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All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New

International Version ®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984,

2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™. Used by permission.

All rights reserved.

MAGPLANO Kahit Walang Planner A Practical Guide to Goal-Setting Copyright © 2017 by Marts Valenzuela Cover Design from Canva

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Contents

Preface ........................................................................................................... 4

#Goals ............................................................................................................ 5

Pit Stops ........................................................................................................ 7

Let’s Get It On! ............................................................................................ 5

Enemies of Planning ............................................................................. 15

What Will You Plan For? ..................................................................... 17

The Master Planner ............................................................................... 19

YOU: The Planner .................................................................................. 20

About the Author ................................................................................... 22

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Preface

It’s the time of the year na naman para sa mga makukulay at

magagandang mga planners and journals. Napakasarap kaya

sa pakiramdam na may bago kang kwaderno na pupunuin

mo ng mga ganap mo for the day, week and months. Para sa

akin, at sa marami sa atin, wala nang mas exciting pa sa amoy

ng isang bagong notebook, lalo na kung may mga inspiring

quotes at discount coupons pa na nakaipit sa mga pahina

nito. Ay meron pala, amoy ng bagong biling libro, pero ibang

topic na yun.

Aminin mo, hindi porke’t may planner ka nang maganda ay

may magandang plano ka na rin for the year that is to come.

Marami nga sa atin, clueless talaga sa kung paano ba tatakbo

ang taon e. At hindi rin basehan na may planner ka, every

plan will fall into their perfect place. Ang totoo nga niyan,

may mga taong inaabot lang ng tatlong buwan ang

pagkahumaling sa kanilang planner, pagkatapos nun wala na.

At the end of the day, It all depends upon YOU kung paano

maisasakatuparan ang bawat planong isusulat mo sa planner

mo.

Kaya’t may planner ka man o wala, pagtulungan nating i-

maximize ang ating taon #NoteToSelf way.

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#Goals

Hindi na bago sa atin ang kasabihang, “if you plan to fail, you

fail to plan”. Sino ba naman ang taong naghahangad na

mabigo sa huli? Mahalaga ang pagpaplano dahil binibigyan

tayo ng direksyon sa ating nais na patunguhan. Ang ating

mga plans ang nagsisilbing track na sinusundan natin

patungo sa accomplishment ng ating mga dreams or

objectives in career, relationships, ministries, personal

fitness, etc.

Pero bago pa man ang specifics ng planning, mas mainam na

meron kang something bigger, something larger than your

plans. Kung ang plans ay ang track na daraanan, san ka

naman patutungo? That, my friend, is your GOAL. Eto yung

pinakanais mong makamit at nais mong maging bahagi ng

iyong araw-araw na existence. Eto yung vision mo na

sumasagot sa mga mahahalagang tanong sa buhay like, “para

kanino ka bumabangon?” at “what drives you?” Your vision

even makes you “beat energy gap” kung sa tingin mo

napapagod ka na dahil it energizes you.

Halimbawa ako, ang goal ko in life is to glorify God through

my passion to write. Kaya my goal statement goes like this:

I envision myself as an accomplished Christian book

author in three years time.

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Ang mga companies at mga organizations ay meron nito.

Lahat ng may nais patunguhan ay meron nito. Nagkakaiba-

iba lang ng pagkakatawag pero pare-pareho lang naman ng

nais iparating – na may gusto silang marating in the future.

So why not compose one for your personal life journey?

Unless wala kang nais marating sa buhay...

Before we even proceed sa susunod na bahagi, I challenge

you to assess yourself. What are your goals?

TIP: Don’t be afraid to make it grand kung yun talaga ang

nais ng puso mo, but don’t make it too general na parang

bahala na lang ang dating. Make it yours. Anyway, it’s yours

naman talaga. And as you write your goals, envision yourself

already possessing it.

So, what are your #GOALS?

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Pit Stops

Now for the meaty part ng ating pagpaplano.

