Planning is a key management function that involves deciding what, when, how, and who will do it$.$ It defines an organization's goals and creates strategies to achieve them. Planning is a process of thinking ahead of time before you take any action. It helps you to anticipate and prepare for the situations you might face in the future. It involves logical thinking and rational decision$-$making, which can help you make better choices and achieve your goals more effectively.$$Planning outlines the precise steps required to achieve an objective.Since plans answer the question, "How do we reach our goals?" planning starts with setting SMART goals. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

Create a short list of goals for yourself. You should have at least $2$ long$-$term and $2$ short$-$term SMART goals. They need to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and have a time in which they need to be completed. At that time, you should be able to clearly measure whether or not the goal was met.$$