There are so many classic quotes about planning. You've heard the hits, maybe from your schoolteacher, your basketball coach, or your 3rd-grade trumpet instructor:

Writing this blog has necessitated more planning ahead for me. That's been a neat little benefit of this ride.

Of course, having a plan doesn't mean it'll all play out exactly as you drew it up.

I used to think the purpose of the plan was to see that a particular outcome was realized in the world. That's half true. Only half, because you simply can't control every circumstance you'll encounter during execution. The world is a big place filled with free-willed actors. "The best-laid plans of mice and men..."

I used to suffer when a plan's final results didn't match my original goalposts. (Combine this with a propensity to set moonshot goals and voila! You've got migraines. I spent years inside this vicious cycle until a light went off and I realized how cruel it was to do this to myself.

I learned that the point of planning isn't always "to achieve a specifically planned outcome." No, the fruits bloom most heartily in the mere act of planning itself.

Our buddy Winnie captured this truth with aplomb:

The more you plan, the better you get at planning. The better you get at planning, the closer you get to the life you envision.

And let's not forget, sometimes you do realize the exact outcome you were planning for. And it feels damn glorious. But if nothing else, at the very least, planning simply greases the wheels to help you get wherever you want to go.