PLANNING AND EXECUTION: TWO INDISPENSABLE THINGS YOU NEED IN 2021

Over the years, I’ve come to realize the importance and relevance of Planning and Execution, as I have seen it produce results. Reminiscing through my undergraduate days, no semester came without me planning about what I would like to achieve in various aspects of my life and luckily for me,I was able to achieve about 80% or more of my goals after each semester. Similarly, I plan also for the year and I want you to do so too. I have written out my goals for this year already and I have started executing them, one of which is blogging which I am doing now.

What is Planning?
Wikipedia defined planning as the process of thinking about the activities required to achieve the desired goal. It is the first and foremost activity to achieve the desired result. To achieve results in 2021, it is important to plan. Ensure to pen down whatever your thoughts and desires are. Don’t let your mind deceive you that you know them. The more you write, the more you remember things you needed to achieve. It helps you to recall your goal as much as it is imperative to review your goals often.

Ensure your goals are SMART- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound. Make it simple, have a deadline, use figures, for example, Save 150,000 naira at the end of June, Add 2kg of weight by the end of March. As important as planning is, you can’t achieve your goals when you don’t execute.

What is Execution?

Execution is carrying out a plan, order, or course of action. Without execution, “vision” is just another word for hallucination, said Mark V. Hurd. Planning is different from execution and it is easier compared to executing. There is a price to pay.

To execute, you need to be disciplined, dogged, committed, and unrelenting. For example, cutting down on your budget list to save more might not be an easy thing to do. There is a need to do more, it could be uncomfortable or painful but it is worth it. Planning only is not enough, things happen when you execute.

I believe having done these two things, it will be a fulfilling and fantastic 2021. I wish you a Happy New Year.