We all like a bit of validation in this sometimes bumpy and bendy path we call life. Reading the most splendid book, “An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth” recently, former NASA astronaut and all-round good egg Chris Hadfield provided me with just that.

During my pre-pandemic ultrarunning adventures, my deep and wide planning tendencies were occasionally (often) the butt of friends’ jokes, as was my dedication to sticking to what had been rehearsed. This had quite a few knock-on effects, the main one being me deciding to set up my own business, Make Me A Plan, since so many people had been asking me for plans and advice. On the slightly less life-changing end of the scale, this also earned me the nickname “Princess Mard”, thanks to my (very occasional and almost always well-intentioned) strops when something didn’t go in accordance with the specification.

Anyway, enough of the background info, the main point is, Commander Chris Hadfield has now validated all of my idiosyncrasies, since a key tenet of his highly recommended book, and career as an astronaut, advises precisely that: to sweat the big stuff as well as the small stuff and then learn and apply anything possible to improve your chances in whatever mission you are setting out on.

He recommends tactics which sound obvious but very few of us actually consistently apply: “What could be the next thing to kill me?” “How can I put myself in the best possible position to avoid dying?”

The answer is always learning and applying knowledge and cultivating habits that support the overarching goal. You don’t need to have eyes quite literally on the stars, as Chris did, to make a life-changing positive decision.

Whether your goal is great performance in an ultramarathon, getting your dream job, being happier and healthier, first and foremost you absolutely have to get in the mindset of making sure everything you do contributes to your goal. You may not ever make it to outer space, but if you put in place healthy living plans that mean you live longer and achieve more, your inner space will certainly revel in the heady feeling of accomplishment (and you won’t even have to decompress afterwards).

Next fortnight, I’ll be musing On Square Two  - Square One has been getting more than its fair share of publicity over the years, in my opinion.

Please get in touch with any particular aspects of this topic you’d like me to write about.

In the meantime,

Happy Planning

PS If you want some other free tips for your business life, check out the Working Well blog – out fortnightly on Wednesdays, courtesy of Make Me A Plan’s Productivity Expert, Penny Le Kelly. Browse the latest edition here: https://www.makemeaplan.com/news/working-well-blog-your-business-on-social-media/