Free Tools

Free Toolkit Manifesto - Provide simple, accessible, customizable planning tools

Free CPT's (Contender Planning Tools) that cover radical solutions to life's challenges are a key part of this blog. A blog post will accompany each tool and a how to use guide. Is this a new concept - definitely not. My objective may be different though : "Provide, free, clear simple, very user friendly planning tools with the specific goal of the Pursuit of Happiness". I know this is a very ambitious, difficult, complex if not impossible task but I sincerely hope it will be a fun collaborative effort and interesting to see where it ends up.

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
Winston Churchill

Qualified???? - CLSAD (Contender Life Skills and Disasters)

How have I learnt how to plan \ create ad-hock tools? 12 years work in process design has laid a solid foundation. I have found that business tools are readily transferable into social life. The challenge is to simplify and adapt their purpose.

I have read a huge number of business books gone on numerous training courses. A vast amount of information and too much to remember and apply. I applied, succeeded and messed up in places but then adapted and ultimately worked hard to get results in work. The same is true in my personal life and a later post covers some of the bad decisions the Tribe have learnt from.

Does this qualify me to have a go at a bunch of tools for life? Definitely not but someones got to do it. I am willing to have a go, try them out in real life situations to find out

Tool Contents - CBBT (Contender Big Bag of Tricks) 

CBBT includes planning, strategy building, risk planning, tracking, calculations, graphs and diagrams. They cover the key points from the start of the planning process to the final long term goal (it is almost always a good idea to state your long term goal and work backwards).

I have found that having a plan that you can update easily with checks \ action lists is extremely important. This makes sure you do not miss the obvious and you stay on track. A plan helps you to be realistic with yourself. A regularly reviewed plan gives you a sense of control and comfort that you are going in the right direction. If you are off track you can adapt and not panic onto bad decisions.

The format I have chosen for the planning tools is Open Office as it is free to install and is a good suite of software. Most of the tools will be a spreadsheet as they are very good for maintaining lists as well as performing calculations.  

I have quite a list of tool kits (plans, lists, calculations) for the CBBT. I intend to develop (some from experience and others will be a first go). There will be plenty of THE.CONTENDER to play with :)

1. THE.CONTENDER Financial Planning
1. Financial Independence
2. Mortgage versus renting (debate)
3. Budgeting
4. Asset allocation - shares, bonds, rental, property
5. Thrift - what do you really need to live?
2. Life Planning
1. Education
2. Holidays
3. Hobbies
4. Life Skills
5. Continuous learning
6. Work planning \ promotion planning
7. Moving checklist \ planning
3. Business planning
1. Simple project planning
2. Detailed project Planning
3. Business skills and development plan
4. Getting ahead checklist
5. Performance management - getting noticed
6. Mentoring
4. THE.CONTENDER Health Plan
1. Keeping the THE.CONTENDER Fit
2. Healing
3. Alternative health remedies
5. Information Gathering
6. Others......

Next up the first toolkit planning for financial independence - my proposed way to work out your golden retirement number and how to formulate a plan to get there.

Here is some humor to finish up on

After all the talk - tools at the ready!

THE CONTENDER

NEXT UP – FINANCIAL PLANNING

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