During your work day are you solely focused on today or do you think about tomorrow?

I ask the question because David R. Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, writes in How to Think Like a CEO in the summer 2013 of The Strategist that a CEO needs to focus on today and the future. In a reflection point, he asks, “If you tracked your time, then what might the mix be of time spent on today versus the future and do you have the right balance? Would your boss agree?”

While I’m not a CEO, the point resonated with me. In my role as director of communications I need to meet specific targets today. To do so, I needed to have begun planning weeks, months or years earlier, which means I must set aside time to think about what is needed. I already have a framework of what my department should be achieving in FY15. To get there, we need to be laying the groundwork now in FY14.

Even as a reporter, I had to think about tomorrow. What were key anniversaries that I needed to know about and plan to cover? If I was working a holiday, I often planned my story weeks in advance knowing that my sources most likely would be on vacation. Although I wasn’t thinking too far into the future, I certainly couldn’t only be focused on today.

Thinking about tomorrow also is important in my personal life. If I’m going on vacation and want to keep my fitness plans in place then I need to book a hotel with a gym or at least an area outside that is suited for walking. If I want to have a grand adventure, I need to save for the future.

How to you think about tomorrow and plan for it?