The idea of mission and goals can be viewed from many perspectives. One such perspective is that the "thing you are trying to do" is solve a problem. The mission becomes solving the problem and the goals and everything else lines up to do just that.
However, from this perspective, the subsequent essential actions can only be effective if the real problem is identified.
It is easy to set out to fix a problem only to eventually realize you're working on the wrong thing. Doing this will result in frustration and require abandoning the plan because the plan was meant to solve one thing when something else was the real problem.
A simple example of this might be related to not being ready for a job or school task. Perhaps a presentation is expected on some certain day at some time. Perhaps reaching some particular phase of construction is expected to be done by a certain date.
Failing to reach a deadline could be caused by many factors. If the real cause is bad habits and bad time management, the goals and plans to fix that would be one thing. But suppose the problem is that the tools needed to finish the project were inadequate? Suppose the copier was chronically jammed or frequently produced bad copies… Suppose a particular nail gun needed for some aspect of the construction was underpowered or unreliable. The failure to meet the next deadline could be avoided by fixing the tools (or getting replacements).
If the problem is the tools, changing habits might solve the problem by creating more hours to do the work, but that would be a bandaid solution. The real problem—inefficient tools—would still exist.
Conversely, if the problem is bad habits, then investing in better tools may or may present a solution. No matter how good the tool is, if the person using it is watching Netflix on the phone, the work won't get done.
It is vital to identify and fully clarify what the real problem is before trying to create a plan to solve something. A great deal of time, energy and resources can be wasted by working on the wrong essential actions.
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