How should we plan our lives? How should we go about it? Well, I believe there is a good principle here to remember:
People tend to overestimate what can be done in one year and underestimate what can be done in ten.
This statement might seem simple but it deserves further consideration. There are two things implied in the statement:
- You might aim too high this year. In that case, you might not be able to achieve it which could lead to disappointment.
- On the other hand, you might aim too low for the decade. That would be a waste of your potential.
The implication is that decade-level planning is better than year-level planning. Decade-level planning helps you avoid the mistakes above.
Year-level planning has some disadvantages:
- You wouldn’t dream big enough. Big goals take years to achieve. If you give yourself just one year, your dreams would be average.
- You wouldn’t see the way to your dreams. You might have big dreams but you don’t see how to get there. Why? Because every road to a big goal takes years.
- You could get distracted easily. A shiny new thing could distract you along the way because it seems to give you the best result in one year. However, it may not give you the best result in ten. A decade-level view helps you see what is truly good for you in the long-term. You won’t get distracted easily.
- You could get discouraged by setbacks. With a year-level view, a setback could discourage you. Why? Because you wouldn’t have enough time to recover. But with a decade-level view, you will see that it’s just a small thing. It’s just one step in the overall process.
- You wouldn’t build momentum. Momentum requires focused intensity over time. By planning your life on a year level, there isn’t much continuity from one year to the next. There isn’t enough time to build momentum.
Accordingly, decade-level planning has these advantages:
- You would dream big.
- You would see how to make your dreams happen.
- You would stay on track.
- You would stay motivated despite setbacks.
- You would build momentum.
Now, I must say that I’m still learning to do this myself. When I looked back at my life in the past decade, I realized that I made the mistakes of year-level planning. Going forward, I’d like to plan my life on a decade level.
What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
