Most events and issues can be improved with proper planning.

The single most important and overriding guideline for planning is to do it in advance. That way you can think about it, you can talk to the right people calmly, when they're available, and you can deal with alternative options that may be raised. You can make a decision that will be the best under the circumstances. Proper http://www.oocities.org/GrossmanParenting/Dating/MakeAList.html">advance planning is the opposite of hasty, last-minute, quick decisions.

Although this may sound reasonable, most people do not think about issues in advance, especially if they are unpleasant. They hope that the issues will go away if they postpone them or procrastinate.

They are wrong. Most problematic issues usually won't go away. You should have learned that the last time you had a toothache.

True, sometimes unpleasant things that were anticipated do not occur. That means that you have spent some time planning, but you did not have to implement your plans. That's not a problem – it's a blessing.

On the other hand, in all too many cases, unpleasant things do occur. In those cases, the resulting hasty decisions are inevitably less effective than desired.

This is unfortunate. Things could have worked out better with proper, calm, advance planning, during which you would have considered all of the known options and eventualities.