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version seven. http://demongin.org |
Crystal Ball
Making plans, setting goals and writing summaries.
Wednesday, 2006-01-04 | Classic Gin, Lists, Philosophy
| Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser Soze. |
| Christopher McQuarrie |
Making Lists
A certain character in a certain movie remarks that "a plan is just a list of things that don't happen."
If it is truly the case that a plan is a list of things, then a "goal" is just a notion or an idea bolted arbitrarily onto the end of that list. And having goals, it would therefore seem, must be less effective than making plans--a plan is a list and a goal is simply one idea that caps off a list--because when you've made a plan you've actually and indisputably accomplished something (i.e. you created a list).
Simply inventing goals for yourself... Well, hey: it's fun to play pretend.
Making Progress
There's got to be something on the other side of making plans; if making goals is literally ineffective (i.e. without effect), then there's got to be something more effective than planning that isn't exactly taking action, but which lies in the grey area between taking action and thinking big thoughts.
I think that grey area activity might be "writing histories".
It's not the easiest logic to follow, but I think making a list of things that have, indeed, happened is more effective than making a plan--a list of events that don't happen--but not as effective as going out and actually effecting some change in the world.
Taking stock, summing it up--offering a recap: all of these things are more effective than making plans for the future because they concern the re-description and the re-creating and therefore some part of the actual doing of actual events, not merely hypothetical ones.
So: anyone who wants to do something--take action--ought to keep this in mind. Taking stock is better than making plans and making plans is better than simply having goals.
