When people talk about planning, it's often broken down into four types: strategic, operational, tactical, and contingency. Strategic planning looks years down the road, operational planning explains how to do something, and tactical planning is project-based planning that uses the most up-to-date information. Contingency planning prepares for unexpected situations. Small-scale planning helps establish situational awareness by checking the weather, so you can focus on what matters in the moment. Effective planning involves remaining attentive and flexible through a decision-making loop called OODA: observe, orient, decide, act. Without planning, OODA won't do much good. Planning for both big and small tasks makes everything run smoother. Complacency can lead to mistakes, so it's essential to write down plans, talk about them with others, and be open to new ideas. Always checking the weather is also crucial.