You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase, “timing is everything” in life. It’s not. Timing is indeed an important component when it comes to success in any area of our lives, but to maximize its benefits two critical precursors must be in place: planning and action.

Here’s an example. You’ve decided to ask your boss for a pay increase. Your first step is to build your case as to why you believe you deserve this hike in pay. All of your talking points are typed, properly phrased and neatly organized. You’ve made a copy of this for your boss so he can follow along as you plead your case for more money. The next step is the day on which you intend to take action – not the time of day mind you – just the day of the week. The most critical step pursuant to enhancing the success of this venture is when, on the day you’ve decided upon, to knock on the boss’s door.

Timing is the fine tuning component of any action sequence and trying to perfect it is a colossal waste of time – you’ll never get there. And it’s subjective. If your boss consistently seems to be in his best, most welcoming frame of mind in the morning, and particularly Friday morning, that’s when you spring into action. Of course he may not be ripe for the picking when it comes to fattening your wallet. But you take your best shot, that’s all you can do.

If you utilize prudent judgment when timing any endeavor, the worst that can happen is that you won’t achieve the outcome you were seeking. That’s much better than the alternative – doing nothing because the “timing isn’t right.” It never is.