5-Year Plans and Processes

Over the years, I've grown to enjoy planning more, but also to better recognize its limitations. In this post, a specific type of plan I'd like to explore is the 5-year professional development plan. This was originally a clinical-related assignment from PT school, which I have continued to revise annually. Is a 5-year plan worth your while?

My 5-Year Planning Process

The first time I learned about a 5-year plan in an individual context, I was a first-year doctor of physical therapy (DPT) student. Prior to the end of the first semester of that program, I and my classmates were asked to create a 5-year plan for professional development to go over with our adviser. Components of this plan were expected to use the profession’s (American Physical Therapy Association) set of PT professional values and code of ethics. Additionally, we took a StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment to determine our strongest personal values and strengths. 

What did the plan look like? For me, it began with a purpose statement, an expansion of that statement, and an organized section with tangible short- and long-term goals (ABCDE format). Since I developed the first draft of the plan in September, I revised it each September, usually on a Saturday taking just a few minutes. 

I keep mine on a Google Doc, so while it tracks changes, I choose to delete vs cross out goals that are either achieved or discontinued, starring* goals or processes continued year over year. 

The process of achieving a goal in that plan or another one, for me, involves day-to-day chunking or, as my dad calls it, parsing. Here’s a fairly recent example:

• Goal = becoming board certified in a clinical specialty area (typically a 2-3 year process)
• Step: gain 2,000 direct patient care hours in that given specialty area
• Daily: work 8 hours or so at a full-time job, logging 6 of those as direct patient care hours. Repeat. 
• Weekly: jot down interesting cases that I may reflect on to enhance my clinical reasoning (one or more of these may be used for the specialist recertification portfolio)
• Yearly: use the specialist application portal to have supervisor verify hours spent
• Step: pass the board certification exam
• Daily: read updated literature/textbook section on a condition or treatment, self-quiz with closed notes, talk through how to apply the information to a patient case
• Weekly: self-test and reflect on that week's material, planning out the next week
• Monthly: check my progress and any deadlines (e.g., test registration fee) against the master schedule
• Test day: hydrate, eat breakfast, and focus!

Considerations for 5-Year Plans

Before thinking more broadly about planning, I hadn't considered factors outside myself and my students--I universally recommended paper planners and various physical places around one's house in which to post reminders about one's longer-term goals. Then, I got to know a wider variety of people who had equally wide ranges of approaches to the planning process (or lack thereof).

Biological

Two factors that come to mind immediately when I think about biological aspects of planning are one’s personality type and one’s executive function. Personality type can be classified in many different ways; my personal favorite is the Myers Briggs type indicator or MBTI. I know that this method has drawbacks, but I have found it very useful in several areas of my own life. From an executive function perspective, I think, especially of attention deficit disorder, or ADD, whether that is hyperactive or inattentive. I also think of dementia or even mild cognitive impairment, many people with which conditions I have worked with over my time as a physical therapist.

Let’s explore personality first with the MBTI. Historically, I tested as ISTJ but shifted over the years to INFJ. According to this post on planning preferences related to MBTI, it’s possible to loosely categorize by archetypes. These are Guardians (_S_J), Artisans (_S_P), Idealists (_NF_), and Rationalists (_NT_). 

• Guardians (_S_J): prefer to plan, with varying degrees of flexibility and varying degrees of making plans oneself. (I strongly identify with this description!)
• Artisans (_S_P): generally relaxed when plans are broken or don't exist, and tend not to make plans themselves
• Idealists (_NF_): need to remember or be inspired to make plans in the first place (I do retain my planning tendencies). The INFJ description of meticulously planning for important things and leaving space for spontaneous fun does fit me now. I've shifted from ISTJ in undergrad years. 
• Finally, Rationalists (_NT_): plan extensively but also are flexible. 

On the executive dysfunction side, I want to start by defining it. Executive function is any “thinking” process performed by the front third or so of the brain (frontal lobe). Examples include planning, making and keeping appointments, and performing arithmetic operations.