Like what I have just said, kung ang achievement ng ating

GOAL ang destination, may mga pit stops din tayong dapat

daanan papunta sa ating destination. Some call these pit

stops as plans, projects, or tasks. Ang mga plans and projects

na ito ay mga hagdan na hinahakbangan natin para

mapalapit sa destinasyon.

Specifically, ang mga projects natin ay ang mga gawain natin

na naglalapit sa atin sa ating mga goals. Kung ang nais ko ay

maging isang ganap na book author, isa sa mga magiging

project ko ay ang mag-maintain nang maayos na blog. Isa pa

sa bunga ng aking projects ay ang ebook na binabasa mo

ngayon. Ito ay bahagi ng aking journey bilang isang

manunulat.

Take note that these projects can either be short-term or

long-term in nature. Halimbawa, kung ang goal mo ay maging

financially stable, dapat may mga plans and projects ka

leading to your goal na achievable within a week, month,

couple of months, etc. And mahalaga sa mga projects, time-

bound. May deadline. Otherwise, these will not be projects

but mere suggestions na pwedeng gawin, pwede ring hindi.

Pero dahil fueled ka ng iyong goals, might as well hindi

masyadong big deal ang pagsunod sa deadline. Kagaya ko, I

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set deadline for myself para dito sa ebook na ito. Though to

be honest, hindi ito madali.

Challenging ang pag-keep up with your projects. It takes

discipline. Mas madali kasi ang pag-set ng goals. Parang

nangarap ka na magkaroon ng bahay sa goal-setting at ang

paggawa mismo ng specifications ng bahay ang katumbas ng

paggawa at pag-implement ng projects. Pero sa isang taong

guided at motivated ng kanyang mga pangarap, ano naman

kung ma-challenge?

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Let’s Get It On!

Wala naman talagang standard way of planning for specific

projects and how to keep up with it. Pero here are some

practical tips you can employ as you jot down on your

planner your projects for the year:

1. Prior to anything, remember your

primary goal.

Ano ba ang gusto mong mangyari? Maging healthier? Maging

financially stable? Maging deeper sa Word of God? Kung ano

ang primary goal mo, dun mo ia-anchor ang iyong mga plans

for the year.

Let’s take mine for example:

I envision myself as an accomplished Christian book

author someday.

Kaya naman lahat ng mga plan of actions ko, I will see to it

that I will anchor sa aking vision statement. What are some

projects I can pursue towards the fulfilment of my goal?

a. Creation of a blog with at least 50k followers. Target:

6-9 months.

b. Regular blog posting. Target: at least one blog post a

week

c. Regular reading of books. Target: Two books a month

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d. Attend seminars related to blogging, writing or book

publishing. Target at least once this year

e. Start writing chapter drafts: at least 1 chapter a

month

Eto yung mga personal projects ko na gusto kong ma-achieve

on a given period of time. Take note that aside from being

time-bound, these projects an easily be evaluated kung

successful o hindi dahil may metrics na sinusundan: Once a

month, twice a week, etc.

The gist is that your goals must define your projects, not the

other way around. If you can do away with an activity na

hindi naman makakatulong for you to achieve your goal,

might as well drop it, or put it in the “least priority” category.

Kadalasan kasi yung mga non-goal related activities kasi

might take our eyes off our goal, slow down our pace and

take away our precious time.

2. List down what you’ve learned from the

journey

Along the way, may mga learnings and gleanings tayo as we

walk towards our goal. Sa paggawa natin ng ating mga

projects, hindi pwedeng hindi ma-develop ang skills mo,

makakilala ka ng mga bagong tao at mag-accumulate ka ng

bagong experiences.

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Ang sabi ni Carolyn V. Hamilton, “Documenting little details

of your everyday life becomes a celebration of who you are.”

Isang magandang disiplina na i-jot down kung ano ang mga

natutunan mo as you implement and pursue your projects.

Makakatulong ito sa mga susunod pang mga projects mo

dahil at least, malalaman mo na kung ano ang consequences

ng isang action at kung ano ang fruit ng isa pang undertaking.

