Compulsive Planning

Today's post is about compulsive planning. Obvious confession: I'm a compulsive planner. I rarely act. I like to plan and design things. Doesn't matter what it is, I just like think about possibilities--weigh them, compare them, contemplate them--it's all very enjoyable for me. And when it comes time to act, I hesitate. Even when I do act, I end up reconsidering whether the strategy I selected was right. Because I just love planning that much. Can you relate?

In some ways, it's really helped me. Planning and strategy are involved in everything you do. You can use it to predict people, predict your environment, the economy, your business, and your life. To some degree, you always need to be aware of what's happening in case you need to make an adjustment. When circumstances change, your strategy may need to change too. Like me. I went to law school but it wasn't until afterwards that I started to learn more about myself and my values and the kinds of things I want to accomplish that were in line with those values. My original strategy--be a lawyer, make some money, have a family--had to adjust.

Another nice thing about compulsive strategizing is that there's a niche for you in a business. If you're good at strategy, at reading situations and finding solutions, you can land yourself a job as a strategist or business guy. That's nice.

But there's also a down side to it. You don't always have a person in your group to implement your wonderful plans for you. Example: your personal life. In your personal life you can get stuck in stages of planning. I know because I do. You hesitate to act for fear of choosing the wrong path, and when you do act, you don't fully commit. That can happen in your job, in relationships, even in your personal interests. These things require commitment to develop properly.

So how about you? Compulsive planner? Professional life strategist?

Question? Go here.