A common condition (5-10% of adults and children) with executive dysfunction as a cardinal symptom is ADD/ADHD. In particular, planning is difficult, as are working (immediate-term) memory, organization, switching and maintaining attention especially on boring tasks, multitasking, time management, control of behavior and emotions, and problem solving. In persons who have stroke or traumatic brain injury, executive dysfunction is also possible but variable; it tends to be associated with damage to the frontal lobe as well.

What are some tangible effects of executive dysfunction? 

• Decreased ability to control and direct one’s attention
• Limited cognitive flexibility (task-switching)
• Less cognitive inhibition (ignoring irrelevance)
• Lower inhibitory control (redirecting toward good behaviors)
• Decreased working memory

Planning and organization are 2 everyday functions dependent on executive function.

Philosophical/Theological

Because I’ve been blogging with theology and philosophy in mind all year, I would be remiss if I didn’t include it here. Hopefully I will be able to update this section at some point, but I was unable to do as deep a dive as I wanted to. Two points about philosophy: (1) The plan tends to be overly ambitious when compared to its outcome; (2) Planning strategies and philosophies tend to be equally varied. Values can be combined in various ways - e.g., continuous vs episodic, scientific/rational vs political, formalized vs improvised/ad hoc. 

From a theological standpoint, I wanted to know what others have thought about the compatibility of planning with a belief in the Christian God. A scholarly article approached historical thoughts on that question in 2017. Past generations have thought that the planning process, to be done well, must involve objectivity (which it is assumed, post-Enlightenment, that religious beliefs automatically prevent). The answer for the author is No—planning is not inherently secular. 

I did find some information about a newer book written from a Christian perspective on the theology of planning (I.e., how God acts sovereignly) here. Overall, godly planning should aim at spiritual growth in oneself and others. On the flip side, plans of the wicked are condemned while plans of the (in-covenant) righteous are, shall we say, titrated. 

Practical

Paper or plastic? Or both? Here are some considerations for using a paper planner:

• Pros, for me, include no eye strain, better memory from handwriting, "plug and play" readiness, and coming in undated and dated options
• Cons include the cost for some options and annually, physical planners being easy to lose, and taking up physical space

What about a digital planner?

• Pros - no pen/pencil required, can sync with others' schedules, multiple devices, more customizable generally, can copy/paste quickly
• Cons - may be more expensive, learning curve, non-returnable, less visibility if used on a small device, eye strain, mostly just Apple options

Since transitioning to higher education, I have slowly succumbed to the blended approach--using an online email-based calendar for recurring and other scheduled events (class meetings, office hours, faculty meetings, travel time) so that others can coordinate meeting with me. However, my go-to for daily breakdown of tasks that will facilitate my 1- and 5-year goals is a notebook planner. This year, I'm enjoying my Moleskine slim planner for its daily/weekly boxes on one side and blank lined paper for unscheduled to-dos on the other side. Enough front and back matter is available for me to take notes on miscellaneous presentations, track Child's outdoor time, and remind myself to practice piano every so often when I'm scheduled to lead music at church.

Alternatives to 5-Year planning

Perhaps, after reading all this, you don’t see a firm case for making longer-term written plans in a specific template. Are there alternatives? Yes, there are. The Harvard Business Review points out some weaknesses of the (corporate) strategic planning process, particularly that it doesn't always strongly influence day-to-day operations at the company level. Other disadvantages, according to Blue Avocado, include being funder-driven; used to delay/deflect; overly ritualized; tends to ignore financial sustainability; ignores mechanisms of actually meeting goals; doesn't use organizational know-how; leaves big questions unanswered. A better alternative for some is continuous decision-making (just in time?), dissociating "strategic" planning from a specific point in the calendar year. 

Another option (Blue Avocado) is to work only with key questions requiring answers, prioritize learning about what you don't already know, get and keep everyone on the same page, plan and adapt to where the problem actually is (leadership, fundraising, etc.), and brush up on theories of change. 

On a final note, I’ve been reading The Surprising Power of Liberating Structures—small changes to how one facilitates interpersonal interactions to get everyone involved, honor everyone’s feedback and input, and increase and sustain engagement. While the first ~160 pages of the book seemed to be geared toward filling a word count (although the book is self-published), the last 100-150 pages are much more practical with suggestions. 

How do you plan?