The Power of The Plan 2007.

Color Commentary for Monday, April 2, 2007
By E. R. Haas, CEO ThinkTQ.com

"There's a huge contrast between people who plan ahead and those who fall behind. Once again, here's an ideal opportunity to differentiate yourself from the herd on the world stage." ~ E. R. Haas

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Become a real standout...

Want to do something simple that makes YOU stand out among your peers? Want to be seen as someone who is methodical, systematic and in control... rather than rash, reactive or undiscipined?

This one is EASY! Hone your planning skills.

I highly recommend that you PRINT this article and invest the 7 minutes it takes to read it. You may also take the 2 minute Make Plans TQ Test to see where you personally stand.

How well do people Make Plans?
In a word: Awful!

Twice each year we look at how well people say they make plans for themselves, their companies and their families. With millions of data points from people who have taken various TQ Tests, we can draw a comprehensive picture of this area of their performance.

This period, 51% of our survey group admits to POOR planning skills. Because this skill is so easy to learn and maintain, it is unbelievable that anyone would permit this to hold them back.

Planning isn't rocket science... just common sense in action.

Personally, I am always shocked and amazed at the disconnect between people's hopes, dreams and goals -- and their ability to create even the most basic plan for a goals' attainment. But then again...

"Stupid is as stupid does." ~ Forrest Gump

If you are struggling with career, financial or personal issues, maybe it's your ability to transform your goals in realistic plans. Take a look in the mirror:

If you have poor planning skills...

	You have no control over your day. Circumstances and demands happen to you, not by you.
	You rush into projects, but soon become permanently waylaid by unexpected roadblocks.
	You have many places you'd like to go in life, but no clue how to get there.
	Each day resembles the last as you move in random directions for no specific reason.
	You believe that the future is out of your control, and you're better off getting by -- taking it one day at a time.

With excellent planning skills...

	You're in control over what gets done and when. Roadblocks, bottlenecks and obsticles are eliminated before they can set you back.
	Events usually unfold as predicted, according to your well-defined plan. When bounced off track, you find it easy to get back on track -- because you have a plan to actually get back to!
	You know you can get anywhere by simply following the right map, and, each day, you complete a specific step on the journey to your next objective.
	You believe that the future is in your control, and you are busy mapping future steps to an ideal life.

Here's the bottom line...

If you don't have a plan for getting where you want to go, you're going to spend a lot of time stuck in places you have no interest or business being in.

When we look at the influence of a low Make Plans score on other areas of a person's performance, we see a complete disconnect between what a person wants and his or her ability to get it... together with a pathetic lack of forward movement towards their goals.

How well do YOU Make Plans?

If you want a quick review of your planning skills take our 2 minute Make Plans TQ Test and get a personal 2 page review -- with our compliments. This is immediately enlightening and rewarding. Of course, your responses are 100% private and confidential.

Following is the "crib sheet" from our Make Plans Personal Workshop. Please pay close attention to what this is telling you.

Look at The Pain that comes from failing to consistently take the Factor Action.

If this rings any bells -- take the quick quiz and see how you score -- then get a copy of our Make Plans Personal Workshop.

The Power of The Plan 2007.

The 10 Simple Steps for Creating Rock-solid Plans...

1) Maintain a written action plan for each of your major goals.

Survey: Only 31% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: A goal without a plan is merely a wish without a hope. There is no way you can accomplish something if you don't know how to proceed. Written plans are the essential instructions for how to reach a goal.

A plan is simply a detailed map outlining the steps required to accomplish your goal as quickly and easily as possible. At a minimum, it includes a complete list of objectives and resource requirements -- all organized in correct chronological order.

The Pain: Many of your most cherished goals are left begging for better results. Put simply -- fail to plan... plan to fail.

2) Visualize the process for each new project from beginning to end, well before you start.

Survey: Less than 24% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: By thinking through each project -- both forwards and backwards -- you can visualize the proper sequence of events required to achieve major objectives -- in the fewest number of steps possible.

You can also prevent time-consuming mistakes by eliminating inappropriate steps, while including others that will be more effective and productive. When you can see what needs to be done -- well before you start -- you can remove the obstacles and bottlenecks to your progress -- well BEFORE they occur!

The Pain: Because you don't plan ahead, you're often forced to take two steps back for every three steps forward. Negatives like "Rash, Careless and Uninformed" start to take their toll on your performance.

3) Review your options to make an informed decision before finalizing any plan.

