Concept
Organized Planning
Organized planning is Napoleon Hill's rule that a goal needs a practical written plan, built with help from others where needed and replaced quickly when it fails, because a failed plan is a temporary defeat rather than a final verdict.
Hill was blunt that desire without a plan is daydreaming. He told readers to write a plan, to ally with people who have the knowledge they lack, and to expect plans to fail. When one fails, he said, the person has not failed; the plan has, so build another. This is one of the sturdiest parts of the book. Research on implementation intentions by Peter Gollwitzer and colleagues found that simple plans of the form 'when situation X arises, I will do Y' raise the odds that people follow through on their goals. Plans also make failure visible early, which is useful: a plan with dates and numbers shows in the second month that it is off track, while a vague hope shows nothing. The limit is the opposite mistake, endless planning. A plan exists to produce the first action this week. A one-page plan reviewed monthly is usually enough; the point is a clear next step, not a perfect document.
A real-life example
Selin, a pharmacist in Antalya, wants to open her own pharmacy within three years. Her first plan, a bank loan, collapses when rates rise. Rather than drop the goal, she writes plan two: partner with a retiring pharmacist and buy in gradually. She lists who she must talk to, in order, and books the first meeting for Friday.
How to use it
- 1Under your goal, write the first three concrete steps with dates and the people you need.
- 2Turn the hardest step into an if-then sentence: 'When X happens, I will do Y.'
- 3When a plan fails, write down why in one line and draft the next plan within a week.