Planning is how we crystalize our intentions and make goals and dreams reality. But it’s also difficult sometimes and exhausting. There may be some days or times in the day that you don’t want to or can’t plan. If that’s the case, you can instead rely upon principles.
“Always let your
~ Jiminy Cricket (edited to fit my narrative)conscienceprinciples be your guide.”
First, let me reiterate the importance and value of planning. Planning is GREAT. If you don’t plan things, you’re “going with the flow,” and that flow might not be good! The flow is also unlikely to magically improve your life. You have to be intentional to get the best results and rewards.
Some people, myself included, are somewhat schedule resistant. I prefer not to lock up my time if I can leave it open-ended. This gives me spontaneity, but it leaves me susceptible to taking the path of least resistance, which is often the worst path. Not good.
They say that failing to plan is planning to fail, but if you utilize principles in lieu of planning, you can still do alright! A principle is like a conditional plan: if I find myself in this situation, I will follow this principle. It works as a gentle reminder when you’re faced with a decision.
Planners try to make most of their decisions ahead of time. They determine their ideal path and don’t leave decisions up to circumstance. Non-planners, however, will face a lot of in-the-moment decisions since they don’t preplan their time. And that’s where principles shine.
Even if you are a planner, you can still use these principles! They are ever-helpful. It will work out that non-planners will simply need to use these more often (as they have more spontaneous decision-making opportunities).
Good Principles to Have
Principle: if it takes 2 minutes or less, do it
This is David Allen’s famous 2-minute rule from his book, Getting Things Done. It is one of the best and most helpful principles to have in your arsenal. It somehow makes all of those annoying chores significantly less annoying. Not only does it nudge you to clean up small messes before they become mountains, but it reminds you that it’s easy. It’s less than 2 minutes!
When you find yourself resisting doing the laundry, you are reminded of the fact that it will take very little time to do each part of the process. Then you do it and feel good about it (and your clean socks).
Principle: if it improves your life in any way, do it now
This principle can apply to: exercise, eating healthy foods, getting work done, sending emails, cleaning your desk, meditating, and so much more. It’s easy to live an entire day without making progress, but it’s also easy to make a difference every day!
There’s a definite upside to thinking less about things that are a sure win. This actually counteracts the downside of planning, which is that it can waste your time if unnecessary. Some people plan and ponder all day, overthink everything, and are left with no time to live! Sometimes it’s best to take the leap even if you haven’t thought through every possible outcome. That sounds like terrible advice, but in select situations, it’s exactly what we need to do.
Principle: if you’ll regret it tomorrow, don’t do it. If you’ll be thankful for it tomorrow, do it.
One of the best people you can consult for advice is yourself. Your future self, that is. Most of the things you consider doing or not doing relate in some way to experiences you’ve had in the past that you can learn from.
A few of mine: I’ve learned that “one more beer” is NOT worth it. I’ve learned that exercise is ALWAYS worth it, even when I don’t feel like I have the energy for it. I’ve learned that cleaning an area ALWAYS feels good. I’ve learned that spending an entire day entertaining myself without working ALWAYS feels unsatisfying. I’ve learned that a little bit of extra effort ALWAYS feels great and USUALLY pays off more than expected (for example, spending more time on an article, editing more, or proofreading more).
While the present version of me isn’t always cognizant of these ideas, or is perhaps blinded by temptation in the moment, my future self knows these things well, and is always happy to advise my current self. Be kind and consult your tomorrow self!
You can see just by following these three simple principles how your behavior and life could automatically shape into something decent. No planning required! But you should still plan, because the weakness of principles is that they can’t replace longer-term strategic planning.
Strategic Planning Is Still Advised
You may use a principle to save and invest money, but you still need a strategy for implementing it. Your principle might be to save and invest 20% of your income. Great. How risky will your investments be? Are you going to pursue dividend stocks, growth stocks, value stocks, or go all in on dogecoin? What kind of accounts will you use? Those choices matter a lot.
In conclusion, planning is important, but principles can often carry you through planning gaps or natural planning deficiencies by guiding you to better choices, the kinds of choices that people plan for in the first place. I recommend using them both.
The final upside of using principles over even planning is their evergreen nature. (Most) Plans are set once and followed once, and then they are done and more planning is required. But you can use the 2 minute rule every day of your life, and it will always work superbly!
My Best Work Is Principle-Based
Most of my books are based on principles.
Mini habit principles are…
- No progress is insignificant
- Starting an action carries hidden value (momentum)
- Doing things consistently (daily) creates exponentially greater results
Some Elastic habit principles that stack on top of the mini habit principles are…
- We don’t need to perform at 100% every day to be successful
- Flexibility enables consistency, upside, and high morale
- A system that can grow with you will outlast and outperform a static system that can’t adapt
- Being able to adapt precisely to circumstances is not a sign of weakness, but a source of power. No person succeeds without overcoming adversity that comes in unexpected forms. Rigid plans break when special circumstances expose their brittleness disguised as strength. Rigid plans are like glass, which seems strong up until the moment it breaks. Elastic habits are more like rubber, they bend under pressure, which makes them unbreakable!
The final principle: If you can ingrain valuable principles into your psyche and follow them, you’ll do great(er) things!