At least mababawasan ang mga mistakes mo in the future

kung maisusulat mo kung ano ang natutunan mo in the past.

isa pa, hindi ba’t nakakatuwang balikan ang mga journal

entries mo years ago, nang hindi ka pa ganun ka-wise? You

will know how you far you have become whenever you

review your notes.

In my case, meron akong maliit na mga tickler to jot down

revelations, insights or ideas that are related to my goals.

Kung sakaling hindi ko dala ang tickler ko, I usually record it

on my Notes App sa smartphone ko. OneNote, EverNote,

maging yung mga Notes and Reminders na built-in na sa

smartphone mo ay malaking tulong.

Sayang ang mga gems of insights and learning kung hindi

naman maaalala when the time comes. Kaya record mo ah?

3. Adjust if necessary

As you implement your project, may mga pagkakataon na

kailangan mong i-fine tune ang anumang sinulat mo. Hindi

naman kasi one-shot lang ang pagpaplano at siguradong fail-

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proof na ang lahat nang magiging actions mo. Minsan talaga,

we fall short in our efforts, our abilities, even our analysis

and forecasts. Pero OK lang yan. Dyan tayo natututo. What

we need to do then sa mga panahong parang “kinulang” tayo,

is to make necessary adjustments.

Kung hindi talaga kaya ng schedule mo ang two books a

month, then make it one book a month. Kung hindi kaya ang

weekly blog posts, make it every two weeks. Kung sakali

naman na masyadong madali na ang mga si-net mong

projects at hindi ka na nacha-challenge, gawin mong mas

maikli ang mga target dates mo o mas madalas ang mga

outputs mo. Without compromising anything, i-adjust mo

ang mga kailangang i-adjust, baguhin ang kailangang

baguhin. You are in-charge of whatever you plan for.

4. Never forget to celebrate little victories

Hindi madali na ma-achieve ang goals. Sabi ko nga sa isang

blog post ko, “Pursuing your dream will cost you a lot of

things – it will never be easy. If it’s gonna be way too easy for

you to achieve, then it’s not a worthy pursuit.” Minsan pa nga,

sa paghahabol natin sa ating mga pangarap, umaabot tayo sa

point na nakakapagod na rin, gusto na nating bumitaw at

manatili sa status quo. Pero ayaw naman natin nun di ba?

That’s why it is important to celebrate little victories. Don’t

withhold rewards para sa mga sakripisyo mo, rest sa

napapagod mong katawan at isipan, at break kapag tuloy-

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tuloy na ang trabaho. Maganda na tuwing may project na

natatapos, i-reward ang sarili. Kaya natin siya tinawag na pit

stop dahil para itong isang milestone sa ating journey, at

kada milestone, meron kang mini-achievement. For every

achievement, reward yourself - isang pint ng ice cream,

travel out of town, isang bagong damit, whatever you think is

necessary. Wag masyadong i-deprive ang sarili.

Pwede mo ring gawing motivation ang mga victory breaks na

ito. Basta gawin mo lang proportionate sa hirap ng project

mo ang prize. Baka naman kasi iPhone 7 ang reward mo sa

sarili mo tapos ang tinapos mo lang naman ay mag-blog 300

words. Wow ah!

Try nating i-summarize ang lahat into tabular format:

Primary Goal

I envision myself as an accomplished Christian book author someday.

Projects Target

Completion Learning Insights Adjustments Reward

Creation of a blog with at least 50k followers

In 6-9 months

Malaking tulong na makipag-network sa ibang mga bloggers to increase your own following.

Yung blog name and layout adds to the credibility

Changed the blog template to a one with a minimalistic layout

The followers mismo ay reward na for me

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of your blog Regular blog posting

1 blog post a week

Consistency is key

Majority of my readers are women from the teens to the yuppies

Mas gusto ng mga readers ang topics about friendship, relationship and personal motivation.

