“So what is your plan?”
Such a simple question, posed by a loving husband who wants to see me do well in our life together but still one of the harder questions he has posed to me as of late.
What the hell is my plan anyway?
I know there is something to be said for going with the flowing and not wanting a plan. Flexibility is awesome and I really admire the people who can be spontaneous and still smell like roses.
I also know myself and therefore I know that I am not one of those people. If I am going to pay my bills on time, if I am going to see my family, if I am going to shave my legs on a regular basis, I need a plan just like I need oxygen. No plan is not acceptable. I won’t have a fresh, rose-like smell. (Side note: I used to think I was one of the spontaneous people when I was younger but the truth is that I was a complete wreck and it was a miracle I managed to stay in school.)
And it feels ridiculous to say it but I have to turn back to my guidance document of 2009, my New Year’s Resolution. And since my New Year’s Resolution was set quarterly goals, it was time to move down to the next tier of documents. My quarterly goals are the Standard Operating Procedures for where I am today.
If my plan is to pay off my consumer debt during the first quarter of the year, then I need to make a list of simple steps I can take to do just that. I need to cut make on dinners out. I need to stop purchasing books. I need to make more than the minimum payment on my credit cards.
If my plan is to move into my home, I would need to make a different list. I would need to paint the rooms. I would need to get estimates on carpet installation. I would need to box my belongings. I would need to transport my belongings from one location to the house I call my home.
You can do this with any goal or desire. If you think of your New Year’s Resolution as a guidance document for the year, you then need to think of the next step down as a procedure to accomplish the principles set forth in your guidance document. And in order for those procedures to be effective, you will also need good work orders or protocols to ensure their proper execution.
Tania de Sostoa-McCue said...
1For the record, I tend to be a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. But am usually a wreck as a result. When I was pregnant, I went though this incredible nesting phase. Which resulted in the most amazing, colour-coded, outline style list of things that needed to be done. I even sent copies to all partied I needed in order to get it done.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I think that a guidance document is a great idea, especially if that order and detail will help you move forward.
01/21/09 11:24 AM | Comment Link