{"id":1315,"date":"2012-01-16T21:16:55","date_gmt":"2012-01-17T04:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dierschow.com\/wordpress\/?p=1315"},"modified":"2012-03-12T13:48:57","modified_gmt":"2012-03-12T20:48:57","slug":"too-much-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dierschow.com\/wordpress\/career\/too-much-planning","title":{"rendered":"Too much planning?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
I tend to put a lot of trust into planning.\u00a0 It gives me comfort that I’ve prepared for contingencies, that I know how things are going to happen, that I’ve avoided risks.But … I’ve also learned that there’s such a thing as too much<\/em> planning.<\/p>\n

The first problem is that planning can be a way to avoid doing.\u00a0 I’m in the little cocoon of my plans – nothing can go wrong at this point.\u00a0 So the more time I spend in creating and refining plans, there’s no risk.\u00a0 Unfortunately, delaying is usually the risk I’m taking – but that’s not apparent.<\/p>\n

The second problem is that not everything can be planned.\u00a0 Especially when you’re doing something new, something creative:\u00a0 Any plans are based on a poor understanding.\u00a0 A house of cards.<\/p>\n

The third problem is that planning can take away the joy of experience and surprise.\u00a0 The best vacations I’ve had were where we had entire days which were unplanned, and therefore could be spent on … anything!\u00a0 If we want to go sit on the beach for an afternoon, that’s just fine, because there’s no plans.\u00a0 Want to eat dinner at 10:00?\u00a0 No problem.<\/p>\n

Of course, I’m not comfortable with jumping past the planning stages in much of my work.\u00a0 The challenge is to find the right balance.<\/p>\n

The most powerful example came when I joined up with Small Fish at the end of 2010.\u00a0 We were warned that there would be a certain comfort in creating lists, in planning activities, and in writing blog posts.\u00a0 But because our task was to get out there and sell our services, there was nothing to compare with getting out there and having actual conversations with potential clients.<\/p>\n

And it’s made a world of difference:\u00a0 I now have clients.<\/p>\n

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Carl Dierschow is a Certified Small Fish Business Coach<\/a> and author of the career management guide, Mondays Stink! 23 Secrets to Rediscover Delight and Fulfillment in Your Work<\/em>. He is a career coach for those going through interesting transitions, and works with small business owners who need to create breakthroughs in achieving their business goals. Find out more at www.Dierschow.com<\/a> and www.SmallFish.us<\/a>.If you are interested in individual career coaching, group coaching, or other resources which might help you with difficult choices, please contact Carl at carl@dierschow.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Connect with Carl on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and LinkedIn<\/a> to get timely updates and connections to a broader range of professionals.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, send an e-mail to newsletter@Dierschow.com<\/a>\u00a9 2011 Possibilities Partnership LLC<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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