In this pressurize world of ours anything
That can reduce our tension is important.
And many of the things that can help us to live successfully
Under pressure are really very simple to learn and to apply.
There are many techniques that can
Simplify the ordinary problems of life.
I'd like to tell you about a technique used
About a man I met casually on a railroad train.
He was a distinguished looking gentleman
Headed for a business convention in the south.
He settled down at his room at across from
Me and begun pulling papers from his briefcase.
He'd brought his office with him and he was going right to work.
But before starting, he did a strange thing.
From his brief case he pulled a
Black card about the size of an envelope.
Written on it with Large white letters were 2 words Plan Backward.
The man prop the card with these 2 words
On the table before him and went to work.
Well curiosity got the best of me and
I finally ask him what the card meant.
I lean across the aisle and said
That Pardon me, Can I ask you a question?
He smiled and said he didn't mind at all.
Well I said, I've seen a lot of signs saying Plan Ahead,
But that's the first one I've ever seen that says Plan Backward.
He laughed, Holy days he explained is a reminder to myself that I've
Got to organize my time, you see, he said,
Planning backward contains the idea of a specific goal.
You choose a goal, picture yourself accomplishing it,
Then plan backward until you know
Exactly where and when you must start.
What a clever idea that is really, plan backward.
I've tried it and it worked.
Suppose, you have just a simple problem like arriving to work on time.
You know beginning a day with a silly worry
Like that can change the complexion of a whole day.
Well, you know you have to catch a 8:30 train to work at 9:
00 and that means starting to walk to the train
At 10 after 8 eat breakfast at 7:45 and get up at 7.
Just plan back to where you have to start and it all works out.
Now that's a very simple application but
Just think what it can do to more major problems.
I believe every program has an ideal time value to allow
Less time produces tension, to allow more time produces waste.
Try to discover the time value for the tasks that make up your day.
If you know your goals, you can catch up the tension in reaching them.
If you learned the lesson, that that man in the rail train taught me.
Plan Backward.