How To Plan Like A High Performer

Can I confess something to you?

I have a borderline-crazy obsession with planning.

I love the process of taking a future and figuring out exactly what I need to do to make it happen, so much so that I’ve devoted an entire wall of my office to my planning Post-Its.

I’m definitely not alone in my obsession though.

Ask any high performance person what underlies their success, and I guarantee you one of the major things will be planning.

It’s just that crucial for the high performance lifestyle.

Want to replicate this in your own life?

To plan like a high performer, you need to:

Get incredibly clear on where you’re going.

Imagine that you’re in a car, driving… somewhere.

You’re not 100% sure where, so you’re not actually sure whether you’ve already passed your destination, are getting close to it, or whether it even exists at all.

Clearly, this is a huge waste of time.

But this is exactly the same approach that lots of people take to planning.

They have a vague idea that they want something to be different in their life, but they don’t really have a concrete vision of what that end goal is going to look like.

Look, just as with driving, if you don’t know what you’re aiming for, there’s no way to know when you get there.

So if you’re not absolutely clear on what your end goal is with your work or even your life, then stop reading this and get clear on that first.

(Want help with this? Click here) <—— insert post about 7 layers why

Reverse engineer for a bird’s eye view

Once you know where you’re going, you need to figure out the steps that you’ll take to get there.

Following on with the car analogy, you’ve decided on your destination, and now you’re Google mapping it out.

Don’t make the mistake of planning forwards though!

Trying to figure out your plan working forwards from where you are now leaves you with lots of “if thens” and “maybes”.

Instead, reverse engineer your way backwards from your goal to today.

This will leave you with a macro view of your overall plan, which you can refer back to as you progress.

Get laser focused

While a macro plan is essential for your overall progress, you need to create mini, laser focused plans for each day.

Before you go to sleep at night, ask yourself, "What is the ONE thing I absolutely must get done tomorrow, even if I do absolutely nothing else?"

That becomes priority one, and you plan your day around it.

Then fill in two other subsidiary things to get done, but cap your to-do list at three things.

This forces you to prioritise, and it keeps you from getting overwhelmed.

Your turn: have a go with creating a daily plan.

Then tell me the ONE thing you’re going to do tomorrow by emailing [email protected]!

Can’t get enough of practical tips like this? Me too!

That’s why I created the Master Your Days course.

Click here to learn more.