Why planning must come before scheduling for optimal productivity

Aren’t planning and scheduling the same thing?

The words “planning” and “scheduling” are often used interchangeably, as if both have the same meaning or intention. The problem is they’re not the same, although they do go hand in hand.

While speaking at an event in Phoenix, I had a chance to meet up with a fellow LinkedIn Learning author, Jim Rogers. He’s an expert in construction project management and has a fantastic tip on productivity to share that anyone can implement.

Planning must come before scheduling. Otherwise, you can suffer from delays due to scheduling mix-ups and out-of-order tasks. Planning is when you sit down and create the overall vision—the end result that you are looking to achieve for a project.

Once you have that plan laid out, you can begin to schedule the smaller tasks required in order to meet that goal and execute the plan. By doing it in this order, you will schedule tasks at the correct time and avoid confusion and frustration.

Do you take the time to create a plan before reaching for your calendar? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Interested in more ways to boost productivity? Check out my courses at DaveCrenshaw.com/learn!