The Key to Success is Planning for Failure

We often think of failure as the end of the story, but if you take a look at examples from history and art, you’ll see that setbacks are usually the beginning of greatness. From cathedrals that took centuries to build, to books that were rejected over and over, success is almost always paved with failure.

By learning, adjusting, and yes, even planning for the “failures,” you can readjust and move forward with confidence. Here are some inspiring examples and tips on how to do just that!

Famous “Failures” That Became Success Stories

  • Michelango’s David

Started and abandoned by multiple artists, it sat discarded for 25 years. Faced with jealousy from other artists and vandalized, the sculpture became one of the greatest masterpieces of the Renaissance.

  • The Eiffel Tower

Met by heavy opposition before construction, then called “an eyesore” and nearly torn down. Now one of the most-visited landmarks in the world.

  • J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter Series

Rejected 12 times before finally being published. Today, it’s a cultural phenomenon.

  • Thomas Edison’s Lightbulb

Thousands of “failed” attempts paved the way to invention.

  • The Sydney Opera House

Took 10 years longer than expected and triple the budget, but became an architectural icon.

Tips & Tricks: How to Plan for Failure with Your Golden Coil

1. Don’t Go All-In—Yet

  • Instead of banking everything on tackling a full project, plan around checkpoints and re-evaluate as you go. This method treats your plan as a testing ground and allows you to pivot before you get too far in.

  • Planner Hack: When using your Goals page, mark milestone dates. Add a reflection note after each: “Should I adjust, continue, or pivot?” Include some ideas on how to do so.

2. Plan With Data

  • Idea: Studies show that we habitually underestimate how long things take. The fix? Break your tasks into smaller steps and use historical evidence from your own life to plan accordingly. 

For example, if you have a goal to write X amount of words a day, instead of setting some arbitrary number, take the average of your past writing sessions to get a more realistic idea.

  • Planner Hack: Instead of estimating a task will take 2 hours, when penciling in events or to-dos, add a 50% buffer time or split it into multiple sessions.

3. Prime Your Environment

  • Idea: Planning exactly where, when, and how you’ll act increases the likelihood you’ll follow through and reduces derailments. Even better, make your goal as easy as possible to start by reducing friction points, as suggested by James Clear in Atomic Habits.

For example, if you have a goal of exercising, lay out your workout gear the night before. 

  • Planner Hack: Write specific cues on your Daily planner page, such as: “If I don’t start writing by 3 PM, I’ll open my Notes app for 5 minutes and jot some words down.”

4. Track Effort Over Outcome

  • Idea: Experts like Tim Ferriss and others emphasize progress, even small progress, is better than waiting for perfection.

  • Planner Hack: Utilize your Fillable List page as a mini “effort tracker.” Jot down things like “Book pages read,” “Sent follow-up emails,” or “Practiced for 10 minutes,” even if bigger goals didn’t fully land.

5. Make Reflection a Ritual

  • Idea: Success isn’t just forward motion. It can also look like reflection and feedback. Reflecting regularly helps you see blind spots and how to plan better next time.

  • Planner Hack: In your Reflections page, ask:

    • What barriers slowed me down?

    • What felt surprisingly easy?

    • What strategy change would help next time?

6. Build a No-Fear Culture

  • Idea: The idea of failure can be scary. It often derails us completely or prevents us from ever getting started. However, successful people simply view failure differently. Not as disaster, but as necessary data. The key is to allow yourself to accept early flops as learning steps. 

  • Planner Hack: There are so many pages for keeping track of the data that comes from missteps or iterations on an idea. The more data you have on what worked or didn’t, the sooner you can keep trying. Project Planning pages, Habit Tracker, general Tracker, Reading, Spreadsheet, Wellness, etc. No matter your goal, there’s a page that can help you assess and keep going!

Success doesn’t come from avoiding failure, it comes from planning for it, seeing it differently, and moving forward in the face of it. Just like Michelangelo’s David or the lightbulb, your masterpiece may come on the other side of failure, and that’s not only okay, it’s to be expected!

Blog Managersuccess, planner tip, allow failure