5 Fatal Reasons Why Your Plan Never Works
You may not like the last one
With a rare success if most of your plans go unplanned and end up with different results or no results at all, here are 5 fatal reasons you can blame for. I learned this from life, realizing that learning from life is perhaps the most expensive way to learn. I hope you can resonate with this sentiment through this 4-minute article.
Number #5: Building Castle in The Air
Setting unrealistic goals can set the stage for failure.
I could end this point here only. But in the real world, you will face a problem with a million-dollar question — how do you know whether your plan is realistic or not before you try it? It’s easy to blame you with hundreds of causes that turned your plan wrong and suggest you hypothetical Dos and Don’ts but all are useless. So, you need to know how to diagnose your plan long before you start working on it. Try 3 things — 1) Discuss with an expert, 2) Learn from previous lessons from similar plan (if any), and 3) Do your calculation meticulously, one more time to reduce the risk of failure.
“Aim for the stars, but keep your feet on the ground.” — Theodore Roosevelt.
Number #4. Domino Effect
If A falls on B, B falls on C and C falls the same way on D, then at some point, Z will fall by the domino effect. You know the story, right?
It’s the chemistry of inter-dependency. If one stays inactive the other will remain inactive.
Now have a look to your plan, did you plan all your cards accordingly? If the implementation of your plan is dependent on multiple issues or too many individuals, you may discover yourself in the middle of nowhere in the end and your plan will remain inactive. So what to do? Try these 3 things: 1) Reduce dependency on too many issues or people, 2) Make sure that you are depending on the right idea/people, and 3) Get your contingency plan ready.
Number #3. What comes first?
Maybe you are not following the priority sequence and trying to do it all at once. I know how you may feel when you are too puzzled in prioritizing your task — all seem very urgent. Try these 3 things: 1) Make a list of your tasks — just do it, 2) Split your tasks into 4 parts — a type: Very important and Urgent, b type: Important and Urgent, c-type: Very important but not urgent, d-type: Not important and not urgent, now prioritize your tasks in ascending order from a-type to d-type, and 3) Start working with the a-type works. If you delay in starting with a-type tasks, soon the b-type tasks will become a-type and the situation will become more challenging to control.
“You cannot do everything at once, but you can do something at once.” — Zig Ziglar.
Number #2. I understood that I didn’t understand
Your plan is complex, multi-dimensional and not clear enough for smooth implementation. You need to make a plan simple to understand.
I know, this suggestion is not enough. How to make a plan simple?
There is a big difference between a ‘Simple Plan’ and a ‘Complex Plan but simple to understand’. So did you get my point now?
I would like to suggest 2 Probable solutions:
1. I want you to understand the capacity for understanding the people you depend on to accomplish your plan and explain them accordingly,
and 2) Make sure that they understand what you want them to understand by asking them and listening to their replies with empathy. Miscommunication breeds confusion, hindering effective implementation.
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw.
Number #I: I got the hammer but where is the nail?
Maybe you lack enough and/or adequate resources to implement the plan. Check all the components that you need to accomplish your plan. Developing a mind map on the wall is a better idea. You might see the whole idea on the wall. Do it — have fun with your plans. Soon you will find the list of resources you need. Inadequate resources hamstring even the most robust plans.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” — Abraham Lincoln.
Bonus 1: You have less control over yourself
You may not like this one.
I found it to be THE most important reason why most of our plans go wrong. We simply lose control at some point in the journey and become misdirected or lose focus on our goal.
I’ll keep this problem for you just like this and want to leave you helpless.
The only best solution to this problem is this: if you search for it yourself, ensure that you keep searching.
…
Remember, the goal is not turning all your plans into a success story. The goal is to increase the percentage of success gradually, step by step. Learn from your experience. Know yourself better than yesterday. Discover all the loose nuts and bolts of the machine and tighten them one by one by using the right tool. Don’t worry too much at the beginning. You will find your way, don’t quit, just keep going. I have found mine, and still searching for more.
Soon you will understand — plans always go wrong. If so, then what can you do? The simple answer is — don’t let the plan go wrong for the same reason and increase the rate of success stories.
Soon you will understand — It’s a journey. You will never reach the destination, because — it doesn’t exist.
I’ll come up with more reasons and more solutions soon. Follow me if you like.
//Syed Akhteruzzaman | LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | X |
