“Consider the path of your feet, And all your ways are established.”
- Mishlĕ (Proverbs) 4:26
I took this picture while walking along a tree-lined mountain road in Costa Rica. It is an understatement to say that ‘I simply adore taking and looking at pictures of roads.’ Not only that, but I’m also a huge fan of road trips. Why, you may ask? I think it may be that, deep down, I consider myself a ‘pilgrim’ at heart. For me, a road is a physical representation of open-ended opportunities that can take you anywhere with endless possibilities.
When planning a trip, you start with the destination
Without a clearly defined endpoint, it’s very easy to end up virtually anywhere. And while spontaneous, aimless wandering can be very adventurous and exhilarating at times, the final destination for an excursion that begins this way is determined by the availability of resources like energy, money, or time. Even so, having a preset destination makes it easier to anticipate and minimize incidents that could potentially ruin a sublime experience.
I can’t even begin to describe how much I enjoy planning in general. Whether it’s a business workflow or a day at the beach, it’s all the same to me. Road trips are at the top of the list though. From determining what time of day we leave to what happens when we get back, I can start planning a 4-day trip well over 4 months in advance. It comes very close to the same delight I get from working with spreadsheets. Admittedly, whenever I have the good fortune of combining my passion for planning with MS Excel, even the excitement about the trip itself can sometimes melt into oblivion.
I’m able to map out and track all the touchpoints
A plan can be described as ‘a detailed proposal for doing something’, or ‘an intention or decision about what is going to happen’. A process is described as ‘a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular goal’. Using the analogy of a puzzle, the plan is the image on the box while the process is the puzzle pieces. These two complement each other perfectly. They are sometimes used interchangeably since it’s counterintuitive to have one without the other.
Hence, the arrival and departure dates and times of the trip become the framework of the plan. I then work through the process of determining the series of events, with one having a direct impact on the next. These events include the total driving time and route (based on Google Maps), the items needed before and during the trip, the number of gas/bathroom stops to be made along the way, and for how long, etc. Then, with time as the main marker, I’m able to map out and track all these touchpoints to determine how the events need to unfold to make the road trip successful.
A good process needs to have specific questions answered
“Is there a reasonable level of detail necessary for a road trip?”, you may ask. Here is where I’ll employ one of my OBM coach’s classic responses: “Well, it depends. I need to ask a few questions.”
What is the purpose of the trip?
Where is the destination? How far away is it?
How many people will be going?
Do these include children? If yes, how many and what are their ages?
Are there accompanying pets?
How much would everything cost?
What items do we need to buy before and during the trip?
And so on…
A good process needs to have specific questions answered to make sure that the desired outcome is achieved.
Making A Plan Come Together Takes A Process
Regardless of what you plan for, having a process for executing that plan can keep you focused. It also serves as a frame of reference that makes it easy to identify what needs to be tweaked the next time around. According to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “a goal without a plan is just a wish” and I’ll add, ‘making a plan come together takes a process’.
When it comes to planning all life’s activities, this is one time that I would agree that the end (i.e. the goal) justifies the means (i.e. the process) and can make the entire journey worthwhile.
What’s your planning process?
Shalom, everyone!