Why planning matters (even if you dislike it)
Without a plan, you drift. Other people’s priorities fill your calendar. With a plan, you know what you want, how to move toward it, and how to tell if you’re advancing. Plans rarely unfold exactly, but they keep you pointing in the right direction.
Before shopping, you list what you need and how you’ll use it. In the morning, you know your first moves and likely your evening. You start a degree because you imagine the job after graduation. Life is an assembly line of plans. So let’s apply that skill to the big picture.
Think of your preferred future. Name it clearly. Then reverse-engineer the steps from there to here. We already do this with dinner and degrees. Do it with your life. This keeps focus strong and progress visible, even when detours happen.
Use what you’ve learned so far:
Needs: make sure the plan sustains you.
Values: choose goals that align with what matters.
Talents & skills: play to your strengths and grow targeted competencies.
Thoughts & beliefs: upgrade beliefs that would sabotage progress.
Emotions: use the body’s signals to pace and recover.
Empathic communication: ask for support and set boundaries.
Imagination: rehearse the future you want.
Life purpose: hold the big “why” that guides your choices.
Life plan: tie it all together into steps and checkpoints.
Name the destination (5 min). Write a vivid snapshot of your life 3–5 years ahead. One paragraph.
Define success signals (5 min). List 3–5 observable outcomes that prove you’re on track.
Map milestones (10 min). Work backward: 24 months → 12 → 6 → 3 → 1 month. One milestone per interval.
Choose monthly focuses (5 min). For the next 3 months, pick one focus each that aligns with your values and uses your strengths.
Set the first tiny step (5 min). A 15-minute action you’ll do today. Put it on the calendar.
Why this works: planning backwards keeps purpose in view and reduces overwhelm. Small, scheduled steps create momentum you can measure.
Expect detours. Update the route, not the destination. Check your plan weekly. Ask: What moved? What stalled? What’s the next smallest step?
If you resist planning, what are you protecting—freedom, spontaneity, or something else?
Which value must your plan honor to feel right?
What one boundary or request will protect time for your next step?
A life plan doesn’t lock you in. It liberates you from drift. Start with the end. Work backward. Keep adjusting. You’ll stay in charge of your direction—even when the path bends.
— Sandro Formica, PhD
Founder of Permanently Happy (questions at [email protected])
Keynote Speaker | Transforming Leaders & Organizations Through Positive Leadership & Personal Branding | Director, Chief Happiness Officer Certificate Program
Happiness Fundamentals | Needs | Values | Talents & Skills | Thoughts & Beliefs | Emotions | Empathetic Communication | Imagination | Life Purpose | Life Plan
