It is a remarkable ability to make the complex simple. Too often ideas and plans don’t work because they are too complicated. People who can describe their ideas with crystal clarity get results.
People who keep their plans simple get things done.
There are lots of stories of how Apple’s Steve Jobs sent ideas back to the drawing board because he wanted them more simple. Not less remarkable or innovative, but more simple. One of the first iPod prototypes had too many buttons and switches so Jobs rejected it and demanded of his engineers that it maintained all of the functionality, but was more simple. You know what we ended up with.
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”
Steve Jobs (Tweet this)
Here’s a way to keep planning simple.
On one page, in fact.
- On the top of your page you write what your vision is. What will the future (of the product or project or organisation) look like?
- Now work out the five most important things that you must get right in order for your vision to become reality. Not 15 or 35, just five (plus or minus two). List these as columns underneath the vision (as if they are supporting it).
- List the specific goals in each of the five areas. State them using numbers if possible – what gets measured, gets managed.
- Decide what are the most urgent priorities right now.
- Design and implement a 90 day project to achieve the most important goal.
- Repeat.
Free Plan On A Page Template
Leaders need to make sure the vision is clear and that people are working on the most important things to achieve it. A Plan On A Page is a technique to make it happen. And it’s yours for free. Click here to download.
