planning

"I hate to plan"

I hear that a lot.  *I* say it sometime, and I'm a person who uses Project Management techniques to plan his hobbies.  (I use SCRUM, if you must know).

Here's the hard fact of your career – you have to plan.  People succeed with different levels of planning, but you need to be able to plan.

I think a lot of people hate planning as it's been forced on them.  They were told to plan in school, by parents, teachers, bosses, etc. who told them to plan without telling them why – or often how.  When something is forced on us, we really don't like it.

The solution I find is to get INTO planning.  Own it.  Make it your own.  Take it back from the realm of people harassing you to get organized who clearly don't know what you're doing.

Go and own planning.  Do it your way.

A few tips:

• Set goals you really want and make plans to reach them.  This helps motivate you but also lets you appreciate good planning.
• Find fun ways to do it.  I confess I love playing with spreadsheets, documents, etc. to find new ways to plan.  You may like drawing things out, using Microsoft Project, etc.  Find what works for you.
• Read books on it.  Some life coaches and writers get seriously into the planning/organizing thing and they enjoy it.  Their enthusiasm can be infectious – and their advice is helpful.  I reccomend "Getting Things Done" most heartily.

Finally, if you're reading this you're a geek, you're a fan.  You've planned cosplays, conventions, trading card shows, RPGs, and more.  You've probably got the ability and experience, you just don't realize it.

Go and own planning.

– Steven Savage