Survey: About 57% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: Your first idea may not always be the best idea. Nonetheless, it's the only one you can act on if you fail to come up with better alternatives. You minimize mistakes and create better results by carefully considering your options in advance. Explore additional possibilities before you reach a conclusion.

Consider other perspectives: consult expert opinions; test your options; do a little research. Life's too short and money's too valuable to do otherwise. So, think it through, ask for help and learn to make better decisions by finding better options.

The Pain: You produce less than ideal results when you fail to investigate your options.

4) Write your plans with defined steps that lead to specific, major objectives.

Survey: Less than 4% say they do this consistently, permitting themselves to dream outside the box. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: Every goal -- regardless of how complex or difficult -- is nothing more than a series of steps that must be completed along a path, from one objective to another. A written plan includes all of the critical objectives that must be met to be successful. It also provides the step-by-step instructions for the actions that must be taken, and the resources that must be available, to reach each objective.

With a clear set of instructions, you can go anywhere and achieve anything you want -- one "do-able" step at a time.

The Pain: It takes a lot longer to get where you want to go because you haven't prepared a detailed map in advance. Negatives like "Ambiguous, Uncertain and Indefinite" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

5) Integrate the steps of your plans into your schedule every day.

Survey: Less than 1% (still) say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: The steps in your plan never schedule themselves. They don't automatically show up as the next thing to do. If you want to move your plans ahead, write each action step as an appointment in your calendar -- and dedicate an appropriate amount of time to get it done.

If you don't reserve time for step-by-step planning in advance, everything else in your life will fill up the available time slots -- and your plans will never get completed.

The Pain: Each time you fail to schedule a step, your plans fall further behind. Negatives like "Reactive and Delayed" start to take their toll on your performance.

6) Plan every day from your Master List, to your To-Do List, to your Schedule... to done.

Survey: Less than 1% (still) say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: Maximum personal productivity is entirely dependent upon how quickly you can go from a concept to a completion. To be as productive as possible, you must have an organized system for keeping track of all data, dates, numbers, people, goals, plans and to-do's.

You need a single system that helps plan this entire flow of detail -- from idea to implementation to completion in the least amount of time -- without losing anything through the cracks -- or driving you crazy in the process.

The Pain: Things get lost, misplaced, delayed and forgotten -- most of the time. Negatives like "Inconsistent, Chaotic and Scattered" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

7) Block out time in your schedule to focus on your top priority for each day.

Survey: About 36% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: The only way to guarantee there will be enough time to complete your top priorities of the day is to block out a sufficient amount of time for them in advance. Do this before you schedule anything else.

If you don't, your schedule will automatically fill up with everything else, and there won't be time left for high payoff activities. After you've reserved time for top priorities, you can fill in the time remaining with less productive activities.

The Pain: Your most productive tasks are typically delayed -- taking you longer to attain the success you want.

8) Schedule your day around your most productive time periods.

Survey: Almost 63% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: No one is at their best all the time. Study your daily performance and discover when you tend to be the most and least productive. Schedule your top priorities for when you are at your mental and physical peak. Assign the rest for less energetic periods.

Don't try to take on your toughest tasks when you're only capable of running at half speed. And don't waste your prime hours on your least productive chores.

The Pain: You're not in the right time frame or frame of mind for the task at hand. Negatives like "Ineffective, Inconsistent and Unproductive" start to take their toll on your performance.

9) Plan at least one step ahead of where you are at any point in time.

Survey: Less than 30% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: The more you plan ahead, the more you accomplish in the time you have. Planning ahead is a skill that applies equally to your next move, your next task, your next day and your next year.

When you look ahead to where you want to go, you can determine in advance what you are going to do, what you're going to need to effectively do it -- and identify the shortest route to get it done.

The Pain: Costly mistakes are made when you fail to plan ahead. Negatives like "Shortsighted, Unprepared and Inefficient" start to show up in your performance.

10) Work your plans until you succeed or find a better way.

Survey: Less than 64% say they do this consistently. Take our TQ Make Plans Test to rate yourself...

The Power: The best plan in the world is useless until it's put into action. How well you follow through with your plans -- ultimately determines your success. You only make things happen when you act on your plans and see them through to the end.

Master this skill, and the achievement of any goal is just a written plan away.

The Pain: Your plans fail, because you fail to work your plans. Negatives like "Unreliable, Distracted and Undisciplined" start to take their toll on your performance -- quickly moving you away from the success you want.

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out..." ~ Robert Collier