The Practical Reason To Stop Planning and Dreaming

The life plan. Lots of people make them or at least, dream of them. Dreaming is fun, because you get to taste what things could be like. The only catch is when you snap back to “reality” and continue to grind the same grind. 

Dreaming is fun but without action: it’s just indulgence. 

And to be clear, dreaming is not planning. And to be clear, planning is not taking action. Dreaming is only useful if it inspires you to act. Planning is only useful if it helps you discover concrete actions that you can take right now. Creating the timeline for how your life will go isn’t helpful, it’s vain and imaginary. Backing into a list of specific behaviors, habits, and skills you’ll need to actualize those dreams and plans is the key. 

2 Minute Action

When was the last time you had a vision for the future?If you’re a planner, what was the last benchmark or milestone you scheduled?Here’s your chance to bring in an accountabilibuddy, throw away all the junk food in your pantry, or setup an automatic savings plan with your bank. In 2 minutes you can take the first action. 

Your Meeting Is Starting . . .

Apparently, meetings take up about 15% of a typical organization’s time  (citation)Also, iturns out that 91% of meeting-goers day-dream, 39% of people fall asleep in meetings, 73% of people do other work while in meetings, 41% of people complain that meetings are a waste of time, and 96% of people skip meetings altogether.In total, the current estimate is about $37 Billion (with a “B”) of salary expenses are wasted on meetings in the U.S.

2 Minute Action:

The next time you have a meeting and aren’t sure if it wilL be useful, run through these questions real  quick. This is your litmus test for productive meetings:What would happen if you didn’t have the meeting? Would it impede progress?Could the meeting really be an email or a Skype meeting instead?If you have to have a meeting, can you do it in a room with no chairs?What’s the purpose of the meeting?Pick one of the following, and you can only pick one. If it’s more than one, skip the meeting.• Inform people about the project• Learn opinions or facts that will help you achieve a success• Discuss the project and gain input from interested parties• Pitch or approve the idea for the projectAfter the meeting, how will you know it was a success?