In his book How to Reassess Your Chess Jeremy Silman suggests that you should “let the imbalances dictate your plan”.

Very insightful and helpful advise IMO. As a chess player you are still faced with the dilemma: I have a plan, but is it a good one, or will it lead to my demise?

Often, it’s tempting to just come up with a “really good move”. This is often a move that had worked well for you in the past, or that you convince yourself can only lead to good things later in the game.

As your chess improves, you find lots of cases where a “really good move” doesn’t cut it anymore, and without a very explicit plan you are toast. You learn to resist the temptation and do-the-work to find a solid plan that is well thought out.

In chess as in life — “He who fails to plan, plans to fail”.