Different people go about planning their day in different ways. Some are very meticulous about the things they want to accomplish within a given 24 hours. Others are a little more laid back and are prone to letting the day take its course and waiting to see what will come up. Others still, have an idea of what they want to get done, but other more interesting or pressing things come up and take over the original plan. What I have come to discover is that if you do not have a set plan for your day, you will end up doing everything else apart from your original intention.

Dorcas is a personal assistant and one of her goals is to advance to management. She assigns half an hour each morning to planning out her day. She allocates time at the office to work on her tasks, networking, and training and researching. She is ensuring that when the opportunity to advance comes, she is ready on all fronts. Millicent on the other hand, also hopes to advance to a managerial position, but keep passing up training opportunities for various reasons. Much as she is a hard worker, she does not manage to meet deadlines and is always at odds with her colleagues. Which of the two ladies gets more purposeful work done in any given day and is more likely to advance?

It is safe to assume that we all want to get ahead. But, there is some ground work that has to be done. In order to set yourself apart, you need to be ready. Preparation is everything. When you are prepared and the opportunity arises, you are ready to grab it.

Has an opportunity ever knocked on your door, only to find you half dressed? A position has opened up in upper management, but you fall short because you have not taken a particular training that is required for one reason or another. You miss out. Or, you are invited to a conference at which your favourite speaker will be presenting but your travel papers are not in order and they cannot be processed in time for you to make it to the conference.  The scenarios are endless…

Look at your life today. Are you ready for any opportunities or eventualities? In past editions of this newsletter, we have talked about setting goals, staying the course, knowing what you want and taking action. If you have been proactive and put into practice even just one of the things we have shared previously in this newsletter, you are a step ahead of many people.

Be intentional in how you spend your time. Plan your days, choose your activities. Do the necessary groundwork. Look ahead and keep your eye on the goal. Like the scouts say, ‘always be prepared’.

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Either you run the day or the day runs you -Jim Joh

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