The Thinking Ten Steps Ahead for some people might seem hard, but once you make it your way of thinking, it's easy. Start with step 10 and work your way backward. Step 10 is your final goal. Then you have to decide what needs to happen in order for step 10 to be realized. Once you have done this, put each step into a logical order and this forms steps 1 - 9. For each step figure out what is required to complete it. Also ask yourself who and what else is affected by that step. This can eliminate steps that are inefficiant or create mini steps to be completed before moving on to another step.
For example, I want to throw a small dinner party. The dinner party is my step 10. What do I need to make that happen? I will need to decide who will be attending. But then I have to take their avaliability into account to make sure that they will be able to come. Don't forget that depending on the number of people attending, parking may be an issue. How many parking spots can you offer. Is there free or cheap parking nearby. Guests do not want to pay for parking. Once I have determined my numbers I will be able to determine how many plates, forks, knives and so forth that I will need and how much food I will need to prepare. Also, I will need to decide a menu, figure out how much it will cost and whether if any of my intended guests have allergies or medical conditions or foods that they absolutely do not like or absolutely love. What beverages will you serve? Alcoholic or Non- Alcoholic? If you have guests who are former alcoholics or expecting mothers, you will have to find them an alternative. Will serving them an alternative single them out and hurt their feelings? Perhaps serving an non-alcoholic alternative would be better. There are many wonderful new options. As you can see there can be a lot to take into consideration. By putting all of these things into a logical order, you can break it down so that nothing is left out. In the example, of a dinner party, I would suggest following the above order. Start with the who and how many as it provides the information you need for the following steps, make sure you ask them or tell them all information they need to help them decide if they are going to attend, such as attire. Not everyone can afford to buy a new outfit for a dinner party. If you don't know this information first you could be making more steps for yourself. A lack of park could effect attendance and therefore effect how much food you will need to get and who you need to take into consideration when deciding your menu. So make sure that there is parking and then if arrangements need to be made, make them. Decide your menu and then do the shopping, including the small items that you may need that you don't normally need at home. Budget your time the day of the event, also budget for things to go wrong. Once you have all of your steps figured out the day of the event, just follow them and you will find that next to nothing should go wrong.
Why would anyone want to spend that kind of time when they can just make the decision and/or action? This is a completely valid question. There are some people who do these steps or something similar naturally without deciding to use a method of any kind. But this method is perfect for absent minded professors, teachers, mothers or anyone has a lot on their plate!
