Life comes for you, at you, to your door, with every offer in the books. Some of them are scary. Some of them are urgent. Some of them are greedy. Some of them are stupid. And some just take your time and trash it like last year’s Oreo’s.

Actually, no one has ever thrown away Oreo’s. Maybe those chocolate chip cookie things that come in the tray, but not Oreo’s. So, let’s go with last month’s milk. That’s better. Grosser, but better. (Is grosser even a word?)

Life is coming for you! And just like any tangent, rabbit trail, interruption, it does NOT like to be told no. It’s the unwelcome date who shows up without flowers or reservations. So, you better have a plan.

A plan is an ahead of time allocation of time and resources.

It allows for spontaneity and fun and giving of yourself, but in an intentional way. The squeaky wheel doesn’t get the grease just because it’s squeaky. Plans protect you for the crazy of life as much as possible. They provide a predetermined response. They are the anti-tangent-rabbit-trail-device. And they really can work.

Plans include budgets, calendars, core values, mission statements, systems, and all of those sticky notes on your calendar. So, when the impulse buy, late night visit, or obligation that shouldn’t be comes to call you can say, “Sorry, I’ve got plans.”

Of course you will get knocked off track. Of course some days everything will conspire to keep you from whatever it is you think is most important. Of course. But the fact that plans change shouldn’t keep you from making plans in the first place. That’s like living naked because you might outgrown the current size or a new style is surely around the corner. Don’t live naked. No one wants to see that. It’s uncomfortable. And so is a life lived without any plans. So, go for it! Make those plans. Steer that ship. And don’t let the bumps along the way discourage you. Just change clothes and keep going.