Plans and time

Young-min asked about the difference between these words:

plan
Sceanario
Project
Schedule
My time(?)

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A plan is a set of actions you intend to take and the order you intend to do them. So, when I go grocery shopping, my plan will be to get some vegetables, then get some meat, and then some dairy products. Plan is also a verb: "I plan to arrive at 10 a.m." It can be synonymous with "to intend," with the subtle difference that you have probably thought about it a little more carefully than what "intend" would suggest, and also that the action (in this case, the arrival) might be part of a bigger plan.

Scenario has a few meanings. It can be a series of actions like a plan, but instead of intending to do those actions, they are possible actions that could happen. In this case, you are usually comparing different scenarios, or different series of actions or events. A scenario can also be the conditions that exist before a person or event will begin. So, if you are bringing a friend to visit your family, you may tell them some things about your family before you arrive so that they know what to expect and possibly how to behave. This is the scenario.

A project is the name for all of the materials, actions, events, and even people involved toward a particular product or event. Painting your living room can be a kind of project. A political campaign is a project. There is at least one goal for a project, if not several. A good project will have a plan, but the plan is just part of the project.

A schedule can mean two things. It commonly refers to how you organize your time--appointments, errands and other events. People talk about having room in their schedule, meaning they have available time. The other meaning is like a plan because it can mean an order of events. But a plan is usually not specific about the length of time and deadlines for the events, but a schedule mainly focuses on durations and deadlines. Schedule is also a verb: "I scheduled a doctor's appointment for next Tuesday at 2 p.m."

My time is a casual way of referring to your personal schedule. It usually implies your free time--meaning time that isn't already scheduled for work, school or other obligations.