5 year plan

@GreenMoo (11834)
May 18, 2012 11:30am CST
I was talking to a friend recently who was pleased because she had taken another step towards achieving her five year plan. I'm pleased for her, but it did make me feel rather lacking as I don't manage to plan beyond the end of next week, let alone for the next five years. I very much take things as they come, with only some hazy ideas about where I'm headed. I find that things change as I progress, so what I might anticipate as being my direction today could be different next month. Have you ever sat down and worked out a five year plan, or a ten year one, or even one for just the coming year? Do you find it helps you to have something to work towards? If you don't mind sharing, I'd love to know what sort of things you have planned.
5 people like this
15 responses
@BlueCat (49)
18 May 12
I have never really planned anything - I just tend to meander through life dealing with what it throws at me. That's probably why I've never really been hugely successful at anything - the people I see doing really well are those with a vision who are constantly working towards it. Mind you, that doesn't necessarily mean they are any happier than me - sometimes it's nice to see where fate takes you!
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@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
Actually, I think you're hugely successful at what you do
20 May 12
I guess it depends how you define success. In business i enjoy what I do (most of the time) and I get good feedback from my customers so in that wy yes, I am successful. But when it comes to actually earning enough to pay the bills I'm not quite there yet! I think when I know without debt that very month there'll be enough money for the rent, bills, food ewtc and some overall consider the business a success! In other areas of life - I have wonderful kids and a fab man so that bit of my life is finally successful, but in other areas I'm not doing so well!
20 May 12
One more thing - rather than have a plan I do have a list of things I want to learn and experience, places I want to visit etc. the idea was to work through the list of 101 things in 1001 days - I won't get everything done but it does give me ideas to work towards.
@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
19 May 12
You know, we are all different. Some people set a goal and plan to get there. Other people just go with the flow and end up where they end up. You are actually some where between. So am I actually.
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@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
Sometimes I wish I had the discipline to sit down and plan, but then I realise that I'd never have the discipline to ever look at it again so I might as well save myself the stress!
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@ElicBxn (63194)
• United States
19 May 12
Most people are hard pressed to make up plans for a week, much less a year!
@peavey (16936)
• United States
18 May 12
No way. Daily life is stressful enough without adding to it. A five year plan sounds like a cage to me. I do set goals, aka things I want to do or get, but they're open ended. If it's something I really want, I will work toward it without a time gridded plan. If it's not what I really want or want enough, it gets put on the back burner. There's nothing wrong with that! I do what I need to do to get to where I want to get and I don't have to spend time, energy and anxiety working on goals I don't really want.
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@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
I think that sometimes it's only when you start working on something that you realise whether you really want it or not. That's where the back burner comes in!
@peavey (16936)
• United States
19 May 12
I agree!
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
30 May 12
It would be great to have a 5 year plan. But like you, I find it hard to really sit down and think about it. There are just too many unknowns that could happen in the future. So what I did instead was to plot everything (financial) that I have. I have an ongoing spreadsheet that started out in 2005. I update it every start of the month. Instead of looking ahead, I look back at where I am (say, 5 years ago). Then at least I could feel better about myself.
@GreenMoo (11834)
31 May 12
That's a really positive way to work. But you must have a goal in mind that you are working towards, even if it is not written down. Paying off the mortgage, financial independent, kid's futures, or whatever.
@bounce58 (17387)
• Canada
31 May 12
Yes, a couple of things. Paying for the kids education, and paying off the mortgage. Unfortunately both are still a bit hazy for now.
• Indonesia
19 May 12
It's important to have a plan, so we can choose a path we'll take. In general, for the next five years, I have some goals. I'll go to college. Make a preparations to make my own business. Write an novel. and some other goals...
@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
Do you review it often Azuna, to take into account changing circumstances?
@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
that sounds really sensible, and having a back up plan means you will never be taken by surprise.
• Indonesia
19 May 12
I am. I make a list about the good and bad thing that could happen to me. that's why I've make a plan B, C, or D. If I feel that something will make it hard for me, I'll make another plan. I try to count what kind of thing that will give me profit and what will not.
@WakeUpKitty (8694)
• Netherlands
18 May 12
I never made a plan for 5 years.. perhaps I should do so too? I think it would cause me a lot of stress if things go different as planned.. with surely will be that way with the bad economics (even the governments don't stick to their 5 year plans or even 1 year plan if it comes to). If I need/want something I do make a plan and go for that goal but it's not about 5 years or so. After I reached what I want I go on to the next step/level. It works for me.
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11834)
18 May 12
I think if you were to make a long term plan it would need to be reassessed regularly. It would also need to be split down into manageable portions.
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@GardenGerty (157050)
• United States
18 May 12
When I tried that it got shot down. I have three debts that I want paid off in the next two years. One year will be better. That is the furthest I have planned.
@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
It's a good plan, which will free you up to make further ones. Best of luck with it.
• Canada
19 May 12
Not reall, but I am working with my financial adviser, to do some serious money-saving. He just oepned up an office around the corner from my apartment, so that's even better! :)
@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
Whilst financial planning is certainly planning, I don't really count it as part of a 5 year plan unless it's focussed on something specific (moving home, for instance). Financial planning is something that we should all do just as matter of course, simply because it opens up more opportunities for us.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
18 May 12
I really don't do a plan..except for vacations...I am older...I just go with the flow! Most of what I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime I have....now I just go coast along.
