Want to Succeed? You Better Prepare
My high school English teacher had a saying on the board in her classroom that was called the “5 P’s”:
Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance
It meant nothing to me in high school and each time she said it I would roll my eyes and ignore it. I was in high school and like most teenagers, I knew everything. Oddly enough, this quote has stuck with me and I rely on it more now than ever to help lead me and our team.
If you have not read The Art of War by Sun Tzu, I highly recommend it. I am not going to compare war and work and I don’t expect you too either. The key takeaway from this book, in my opinion, is about preparation. The most successful people prepare by prioritizing what they need to get done and focus on accomplishing those tasks first.
One of my favorite podcasts is The Growth Whisperers with Brad Giles and Kevin Lawrence. They cover many excellent topics and episode #104, Habits Successful Leaders Practice to Prepare for the Week Ahead, focuses on this topic, even mentioning the quote above (one of my favorites) as a reference point.
There is no formula for preparation. There are plenty of books, tips, tricks, and even data to support practices used by some of the most successful people. I have found, and it’s echoed in the podcast, is that you have to do what works for you. I like to take a couple hours Sunday morning to prepare for the week ahead. That’s not for everyone. It’s not about doing what ever other successful person does, it’s about creating the planning routine that allows you to be prepared and successful.