What’s Motivating for You? A Plan or a Vision?

There is no "right" way

Photo by Jungwoo Hong on Unsplash

I’m a planner. I love having a plan, making a plan, writing in a planner. I was the kid who loved fresh notebooks and new pens at the start of a school year. Just recently, I started marking out my 2024 calendar with plans and it brought me great satisfaction. 

I know others for whom planning is not fun. They’d rather be spontaneous, fly by the seat of their pants, figure it out as they go along, or be inspired by moving towards a vision rather than weekly to-do lists. 

And of course, none of us is all one way or the other. Sometimes we need to see the bigger picture; sometimes we need to know the steps that will take us there.

But I see a lot of advice out there for “how to get things done” or “how to meet your goals”, which does not account for the fact that the advisee might be motivated by different things than the advisor.¹

If you tend to prefer spontaneity, making a plan might be useful, but it won’t necessarily be motivating.

If you tend to prefer planning, setting the vision may be helpful, but it won’t necessarily move you to action. 

The Questions You Probably Ask

If you’ve never considered what motivates you, try to remember the types of questions you tend to ask when faced with a project or task or way of living.

If you find yourself asking “how” or “when” a lot, you might be motivated by planning.