I’m so happy Planning for Everything is available. To complement the description, here are a few words from the Preface and an abundance of lovely Advance Praise blurbs.
I know why the caged bird sings. – Maya Angelou
Planning is a skill rarely taught in school. We learn to plan by observation and experience. As we rise from child to teenager, our mastery of the design of paths and goals grows by mighty leaps and bounds; until we stop. It is not a conscious decision. We hit good enough and pivot, as there is so much else to do. It mostly works. We learn to ride a bicycle, and never forget. But planning is different, as it’s subject to change. Old habits and beliefs fail as our contexts shift. Happily we can improve, as planning is a skill we can build with practice and wisdom.
I love organizing the future and have been doing it all my life. My parents recall that, as a toddler, I often practiced words in my crib long before going public. And, as a teenager, I drove them crazy on holidays by incessantly asking “what’s next?” So it’s no surprise I plan software and websites for a living.
But I didn’t write this book for me. My aim is to help anyone on the spectrum from playful improviser to rigorous planner to be better at the dance between what is and what might be.
Maya Angelou writes “the caged bird sings of freedom,” and I imagine you know what she means. We all feel the cruelty of a cage. Often the bars are hidden. We bind ourselves with laws, code, culture; and fail to see it’s a trap. But that’s the beauty of the design of paths and goals. By making planning visible, we can improve our ability to find truth and render intent. That’s why I wrote this book, because planning is a door to freedom.
To continue Planning for Everything, please read Realizing the Future or buy the book. Thanks!
Advance Praise
An expansive, thoughtful synthesis of planning strategies: how they work, when they fail, and why they matter.
Tony Grant, Co-Founder, Sustainable Arts Foundation
Planning is impossible to perfectly escape or execute. Morville has done a wonderful job of exposing this dilemma without prescribing an outcome.
Josie Barnes Parker, Director, Ann Arbor District Library
If design and productivity had a baby, this would be the wonderful result. Delightfully punctuated by stories from Peter’s life, this guide to planning invites personal reflection while delivering enjoyment and helpful advice.
Richard Dalton, Head of Design, Capital One
In Planning for Everything, Morville shows us that, as designers and strategists, we have the power to truly see the world as it is and imagine how it might be. I was deeply (and wonderfully) challenged to rethink my understanding of goals, planning, and what it means to be fulfilled.
Kristina Halvorson, Founder, Brain Traffic
It’s never been more important to recall that while Eisenhower famously dismissed plans as useless, he firmly believed planning to be indispensable. I’m happy to see Peter bring rigor to this timely and fascinating topic.
Andy Budd, CEO, Clearleft
Peter has a remarkable gift for making the complex clear. In this book, he shines a light on the murky subject of planning in a way that makes it approachable. As an avid planner myself, I still learned a lot by reading it.
Abby Covert, Information Architect, Etsy
Planning for Everything is a spiritual book in disguise – a meditation on the pivotal roles that intention, attachment, improvisation, iteration, and self-reflection have on the act of design.
Irene Au, Design Partner, Khosla Ventures
In this delightful book, Peter Morville illuminates the power behind Eisenhower’s declaration ‘Plans are useless, planning is indispensable.’ Peter brings together mindfulness, improvisation, and the observation that the sunk cost theory of perseverance might not be a useful part of our plan. Without prescription or preaching, his conversational tone invites us to reflect on biases, habits, and beliefs that shape our attitudes toward (and thus aptitude for) planning. Chapter by chapter, an informational graphic unfolds to illustrate divergent paths to a goal. Who would have guessed that, far from being a never-ending series of ‘to do’ tasks, planning can be a divining rod, providing direction and course correction.
Susan Kornfield, Chair, Intellectual Property, Bodman PLC
Peter Morville has written what will be my personal ‘go to’ and the first book I recommend to people who hope to model their life (and world) with intent. Practical. Approachable. Wise. This book is a beautiful adventure that will disrupt the way you shape your future.
Priyanka Kakar, User Experience Director, The Walt Disney Company
Planning for Everything is available in print and ebook formats. If you read and enjoy it, please write a review on Amazon. Also, I’m giving talks and workshops based on the book in England, Poland, the Netherlands, the United States, and there’s more to come. I’d love to visit your city, so please spread the word, and I’ll plan to see you on the road!