Once you are clear about your goal, you then make a list
of everything that you can think of that you will have to do
to achieve that goal. Keep adding new items to the list as you
think of them, until your list is complete. Organize your list
two ways: by sequence and by priority.
First, in organizing by sequence, you create a list of activ-
ities in chronological order, from the first step to the final
step before completion of the goal or project. As Henry Ford
said, “The biggest goal can be achieved if you simply break it
down into enough small parts.”
Second, you set priorities on these items, accepting that
20 percent of the items on your list will account for 80 per-
cent of the value and importance of all the things you do.
Setting priorities allows you to stay focused on your key
tasks and activities without getting distracted. As Goethe
said, “The things that matter most must never be at the
mercy of the things that matter least.”
Review your plans regularly, especially when you experi-
ence frustration or resistance of any kind. Be prepared to
revise your plans when you receive new information or feed-
back. Remember that almost every plan has flaws in it, both
large and small. Continually seek them out. When you
review your plans daily, you will get new ideas, perspectives,
and insights about how to complete the task faster and
better than you may have thought initially.
Action without planning is the cause of every failure.
Resist the temptation to take action before you have planned
it out thoroughly in advance.
26 TIME MANAGEMENT