I just finished reading The Brothers Karamazov yesterday, for the second time.
It has nothing to do with planning.
But I’m going to give a very un-literary summary for you. In it there are depicted four brothers, sons of Fyodor Karamazov, three of whom are legitimate. Each of these three represents, in archetype, one of the body, the mind, and the spirit.
Mitya is the oldest, and he represent the body, and the passions of the flesh. Much like his father, he is driven by his appetites. This gets him into trouble.
Ivan is the second, middle child, and he represents the mind. He strives to be perfectly rational. As such, he is godless, and presents a very strong case for atheism in the most well-known chapter from the book, The Grand Inquisitor.
Alyosha is the third son, and he represents the spirit. At the beginning of the book he is novice in the local monastery. While he strives for spiritual perfection, his Elder, Zosima, sends him out of the monastery and into the world.
Seeing how these brothers interact and how their lives play out amidst tragedy and treachery is quite profound. They each suffer uniquely, and have unique joys and triumphs.
Ultimately, each of us embodies these archetypes as well, some more strongly than others.
If we lean towards the body archetype, planning will be challenging, as we follow our appetites and passions. If we lean towards the mind archetype, planning will come naturally, though we may not have the drive and motivation that others enjoy naturally. If we lean towards the spirit archetype, planning will resonate, but so will acting spontaneously as we see needs before us.
Finding a balance that works for your personality is important.
And now, back to the fact that I just finished a thousand page Russian novel.
Guess what, it didn’t happen in a day.
One of the habits I include in my daily plan, every single day, is that of reading. I often spend a mere ten minutes reading, usually when I need a short break from work, or sometimes at the end of the day. So it can take a while to get through something as long as The Brothers Karamazov.
Nevertheless, I got through it.
Consistent daily progress beats out heroic one-time efforts every single time.
If you build daily habits that move you towards any long term goal, and stick with them consistently, you will be able to look back and be impressed at what you have accomplished.
If you don’t, you’ll look back in regret.
Or, more likely, look sideways in envy at what others are able to get done.
Just remember, all they did was start. And then not stop.