Are you flying by the seat of your pants? In other words, are you constantly "winging" it and putting out fires as they occur? Do you wake up every day and gird yourself for the onslaught of what might be in store for you and your day ahead? Although this "flying by the seat of your pants" approach does require flexibility, a keen focus, and several Starbucks double lattes. It is also a recipe for constant drama and distractions. The drama and distractions will be hampering you from creating the BIG successes that you really want.

The antidote to a harried, overly busy life is what I call, "Take 2". If you take 2 hours of your time to preplan your week ahead, those 2 hours will save you hours and hours of wasted time. I like to do my planning on Sunday evenings with a cup of tea, in a quiet space ( usually sitting on my porch, weather permitting) I ask myself 3 questions: What do I want to accomplish this week? What exactly needs to happen and who can help me to do it? I WRITE everything down and create a flow chart. It's deceivingly simple, yet incredibly powerful.

Advertisers call it "storyboarding" and you can use the same technique yourself using post it notes. On each post it note write down one of the steps (and who's going to do it). Continue to logically map out your steps until you've got it clearly mapped out. All you do then is plug these items into your day planner and you are off and running. Although now your "running" with a plan vs. flying by the seat of your pants!

Diana Long M.S.ACC
www.DianaLong.com