Guy Reams (00:00.738)
Day 57. A plan has two requirements. First, it exists. Second, it's simple. When we talk about progress, whether it's in our personalized professional goals or even just getting through a challenging time, one truth becomes glaringly clear. You need a plan. Without a plan, it's like setting out on a road trip with no map, no GPS, no clue where the gas stations are. You might get somewhere, but odds it won't be where you intended.
And the journey will feel haphazard at best. But there's a caveat here and it's critical. A plan doesn't just need to exist. It also needs to be kept simple. Simplicity is the secret sauce that keeps a plan that is actionable, keeps you focused, and keeps your momentum alive. So the first requirement, a plan must exist. We can't overlook the obvious without a plan you're wandering.
No one climbs a mountain by accident. No one finishes a marathon by winging it. The same goes for life's changes, challenges. A plan gives you focus, a direction to point your energy toward. When you create a plan, you set a marker in the distance. You're no longer just surviving the chaos. You're stepping into intentionality. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece either. A simple list of what needs to be done or a sketch of your goals is enough.
The key is that you're no longer reacting, you're responding to what you want to do. You're moving with purpose. But here's where we actually go wrong or where I go wrong. Because there's a second requirement. The plan must be kept simple. If the first requirement is existence, the second is that it's simple. This is where so many of us trip up. We try to craft the perfect strategy, complete with every contingency, every possible twist or turn.
mapped out carefully, before we know what our plan becomes so detailed that executing it feels like running a marathon in a straight jacket. The more complex plan is, the harder it becomes to follow. Complexity breeds confusion and confusion breeds procrastination. Before long, we've spent more time trying to untangle our plan than we have spent actually moving towards our goals. Here's the truth. A simple plan is an actual usable plan. Instead of 10 steps or 10,000 steps, pick three.
Guy Reams (02:22.924)
Instead of mapping out every outcome, just focus on the next one. Instead of perfect, just aim for doable. When your plan is simple, you remove the mental barriers or keep you stuck. Simplicity provides clarity, and clarity is where focus actually thrives. Why does simplicity actually matter? It isn't just a preference, it's a necessity. Life is already complicated. We juggle work, family, health, finances, and all the unexpected curveballs that come our way.
If your plan adds to that complexity, you're setting yourself up to lose focus. A simple plan cuts through the noise. It doesn't demand perfection, it just asks for action. You don't have to figure out the entire journey, just the next step. And once you take that step, you'll find clarity for the next step after that. Here's a challenge that I tried to take on today. So here's the challenge. First, make a plan. It doesn't have to be fancy. Just write down what you want to accomplish.
and one or two actions of what you started, try to do this daily. Second, keep it very simple. Ask yourself, can I actually do this today and tomorrow? If it feels overwhelming, trim it down. You'll be amazed at how much more focused and effective you feel when your plan checks both of these boxes, that it exists and it's actually simple. Because at the end of the day, progress isn't about doing it all, or even doing it perfectly. It's about doing what matters. And that starts with a plan that works for you.
Keep it simple, move forward one step at a time.