Plan your career: Plan your activities to attain a successful future

I am finding it difficult to plan and make use of my time effectively. At the end of the day, I have the feeling that I have not done anything at all? Kindly advise me? (Saranya Devi)

In 2011, there was a study conducted among the students to find out why students fail and even drop out of colleges. Among the students, a failure to plan topped the list and it related to their problems in motivating themselves and weak study habits. The same results reflected also from the teachers.

Planning is something in the hand of an individual. No one else could plan for you, particularly if you are staying in a hostel.

Failure to plan is directly linked to motivation. It is the motivation that influences our readiness andn planning. The educational environment is supposed to provide this but a lot of it depends on the individual.

One adage that everyone probably is aware of is, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” It is so popular that we still dispute the ownership of this adage and keep attributing it from Benjamin Franklin to Winston Churchill and Unknown Authors. The important point is that planning is a very important aspect of any notable life. Behind any success, there is a planning. Not a random planning, but a short-term, medium and long-term goals in mind. Short-term goals should be part of any planning in order to avoid frustration while working with long-term goals. Shortterm goals help in reaching the long-term goals effectively. They help us to stay in the right direction.

Even if things get tough, the tough get going. If you don’t have a goal in mind, it is an easy way to fail. Only the goals present you the motivation to move ahead and face challenges.

Planning demands punctuality, discipline and determination. They are key ingredients of planning that will take you on a successful path. You need to force yourself to plan.

Try to work around the following tips

Scheduling: As a student, your tasks are similar each day. Routine does not help but rhythmic schedule keeps you on track. Schedule your day, week and month. This way, you know what to expect from your day.

Prioritize: Identity all that you are supposed to do and prioritize the tasks and go on to complete with available time.

Uninterrupted time: Schedule an uninterrupted time for every activity. Don’t jump from one to another without completing or giving its due attention.

Even if you postpone for a later time, it should find its place in your schedule.

Anticipate: Always anticipate difficulties and problems that would come your way. You have to think over the sequence of activities. It will enable you to plan for a week without any difficulty.

Activate: In order to activate your specific plan, follow some concrete activity steps for each plan. Have them written on a piece of paper.

Rehearse: Sit quietly and rehearse in your mind the steps in your plan. Some call it meditation. It is simply using your imagination to visualize the steps that you are going to take. It is in this process that you will realize all the precautions that you need to take and also aware what is missing.

Review: always review your plan with a specific time dedicated to it.

Let me finally ask you a simple question. Do you have a planner? If yes, open and see what you have planned for the day. If not, walk over to the store near you and get one first.