Living in an age where we are used to being able to use technology to optimize our life, it’s easy to overlook planning ahead. Sure, sure we’re really GREAT at planning our client’s events, but what about in your personal life?
In this day in age, we rely so heavily on our cell phones and apps to keep us organized…and we tend to not do any forward planning.
But what if your phone has no signal?
Or your iPad crashes?
Do you want to avoid disasters caused by things like these?
Read on to hear how forward planning can help you do that…
photo credit: william iven, source: unsplash
So, I started thinking about forward planning when I was reading a post on LifeHack.org the other day, 16 Reasons to Reduce Your Mobile Dependence. One of the main benefits to this was, ‘To force you to think/plan ahead’…
“What if you didn’t have a way to call if you broke down? What if you didn’t know how to reroute if you got lost? What if you weren’t able to Google something on the spot? I believe the ease and availability of the internet and smartphones has given way to a culture that doesn’t plan ahead anymore. Problems are often dealt with as they come up when, perhaps with a little forward-thinking, they could have been avoided in the first place.”
Reading this really got me thinking of all the problems I could have avoided disasters if only I hadn’t relied on technology, as well as all the other advantages that come from forward planning…
1) You have something to look forward to
By scheduling in what you’re doing and when, not only does it mean that problems such as not being able to book time off from work don’t occur, but it gives you something to look forward to! If you know you have a fun personal event coming up that weekend it can make those long shifts at work just a bit easier.
2) Your budget will thank you
If you know you’ve got a night out with your friends coming up or your kids want to go on a school trip it’s likely to cost you. If you schedule these things early on, you know how much you’ll need for them, so you can save accordingly. It also means that if something expected comes up which will dip into your savings, you’ll have time to save up and replace the money, slowly and surely.
3) Your budget will thank you (#2)
Have you ever booked your travel (plane/cruise/vacation package, etc.) online? Then, you’ll know that the earlier you get it booked, the more money you’ll save! A great example is when you book a vacation…booking 6-9 months in advance can often save you a great deal. If you get past the 6 month mark, the price will stay pretty much constant until a few days before – this is when you might be able to bag yourself a cheap last minute offer!
4) It will make your scheduling a piece of cake
If you have all your vacations booked til the end of the year, scheduling the rest of your plans around it will be super easy. Trying to plan a last minute vacation around your prior commitments may not be as easy. It also means you don’t need to worry about double booking yourself OR not being able to attend something important because you already have plans!