@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
Did you have a plan when you were younger, or did you accomplish your dreams without?
@sharra1 (6340)
• Australia
19 May 12
No. 5 years is such a long time and anything can happen to change plans. I doubt I have ever had any really long term plans other than saving for something I wanted. These days I just live from day to day. If there is something I want to do I will make plans for it but I have no interest in trying to make my life fit into some sort of plan. I think the people who do this have the ambition to reach a certain level in their career or they just need to have a structure to work in. I prefer to just live for the moment as you never know if there will be a future, let alone what it might be like.
@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
I'd actually like to have the discipline to sit down and work out some sort of plan, but in truth I am just not that motivated to do it!
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
18 May 12
You're not superwoman! Your friend probably lives in a house or flat with modern conveniences at the push of a button and doesn't have to do physical labor, raise the children and take care of guests and animals with minimal help. I can't see where you have much time to sit down and make a plan so don't be feeling that you should be doing more. That said, having a goal to work towards does tend to focus your efforts and make you more productive. My long range plan is just to survive financially. It has been thrown out of kilter when I decided to sell the house and move back to my boys--I can't sell it until I fix the basement leaks, which is happening as I'm typing, and that's going to wipe out my savings. I still have my investments but will have to liquidate some of that small amount to pay moving expenses and pay off some home improvements I made in the past. So my goal right now is to get to Arizona and build up my saving again..I hope to have replaced my savings by this time next year. I also hope to help my youngest son get into a better place mentally and financially during the same time period. I usually plan a year at a time with a long range goal of improving my financial health and guarding my physical health.
@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
Those sort of plans (financial health, physical health), which are very open ended and broad, are the sort of things which I don't even think of as being plans. They're just common sense, everyday goals! Mind you, there are those who obviously don't have enough sense to appreciate that they need looking after. I do think a year is a better time scale to be working on than five years. After all, things change so rapidly and new opportunities arise.
• Singapore
18 May 12
Hi GreenMoo! I think everyone needs to make plans for the future. We know this in our heart but fail to admit we really want to do it. Who doesn't want to have a good life when they retire? Who doesn't want to worry about money? We all do, whether we say it or not. I must admit. I do not have a firm plan, but after reading this discussion, I would want to have a solid one too. I'm envious. It's a fallacy to think that planning is for the rich. It's just not true. Planning is for everyone. And the poorer needs to do more planning than the rich actually. Things change. We can plan. We can make provisions but whether we arrive at our destination or not should not be an issue. The important thing is to get started and monitor along the way. To have a five-year plan and to ensure its success, you need to monitor its progress every year at least to see if it's on the right track. For me, I definitely want to get a new home in the next five years. It must happen. We need more space.
@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
Although I don't have a long range plan myself, I actually do think it would help. But it's essential that a plan over such a huge time scale should be broad and revisited regularly to take account of changes.
• Singapore
20 May 12
I believe that when you put out your goals to the universe, it has some ways to make its way to you. This is what happens to me. I listed a couple of things I wanted to do in the future. This "future" is not fixed. I did not have a time frame for any of things I listed. it was just things I wanted to do. I came across that list after 3-4 years. I managed to cross out more than 10 things in the list! It was surprising! Because I did not have this list in my mind when I did those things. So even if you do not have any plans, just write down things you want to do. You don't even have to give it deadlines. See what happens in a couple of years.
@inertia4 (27961)
• United States
21 May 12
I have never planed that far in advance. I used to plan for like maybe a month or two. Now it is just a day by day thing for me. Who knows whats going to happen tomorrow. And besides, anytime I ever planned something, it never worked out for me.
@GreenMoo (11834)
21 May 12
Day by day seems to work ok for me too, though I have this nagging guilt that I ought to be trying harder.
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@inertia4 (27961)
• United States
24 May 12
I understand that. But like I said, it's always been something when I planned. Something always went wrong. So I figure it's just better to take it day by day. Don't feel any guilt over it. From reading your discussions you always try harder. No need to stress over that.
@ryanong (9665)
• Vietnam
19 May 12
I make a plan for 1 year only...5 years it is so so long and many things can be changed with the time.
@GreenMoo (11834)
19 May 12
Many things change over time, but I think if one were to make longer range plans you'd take that into account and revisit them regularly. I'm impressed that you even make plans for a year however!
@ryanong (9665)
• Vietnam
21 May 12
hihihi I understand your meaning, take a long time plan maybe good...But currently...if think of 5 years plan,,,i really don't know what to do with it...i can imagine works for the first year, but the second, the third year....i don't know what to do with it...
@haylib (36)
• United States
18 May 12
Hello! everyone is different and has a different idea of how they should work towards things. I, myself, am similar to you. I don't sit down and map out my life and everything I want to do with it. I more go along with what's happening right now and see what tomorrow brings me. Some people do like to know exactly what they're doing with their life but it's not always going to turn out that way. It's always nice to have something to work towards- but start with something small. You don't have to know what you're doing for the next 20 years. It's a surprise. It's spontaneous. And you'll find out when the time comes :)
@GreenMoo (11834)
18 May 12
There's an argument that says that if you have a plan you will at least be taking steps in the right direction all the time rather than wasting effort. I can see where they're coming from with that, but so far it's just not been for me!