It has been argued that whether one should only concentrate on the present since it is useless preparing for the future. However, in my opinion, both aspects are essential for one’s personal development.
Admittedly, prioritising the present could reduce stress and increase one’s efficiency. Without constantly worrying about what actions to take in the future and wondering the impacts of current moves, one could focus more on tasks on hand and complete them with more rapidly. Taking students struggling to learn a course as example, instead of previewing too many future contents and overwhelming themselves, concentrating on the current lecture and taking reflective notes could help them to comprehend the course more rapidly. Therefore, focusing on the present could be important.
On the other hand, planning for the future is also crucial since it visualises steps to take and inspires people to achieve goals. By setting short-term goals at the planning stage and separating the whole plan into consecutive steps, making appropriate plans could assist people to reach their goals by providing them with a clear roadmap to follow. Also, achieving multiple smaller goals step by step is easier than coping with a single final goal.
Moreover, complicated plans with backup solutions could avoid failure when obstacles are encountered. For instance, if one faces a large barrier when finishing a task and does not have a plan, he/she is very likely to panic and eventually give up. In contrast, those with a plan would be able to switch to a backup solution confidently and follow the corresponding steps to overcome the barrier.
In conclusion, I believe that making plans for the future is just as important as acting in the present, given its advantages in achieving goals and overcoming challenges.