Everyone knows the importance of mid- to long-term planning, but in reality, we rarely get to choose how much time to spend on short-term goals—what’s right in front of us. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re being short-sighted.
Although it’s not something you see discussed much online, I often hear people around me criticize those who are struggling financially, saying they’re just not working hard enough. Maybe that’s true to some extent, but when survival becomes the priority, it’s really hard to think about anything that’s not right in front of you.
In other words, in that kind of environment, your perspective naturally becomes narrow. Even if you’re aware that you’re missing the bigger picture, focusing on immediate needs already takes everything you've got—so it's not that people don’t want to think long-term, it’s that they simply can’t.
So how do we deal with that? My approach is to always set boundaries between work and personal time—no matter what. Like I’ve said before, this is easier said than done, especially in the IT industry where you often need to use your personal time to pick up new skills for work. I’m still in that boat myself. Starting this journal is actually a way to remind myself not to lose sight of mid-term and long-term goals.
Of course, I’ve been learning through trial and error. Recently, due to some changes in my role and my health and focus gradually recovering (it took almost a year), I’ve decided to make a few changes:
- Put health first(sleep & diet)
- No work on weekends unless absolutely necessary.
- The goal on weekdays is to make sure my weekends are truly my own.
I need to carve out time to plan the upcoming week. Since unexpected things come up all the time, planning by the day just doesn’t work for me—it has to be done on a weekly basis.
My weekday goal, Monday through Friday, is to clear my weekend schedule. I don’t mind working late on weekdays if that means I get both weekend days free—that’s the trade-off I’m aiming for.
How do you plan your mid-term and long-term goals without getting completely derailed by short-term demands?
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