“The king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, ‘How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?’ It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. I also said to him, ‘If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall, and for the residence I will occupy?’ And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests.” – Nehemiah 2:6-8

Nehemiah could give an immediate answer because he had already made his plans and was only waiting for the king’s questions and approval.
Let us consider the parable of the ten virgins:

“At that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.” – Matthew 25:1-10

The lack of planning caused five virgins to be deemed foolish, while the others were considered wise. Be cautious when working with colleagues who cannot plan.

These ten virgins would all have been deemed foolish if the five with reserves had shared their oil with the unprepared ones.
Planning helps you prepare reserves for the future.

What is planning?

A detailed proposal for doing or achieving something.
An intention or decision about what one is going to do.
It involves deciding on an issue and making the necessary arrangements in advance. Plans are steps or actions to be taken to achieve a desired goal.

Planning is akin to winning, just as breathing is to living.

Planning reinforces the goal to be achieved. Without planning, a goal lacks strength. Planning is a systematic approach to achieving a set objective. It involves organizing your priorities to accomplish a specific task.

It is a process of action in the pursuit of turning a dream into reality. Planning is the tool that translates thoughts into actions.

Planning is reasoning, and it is also the bridge that connects dreams to achievements. Planning is the shortest path to sustainable success. It is a productive projection that leads to successful implementation. Planning helps you reach your goals faster and saves you time by focusing on important tasks and objectives.

Planning must be objective and achievable; otherwise, it may lead to frustration. Planning requires an objective study of relevant facts because the quality of your plan depends on the facts you have.

Therefore, in planning, you must be perfectly honest with yourself and take steps or actions as you engage your mental faculties to reason and make continuous progress.

It is best if the goal is specific, measurable, quantifiable, achievable, realistic, timely, or time-bound…

This text is an excerpt from the book “OVERCOMING DELAY” by Kingsley O. NWANKPA.

We invite you to read the following article: “LIVING WITHOUT FOCUS.”