5 tips for making plans
- Identify the results you want to achieve – Start with the end game in mind.
- Identify the steps needed to get there – Reach out to others who have experience.
- Make lists. Main lists, sub lists, daily lists – A small habit like creating a list might give you the edge you need to have a more productive day.
- Break big steps down into smaller steps – Make tasks more manageable.
- Be flexible on how you’ll get there, sometimes the path isn’t always clear – Don’t wait until all the lights are green to jump on the road.
Planning saves time
Brian Tracy, a motivational speaker and success coach who’s books “The Luck Factor” and “Eat That Frog” helped influence my goal setting and planning techniques, states that 1 hour of planning saves 10 hours of work.
Not only does having a plan save you time but it also relieves stress. When you jump from task to task without a clear plan you feel frustrated.
Identify the results you want to achieve
What are the results you want to achieve? Keep that in mind as you move forward. It actually helps develop a more calculated plan if you know exactly what you want. What are some areas in your life you’d like to improve? Try not to be so vague, home in on your desired results.
Reach out to someone who’s already in the space you’d like to occupy and pick their brain. Modeling their approach could save you a large amount of time.
Thinking on paper is a technique I use regularly, and is something I recommend when brainstorming the results you want.
Identify the steps needed to get there
Nowadays with Google and YouTube you could pretty much research anything you can think of. It’s all about what you put in the search bar.
So what are the results you want? Is it a specific career position? If so, what is the job description and requirements? Does it require certain training or experience? Where can you obtain the training? Have you called to get pricing and scheduling for classes? Where can you obtain the experience required? Have you explored those options?
I’m using a basic example but the fundamentals are applied in extreme cases as well. Identify the results, then identify the steps needed to get there.
Make lists
Once again, pen & paper. I have notepads and pens all over the place. The kitchen, my car, my dresser, the laundry room.
Smart phones are the norm now but there’s something about old fashioned pen and paper that gets the gears going.
Make main lists, sub lists, daily lists, weekly lists. A small habit like creating a list might just give you the edge you need to have a more productive day.
Break big steps into smaller steps
Sometimes one step on your hit list could be a BIG step, that requires sub-tasks in order to get it done.
For example, creating a website may be one of the steps required for setting up your online business. But the task of creating a website, requires a group of sub-tasks such as finding a domain, choosing a web hosting service, choosing a theme, creating content etc.
Break big steps into smaller steps to make tasks more manageable.
Be flexible on how you’ll get there
When you’re on the road to your goals the path won’t always be clear. You definitely will encounter some road blocks. Dead ends even.
In the book “100 ways to motivate yourself“, Steve Chandler describes the path to success as “Two steps forward, and one step back.” Even with strategic planning things don’t always go the way we expect them to.
Sometimes we’ve got to analyze the situation, step back, and readjust our approach. Figure out another route, but by all means don’t put it in park. We’ve got to drive forward and navigate along the way.
The only way to get to your destination is to keep moving!