1. What is planning?

Planning helps you to manage your time effectively, achieve your goals, reduce stress and increase productivity. Better time management provides the benefits of clearer goals, increased motivation and satisfaction. Goals can be divided into two main categories: long term and short term. Long-term goals are those that we plan to achieve over a long period of time, usually a year or even longer. They include large and strategic tasks that require a lot of time and effort. Long-term goals help an organisation or an individual to focus on an overall vision and direction. Examples could be expanding a business into new markets within five years; completing a degree within three years; developing and launching a new product within three years. Short-term goals are smaller tasks that can be achieved in a shorter period of time, usually a few months or even weeks. They are steps towards longer-term goals. Short-term goals provide the opportunity to achieve results quickly and often act as a motivational tool. Examples could be: preparing and submitting a project proposal in two weeks, collecting and analysing market research data in a month.