Changed titles of some blog posts para mas maging relevant

Adjusted the time of posting from morning to afternoon.

Since regular naman ito and I enjoy doing this kind of stuff, ok na wala nang personal reward.

Regular reading of books

2 books a month

Not everything written on books can be taken as biblical truth. Be selective in what you allow your mind to process.

I’m making it one book a month. Mahirap sa isabay sa work load.

New book every month to add to my personal library

Attend seminars related to blogging, writing or book publishing

1 seminar a year

Regular exposure to like-minded individuals increases one’s desire to achieve more. Connect to people.

Next time, be more inquisitive. Magtanong sa iba at bawasan ang hiya.

Yung mga natutunan ko, sapat na

Start writing chapter drafts

1 chapter a month

The only way to finish your writing projects is to WRITE.

From morning schedule, I’m moving it to evening.

Ice cream! Or pwede rin bagong book. Haha!

Now, it’s your turn to make your own!

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Enemies of Planning

Kahit sa anong bagay may mga kontrabida talaga. Kahit sa

pagpaplano! Pero ang catch, kagaya ng sinabi ni Heneral

Luna, ang pinakamatindi nating kaaway unfortunately ay ang

ating mga sarili.

What are the enemies of personal planning? I know two:

1. Procrastination

Eto yung, “mamaya na lang!” or “saka ko na gagawin”.

Procrastination yung pagpapaliban ng maaari mo nang gawin

ngayon. Mahirap to lalo na kung na-master ka na niya.

How does it apply sa ating pagpaplano? Kung may deadline

ang project mo at sa tingin mo ay mahaba pa naman ang oras,

maaaring magdesisyon ka na ipagpaliban muna for a few

days. A few days will then become weeks, then months until

you know it, nagka-cram ka na. At kadalasan ang output ng

cramming ay hindi ganun ka-excellent.

Win to fight against procrastination. Kung ang goal mo ay

maging boss balang araw, don’t procrastinate when it comes

to deadlines and outputs. Wag magpadala sa lie na “ngayon

lang, promise” dahil ang totoo, uulit ka ulit hanggang sa

makasanayan mo.

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2. Busy-ness

Isa rin sa problema pagdating sa productivity ang pagiging

uber-busy. Yung sobrang dami ng load na buhat-buhat mo.

Nagiging problem ito ng mga taong hindi marunong

tumanggi, yung hindi kayang mag-say NO. Ang end result, sa

sobrang dami ng workload, hindi na alam ang uunahin,

nawawalan ng focus at nagiging less-excellent ang output.

It’s obvious how to win the fight against too much busy-ness:

learn to say NO when necessary. Kung there are too much

tasks on your plate already, don’t try to please people who

ask for favour. Isa-isa lang. Hinay-hinay lang. Mas magiging

productive ka kung may focus ka sa mga projects mo.

Being busy doesn’t mean being productive. Productivity is

evidenced by results. Busy-ness is evidenced by tiredness

and exhaustion, most of the time. At ano ba ang hinahangad

natin? Di ba outputs, results?

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What Will You Plan

For?

Maraming bagay tayong maaaring pagplanuhan. Eto ang ilan:

1. Finances. Pwede kang mag-goal about financial

stability. Your short-term plans and projects might

include:

- Opening of personal bank account

- Creation of another source of income

- Save up to 10k, 20k, 50k, etc.

- Partition your savings into: Travel Fund,

Emergency Fund, Benevolence, etc.

2. Relationships. Pwede kang mag-goal to be a better

spouse/bf or gf/friend/son or daughter. Short-term

plans and projects might include:

- Attend seminar on improving

relationships

- Be more generous.

