There’s a lot of blogs out there that claim to be about planning, but in my admitedly cynical opinion, quite often they’re just jumped up, back-slapping, pseudo intellectualism, ego-fests that are more focused on the creation of dinner party fodder for Guardian reading-Audi/Prius driving-Oxbridge quoting-wine boring-crushing media bores or simply celebrating something “new” that’s actually something old, albeit with a brand spanking-neon flashing, new fucking name attached to it.
If you actually want to read a planner blog that can help you be great at doing – not spouting – then forget 99% of everything else out there and read NP’s guides to what I call creating practical magic.
[make sure you read the post he refers to in the post as well]
Without doubt there’s a craft to great planning but in my opinion, you only really find that out if you do something with it … and with so many planners trying desperately to be interesting by what they say [via their smug, self congratulatory, self adjudicated mutterings] NP is one of those guys who is interesting because of what he actually has done and for me, that’s always what separates the great from the good.
I’ve said it before but apart from being immensly talented and smart, the reason I think NP is so great is that he works in a region of the country that is hard to convince about “new” … a region that isn’t obsessed with being always aligned to the next “cool thing” … and so because of this, he’s had to fight for his right to exist each and every day – not just to his clients, but to his bosses and colleagues – and that ladies and gentlemen, is why he is one of the best planners around – not just in the UK, just ‘around’.
When even Andy likes you [he wanted him to come to cynic but when I emailed NP about it, he wisely said he wasn’t interested! – albeit in a nice way, ha!] you know you must be something special … but that’s the thing, NP doesn’t, and yet he is.
I wish I could hate him but he happens to be a great guy/husband/father who also happens to be a great planner … what a bastard!
So in his honour … and he should know how much this pains me …
