When you look at money, and any financial of discipline, there are a few key components. One of those components is Analysis. We have to conduct the same type of study of long-term planning, strategic view, and how we’re handling our time. Any kind of analysis that we do requires that we do some sort of planning. Planning is foundational to Time Management.

You may have taken an old Time Management class, such as a Franklin Covey class, and you were instructed to write out your day – specifying what you would be doing from 8:00-8:30, and then 8:30-9:00, and so on. But if you even tried to plan your day today like we used to teach it in the 1980s, how long would that plan last? Maybe five minutes before the whole thing blew up.

I want to walk you through a planning process and some things to keep in mind with today’s realities, because so much of our time is uncontrollable. The first thing I want to talk about is when to plan. We can all agree conceptually that it’s better to have a plan than not, but I don’t want to spend more time planning my day than working. That’s one of the biggest arguments I hear. “Why don’t you have time to plan?” The response is, “Well, I’m working – I don’t have time.” It’s kind of an oxymoron.

I’d like to recommend that you plan before you leave work each day. In other words, as the last thing you do, think about tomorrow, based on what has happened in your day. Most people don’t do this type of evening planning. Most people are morning planners. They get to work, look at their calendars, and determine what’s on the agenda for the day, based on what wasn’t completed from the day before and what’s coming up. I would like for you to do this before you leave, while it’s fresh in your mind. There are some key reasons why this is important to do.