Planning is overrated. Things won’t go your way just because you wrote them down. Uncertainty lurks everywhere, especially in the places you forgot to look at while planning. A plan needs you to stick to it consistently to get its best chances to succeed, because everything else works against it.
This makes me wonder; why set out a plan you will not follow through on? Pretty much no reason. And then, I wonder again; if you set out a plan, why not follow through it? For the most part, it’s because of the uncertainty of success. If it might not work, why even bother? This is where discipline is required.
Discipline is the virtue of doing what is necessary while there is an urge to not do it. Things might feel boring, unpleasant or just plain hard. Indulging in inertia will give short-term gratification, but won’t work in favor of your odds. Engaging in the action needed at the appropriate time might give some brief satisfaction after the fact, but most importantly, it will work in favor of your plan. It will remove a parameter of uncertainty.
Obviously, this is not an easy task — it’s actually pretty hard for most of us. That’s why it’s a good idea to avoid any sort of planning in the first place whenever possible. It’s mostly a vehicle to make you feel good, feel in control — you are not. Instead, you should plan only when you absolutely have to, to the extent needed, when there are non-negotiables in place and work your way through the rest.
Discipline is underrated. It is what will give you the best chances to succeed, though.
