Planning Versus Scheduling: The Key Difference
Do you know the difference between planning and scheduling? Planning is deciding
WHAT needs to be done and scheduling is deciding WHEN to do it. Planning
without scheduling is nothing more than listing a lot of things that never
get accomplished, and you can't schedule tasks that you haven't decided to
do, so the two go hand in hand.
Planning is done with a master list. The master list contains
tasks, large and small, short range and long range, in no particular
order. Your master list is merely a place to write down all the
things you want to do "sometime". It's a general place
to keep an inventory of all the things you'd like to complete
so you don't have to store them all in your head. Trying to keep
your master list in your head is counterproductive, and uses
valuable mental energy needlessly. Write it down to get it out
of your head, so you can free your mind to focus on more important
things.
For scheduling, pull a task from the master list, choose the
appropriate time to take action, and schedule it into your calendar.
If it is a project or a long-term or complex task, break it into
manageable pieces and then schedule each of the pieces into your
calendar. By breaking your projects and large tasks into small
chunks, you will be able to better estimate how long it will
take you to finish, and you won't feel overwhelmed by the size
of the task.
Planning and scheduling are both valuable habits to get into,
as they keep you on track and focused on both your short term
and long term goals.
Monica Ricci is the founder of Catalyst Organizing Solutions
in Atlanta, GA. She speaks to groups and companies about the
benefits of choosing a simpler life and how to cut the chaos.
She is president of the Georgia chapter of the National Association
of Professional Organizers. Contact Monica at: 770-416-6613
or Monica@CatalystOrganizing.com
