One of the characteristics of a good person is the ability to be organized (and plan ahead for all the things life may throw at you). The qualities of a good planner are so important to develop in order to simplify your life.
While you can’t plan for everything in the future, these 7 qualities of a good planner will help you to succeed in all that you do (and even bounce back quickly when you encounter setbacks).
What to Expect
- Why Planning is an Important Characteristic of a Good Life
- What Qualities are Necessary to Be a Good Planner
- How to Have Organized Characteristics For Planning in the Future
Henri Fayol, the originator of the model of management, said that effective plans should have four qualities: unity, continuity, accuracy, and flexibility. Those qualities translate to a person who is an effective planner (with some additional characteristics) and help you create a life you love.
Why Planning Is Important in Life
You might think that planning is just for those who are planners by nature. However, it’s also important for those who are more spontaneous and have a shorter attention span.
Planning is necessary for success in life because without it, you’ll most likely be overwhelmed, and you won’t know what to do first. You can use planning for everything in your life, from tackling work tasks, to planning fun vacations, to cleaning and organizing your home.
Planning helps you to prioritize what needs to be done at any given time, as well as figure out which tasks are most urgent and which ones can wait.
Planning helps you with your decision-making skills by weighing the pros and cons of an issue at hand. It can even be helpful in dealing with others (have you ever created a plan for a difficult conversation?).
These 7 qualities of a good planner will benefit you in all areas of your life.
What qualities are necessary to be a good planner?
1. A good planner Is detail-oriented with organized characteristics
A good planner should be able to see the big picture as well as the small details.
They also need to be detail-oriented enough so that they can make sure that all of their tasks are being completed on time and effectively.
A good planner is able to take a large project, whether it’s for work or something around the house, and break it down into manageable bites.
For example, if you need to declutter your home, a good planner would follow a step-by-step 30-day decluttering challenge or even work quickly and conquer the entire home with a weekend warrior decluttering guide.
2. A good planner is empathetic and proactive
When you plan out a project, it is more than just getting all the tasks done. You need to think about how your team members are going to feel when they are completing these tasks.
A good planner understands that emotions, good or bad, can have great impact on how well someone responds.
A great example of this is having the characteristics of effective parenting when disciplining a child. If not, you can make the child feel belittled and not respond in the way that the parent had hoped.
To combat this kind of thing, a parent should plan ahead and be thoughtful about how they discipline without yelling to allow for some flexibility with the kids.
3. A good planner has a positive attitude and works smoothly with others
A good planner is a person who sees the bigger picture, and with that, has the ability to be positive and work well with others. They are able to handle working on different projects and don’t get discouraged easily.
They also need to be able to handle feedback well in order to come up with ideas for their creativity.
A good planner will always keep their attitude in a positive mindset, even when things get difficult. They know that it’s just as important to be able to collaborate with others as it is to have creative ideas because they know that you can’t do anything on your own.
For more tips to have a positive attitude as a planner, read these ideas:
- How to be a positive thinker from But First Joy
- How to get (and keep) a more positive attitude from The Goal Chaser
- The Power of Positive Parenting from Family Focus Blog
4. A good planner possesses strong communication skills
It is important for a good planner to be able to communicate with people. This means that they should have strong interpersonal skills and be able to communicate their ideas well.
A good planner can keep their cool in any situation and mitigates risk by thinking ahead.
They should also be able to present their ideas in a way that others can understand it. It is important for them to not only know what the idea is, but also how it will benefit the specific person they are talking to.
5. A good planner is flexible in their approach to planning
A good planner keeps themselves updated with new productivity trends and hacks, but knows when to use them and when to stay the course. They understand the importance of being organized and know how to use their time effectively.
If your routine isn’t working, a good planner would be able to use a daily routine worksheet to work backwards and find the problem – and then create a your ideal routine.
Hint: sign up for my morning routine template below to plan a better morning routine. 😉
6. A good planner has the ability to focus
A good planner needs to be able to focus during the planning phase, but also have the ability to focus and stay consistent during the implementation phase.
Whether you’re making plans to clean your home or pack for vacation, you need to be able to focus on actually creating your plan, as well as following your plan, because who wants to arrive on a fabulous vacation, only to realize you forgot your bathing suit (or shoes)?
One thing that’s helped me to focus (and relieve stress in the process) is doing a brain dump.
Read my step-by-step guide to doing a brain dump and get everything out of your head so you can focus on the things that really matter.
7. A good planner is practical
One of the most important parts about being a good planner is being a practical person.
Everything from budgeting to organizing to parenting requires some degree of practicality. Being able to take a practical approach in life will help you set reasonable goals and stay sane in the process.
However, being practical isn’t always seen as a “fun” characteristic.
If you know a practical person, you might struggle with finding practical gift ideas. Or, if you’re NOT a practical person, you might struggle with trying to rein in your spontaneous personality in favor of a more practical approach.
Over time, as you practice planning and following these characteristics of a good planner, you’ll find that you’ll naturally become more practical.
Next Steps: Give Yourself the Lifelong Skill of Planning
Planning is a skill that helps you be more productive, reduce stress, and have a better work-life balance. But planning starts with trying to implement these core characteristics of a good planner.
To be a good planner, especially as a mom, focus on creating solid routines, including a morning routine, daily routine, and evening routine.
One of my favorite routine-planning courses is the Make Over Your Morning Course. You’ll learn how to plan a great morning routine (by starting with a solid evening routine that sets you up for success). That morning routine will make you feel successful all.day.long. 🥳
Fill those routines with organized habits that will help you move forward in your goals.