- Spending more time with your loved ones

- Organize reunions and get-togethers

3. Physical Fitness. If your desire is to be physically fit,

then you may plan to:

- Lose weight by a certain pounds

- Join a marathon or any sporting event

- Enrol in a gym or have a regular exercise

schedule

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- Limit your unhealthy food intake

4. Career Development. Kung ang long-term goal mo

ay ma-promote or any kind of career advancement,

then your plans might go something like:

- Enrol in crash courses or advanced

studies related to your job

- Be more productive at work by increasing

your outputs

- Minimize tardiness

5. Spiritual Growth. If you desire to know the Lord

more and to be more spiritually mature, yung mga

plans mo ay maaaring:

- Maintain a regular, daily devotion with

journaling

- Disciple at least 1 new believer this year

- Join Missions trip. If not possible, share

the gospel with friends

- Join a ministry group and be consistent

- Read the Bible from cover to cover.

You may plan for anything. Wag mong limitahan ang sarili

mo

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The Master Planner

Masyadong broad ang area ng planning. Even this humble

attempt at strategic planning and goal setting still scratches

just the surface. There are too many things to say about

planning; the subject is too subjective. You can use whatever

suits you, and follow the advice that doesn’t limit you. Pwede

ka rin gumawa ng sarili mong version! And mahalaga,

magplano, may planner ka man o wala.

However, don’t forget the most important thing to note about

planning and goal setting is the Master Plan of the Master – si

God. Anuman ang ating mga plano sa araw-araw, sa buong

buwan o sa buong taon, mas mainam na i-surrender mo ito

sa greater plans ni Lord. Ang sabi nga sa Proverbs 16:9, “In

their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes

their steps.” Si Lord pa rin ultimately ang nagdi-direct ng

course natin towards the fulfilment of our goals lalo na kung

aligned ito sa plans Niya para sa atin. Pero kung taliwas sa

mga plano Niya ang mga plano natin? Struggle yan!

In all of these, ano ang pinakamagandang assurance na

meron tayo? Sabi ni Lord through the Prophet Jeremiah, “For

I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to

prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a

future” (Jeremiah 29:11). Siya mismo ay may magandang

plano para sa atin!

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YOU: The Planner

Kung may plano na si Lord para sa atin, para san pa ang

pagpaplano? Bakit nga ba mahalaga ang pagpaplano?

Minsang nag-illustrate si Jesus sa kanyang mga tagapakinig...

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit

down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to

complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to

finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This

person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king.

Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with

ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with

twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation

while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of

peace.” Luke 14:28-32.

Maging si Jesus ay advocate ng careful na pagpaplano at goal-

setting. Tayo pa kaya? Bukod sa planning minimizes

mistakes, stress and waste of resources, planning also makes

us wise and good stewards. Parang si Joseph na anak ni

Jacob. Nang panahon na magkakaroon ng banta ng taggutom

sa Egypt, by God’s miraculous intervention, si Joseph ay

naluklok bilang second in rank kay Pharaoh. Para siyang

naging Prime Minister. At ang naging plan niya sa paparating

na famine?

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“Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a

fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of

abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years

that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of

Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be

held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven

years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country

may not be ruined by the famine.” – Genesis 41:34-36

Napakagandang plano! Pero mas maganda dahil in-

implement ang plano! As a result, Egypt was spared from

famine, at naging instrumento pa para mabigyan ng pagkain

ang mga nagugutom na karatig-bansa. What a blessing from

careful, strategic planning surrendered to the Lord.

Kaya mo rin yan! Ang key is to let God shape your plans and

goals. Ganun si Joseph, dahil close sila ni Lord, guided and

blessed ang naging bunga ng kanyang pagpaplano. The same

God who worked through Joseph is the same God who can

and is willing to work in and through you!

So as we end, let me encourage you: Dream big dreams! Set

big goals! Plan like Joseph and make projects for the glory of

the Lord!

#NoteToSelf, 2017

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Author

Martin “Marts” Valenzuela is a youth leader behind

#NoteToSelf, a blog dedicated to be an instrument of

motivation and encouragement through God’s Word, his very

own experiences and ruminations.

Follow his social media accounts:

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/mynotestoself/

Blog: https://martsvalenzuela.wordpress.com/