Strategies – Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

Is your life all over the place? Can’t seem to figure out what’s what? Do you keep forgetting appointments? Whatever the situation is, we’re here to help you figure out the right strategy that suits your lifestyle.

Whilst there’s no need to go completely overboard, it’s good to have some sort of strategy in your life. As we get older, life only gets busier, so it’s important to have a rough idea of what’s going on.

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The Importance of Sticking to a Strategy

Before delving into detail about the importance of strategies in our life, let’s take a trip down memory lane. In school subjects like English and other languages, teachers insist on making a rough plan when writing essays. For some students, it’s actually mandatory to attach the plan to the essay.

Considering that students’ writing skills are still at the early stages of development during their primary and secondary school years, it’s essential that teachers keep harping on the importance of working on a brainstorm session before starting the work on an essay. In this way, students are able to obtain a good basis for writing essays that consisted of great ideas, perfect grammar and the correct spelling.

Not only do essay plans help students work around an idea for an essay, but it also helps them expand their creative flow, as they broaden their minds with new ideas. As students transition from primary school, to secondary school, and finally to tertiary education, their writing skills improve and so do their plans/strategies for more intensive projects.

So what does this tell us? Even though this is a basic example, it shows us how essential it is to make a plan to truly be able to create something exceptional. That said, let’s look at the bigger picture now. Why are strategies so important? Without them, we don’t have structure in our lives. This goes beyond being the Monica Geller of your group of friends. It’s not about being surrounded by sticky notes, planners, calendars, etc. Rather, it’s about maintaining a strategy that is beneficial for our busy lifestyles.

Plan, Plan, Plan

So why is it important to make plans and develop strategies? As we’ve previously stated, strategies give us structure in our lives. Considering we lead very busy lifestyles, we can’t possibly remember every errand and every appointment, without adding a calendar reminder. First off, there’s a good chance that you’ll forget everything, not to mention planning events, appointments etc. on the same day that you already have something else planned. Bottom line - aim to become the complete strategist by having an appropriate plan that suits your lifestyle.

Let’s look at another scenario. For example, we all know how important it is to truly prepare yourself for an upcoming interview. If you want to land your ultimate dream job, you need to make a good impression. It all starts with researching and learning more about the company. What are their goals? What do they focus on? It’s not a good look if you show up to an interview and have no idea what a company is all about.

Next, focus on what you can bring to the table. This goes beyond your expertise in the field. Naturally, you need to show your employers that you are well-able to do your job well, but you have to be more than just your job. That said, just think about your skills and other qualities before you meet the director of a company or HR manager.

Strategies also come into play when you’re planning a holiday. Especially if you’re travelling with a big group, you need to plan a couple of things well in advance. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with living on the edge, it’s important to at least have a rough idea where you’re spending the night. It’s also a good idea to figure out what kind of commutes a country uses, the language (if there’s a language barrier), and close amenities.

From our end, we prefer to choose accommodation that is close to a train station/bus station, as this will save us so much money when opting for various commutes. Similarly, you need to have a rough idea of what you want to do and where you want to go. Travelling is always a good idea, but if you’re pressed for time, you need to have a rough plan of what you’re going to do. Going abroad for 3 to 5 days is very different from being away from home for five weeks plus. In short, make an appropriate strategy for your trip. This will save you a lot of time, money and even endless arguments if you’re travelling with other people.

Developing a Strategy when Playing Games

Although it’s important to develop strategies in our lives, strategies are important when we play games. Let’s face it, you need to develop a winning strategy to battle it out with your family and friends in a game like Monopoly.

Similarly, football and other sports teams need to work on a strategy. It’s all part of their training, as it not only helps them add another win to the bag, but it also helps them safeguard their reputation. Imagine if a popular football team didn’t assign different positions to each player; no one would have a clue what they’re supposed to be doing on the field. There’s no doubt that the possibility of winning a game is out of the question.

On another note, casino games also require an amount of knowledge and skill. Whilst both land-based venues and online platforms provide an entertaining experience, players need to master a game. As we will see in the next section of this guide, games like roulette, blackjack and poker are easy enough to understand, but players need to develop and master a winning strategy. Considering they require a substantial amount of skill, a player needs to be able to know the game. A beginner can’t just show up to the gaming area or opt for live casino without having some knowledge. Not only would they annoy other players and the dealer, but they will lose money along the way.