Unfortunately what I’ve seen teach JOs (to include myself) to plan has been experience; in all its cruel and drinking from a fire hose form. My first drill back from deployment as an BN A-S3, I found myself not only the acting S3, but also the acting BN XO (yes, you read that right) going into an MDMP session that was developing the next year’s training plan. Suffice it to say, I couldn’t even spell MDMP at the time. So, I gathered up all of the references I could, read and studied, got no sleep and arrived ready to get things rolling. Fueled by a heavy dose of caffeine and more than a little irritation that other staff officers who had been there longer than me had no clue what they were doing, we managed to grind through the process.

Ultimately I think what has been a success for me is to follow the processes we have or have made. MDMP, TLPs, checklists, flow charts, OPORD; whatever it is, it’s probably got a “how to” checklist somewhere that can keep you on track. Find that checklist or process, take a couple of minutes to map out your plan of attack, and young JOs will find things go much faster, smoother, and less stressful than if they just dive into something blind.