Long-term Planning

The Importance of Thinking Beyond Immediate Deadlines

Planning for the future is critical to success and is one way that individuals create opportunities and distinguish themselves from others.  Thinking across multiple time scales (days, weeks, and years) forces us to question where we are headed and facilitates increased productivity in the present by clarifying our purpose and our goals.

Leaders ask, “What is next?”

“…and after that?”

Having defined the target, leaders ask, “What skills and experiences, what growth do I need to achieve, in order to accomplish these goals?”  And the big question, “How much time must I commit and how should that time be distributed?”

A great example involves finding the right college.  Students who focus only on immediate expectations like homework often make poor college choices, while those who allocate time to the process not only make better choices based on more information but feel better about their decisions.

Data must be collected and mulled over.  Opinions and perspectives sought out from peers, counselors, college students, and others.  And soul-searching embarked upon about the importance of school size, location, and degree options, as well as broader opportunities such as study abroad programs and access to ski slopes.

Time will be devoted to these tasks in both small and large chunks.  Researching individual colleges online requires little time and can be accomplished day or night.  In contrast, campus tours and standardized testing are major commitments carried out on predetermined schedules.

Those who plan ahead find the demands on their time manageable while those who don’t plan ahead find themselves scrambling, lacking information, and often making poor, rushed decisions.  And unfortunately, many of us don’t learn from this lesson and plan ahead the next time – choosing a graduate school, planning a wedding, buying a house, starting a business.

Make a commitment to ponder the future.  Your time will be well spent.