A strategic plan

Reader: When you have a goal you want to accomplish, how do you achieve it?  You make a to-do list of tasks to get done, right, and then spring into action?

Not quite. 

One of my main takeaways from this week’s conference, over and over, was how crucial strategy, planning, introspection, research and assessment are in a communications challenge.  Every step should thoughtfully tie in with one’s institutional goals, instead of slapping together a loosely assembled list of tactics, wildly throwing all of them at the wall and hoping something sticks.  During the research and planning, an ideal communications strategy would involve thinking carefully about preserving an institution’s key messages authentically while reaching for new goals and objectives.  Communications specialists must define how their work gets measured—they set those expectations to make sure that they get a clear assessment after the project of what was a success and what wasn’t.  Every part of the process should be tied into goals that advance an institution’s mission: the big picture.

It makes sense, right?  You have to be careful and methodical.  The stakes are high, because a big initiative involves a lot of time and resources and effort. 

But what if we applied that care and precision to our own lives? 

Think about what you did today.  Did you work out, go to your job, have coffee with a friend, cook, watch TV?  What if every—okay, what if most tasks and activities in your day tied intentionally into a broader plan to live out the values and goals you choose?  Would your day be different?

Now, to be clear, regretfully I still go down the dangerous road of over-thinking life from time to time, and I’m not advocating that. I’m not advocating literally and fully extrapolating a traditional communications plan to the extent of selecting a tagline the way an admissions or campaign team would.  Actually, now I can’t decide if that’s a horrific idea or an awesome one.  I kind of want to brainstorm life taglines with my friends.  (What would yours be?)

Rats, I digress.  Circling back, I don’t believe in over-planning life and every hour in it.  That sounds exhausting, unproductive and hideously un-fun. One could also argue that my vision leaves no room for spontaneity—but at risk of getting extra convoluted, spontaneity may be an important life value in itself.  I’m not supporting being more rigid, or forcing a schedule structured solely with activities that line up with the values and A Big Plan. 

Trust me: I’m not close to solving this puzzle, and this post would be unbelievably obnoxious if I were.

But in good communications plans, specific tactics come way at the end.  What if we saw the hours in a day that way, and believed that how we spend them should be determined only after we set the big picture?

I don’t even know what all of my big picture looks like. But I have parts of the day that correspond to my values—I just never really thought about it before.  I run because I want to take care of my body, test myself, and be active around the city: I value health, challenge, and community. I email a video of cats to my sister and leave a voicemail for my mom: it’s important to be close to my family.  Those are a few of the values on my list, which probably come as no real earth-shaking surprise given the content on this blog so far. 

What about your own big picture, Reader?  Think about it.  Why do you spend your days the way you do?  Reader, these are rhetorical and personal questions.  You don't have to comment on them, and your answers may be very different from mine.  And most of us have chunks of hours that are non-negotiable. Those commitments aren't bad—they're just not flexible.  

But just what if you could spend a few more hours per day intentionally, with the strategy of lining up those hours like tactics toward your broader life goals?  What would you do?