- and we end up with an abundance of food and fellowship. Your wedding takes months to plan and work out the details for just three or four hours of celebration to have a new beginning for the rest of your life.
We put the most time and effort into what is most important to us. Your life is a great gift given to you by God. Use it wisely and allow it to be all it can be. By properly planning each day we develop a pattern that causes us to properly plan our major moments and events. This produces the fruit that will shape our lives and change the world.