Plan First, Then Execute

Note from today’s Bible reading: Proverbs 19-21

The wise man in the book of Proverbs had a lot to say on the subject of planning. One such statement was this: “The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, but everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5).

The wise man often warned about someone coming to poverty because of his slothfulness (cf. Proverbs 6:9-11). However, the one who comes to poverty in the verse above is not a lazy person. Instead, he was eager to get busy. So why does he end up with the same fate as the lazy person?

The difference between the ones who gain an advantage and those who come to poverty had to do with their planning. The first group consisted of those who were diligent, but they made plans first to ensure that their efforts were properly directed. The second group failed to plan, so in their haste, they never really accomplished anything. They may have been very active, but they never stopped to consider the wise path to take and focus on that.

So plan first, then execute. Diligence is important, but it will never amount to much without direction. Let us take time to make sure we know what direction we need to go, then work on what we ought to be doing.