It cannot be denied that goals are necessary. After all, they give life meaning and direction. But goals don't just achieve themselves - you need a plan of action to help you reach your goals.
Without a plan, it's too easy to hesitate and get distracted. This is why so many people don't keep their New Year's promises and don't make the much-desired side fuss.
With that in mind, here's how you can create an action plan that will help you achieve whatever personal goal you set.
Define your "why"
Here's a quick experiment you can try right now: Think about the goals you set earlier. Now think about the goals you have achieved and the ones you have not achieved.
The goals you achieved had a goal. Those goals that you could not achieve did not have a goal. In other words, you knew what prompted you to complete them.
Simon Sinek, author of Find Your Reason: A Practical Guide to Finding a Goal for You and Your Team, explains:
Promotional video:
This, in turn, enables better decision making and clearer choices. Sinek says:
Before you start creating an action plan, consider why you are setting a new goal. This will help you move forward on this journey and will give you a guiding star to indicate when things will get more difficult (and it will inevitably).
Write down your goal
Now that you have a goal, it's time to get it out of your head and display it on a piece of paper. While you can also do this electronically using the app, research has shown that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goal if it is written down.
The reason is how the brain works. When you physically write down a goal, you gain access to the left side of the brain, which is literally the logical side. As a result, it tells your brain that you seriously want to do it. It will even encourage you to open your subconscious mind so that you can develop ideas to reach your goal.
Set a smart goal
SMART goal is to use a popular business management system. This is because it ensures that the goal is realistic and achievable. It can also be used as a reference guide for your action plan. Once you've established a SMART goal, you can start brainstorming the steps, tasks, and tools you'll need to be effective.
Specific: You need to have specific ideas about what you want to achieve. First, answer the questions: who, what, where, when, and why.
Measurable: To make sure you're meeting your goal, set tangible metrics to measure your progress. Decide how you will collect the data.
Achievable: Think about the tools or skills needed to achieve your goal. If you don't have them, figure out how you can achieve them. Can you take an online class? Help from a friend? Watching YouTube videos?
Relevant: Why does purpose matter to you? Is this consistent with other goals? These types of questions can help you determine the true purpose of the goal - and whether or not it is worth pursuing.
Timing: Whether it's daily, weekly, or monthly goals, timing can motivate us to act sooner rather than later.
Take one step at a time
Have you ever traveled? Chances are, you had to use a map - be it a paper map or an app on your phone - to get from point A to point B. The same idea can be applied to an action plan.
Like the map, your action plan should include step-by-step instructions on how you will achieve your goal. In other words, these are smaller goals that will help you achieve what you need.
For example, if you want to lose weight, you have to consider smaller factors such as the number of calories consumed and burned, the amount of exercise in minutes, the number of steps taken and the quality of sleep. Each of them plays a role in weight loss, and you may even be inspired to look at other aspects such as stress - because cortisol, the stress hormone, helps our body maintain weight, reducing stress levels can lead to weight loss.
This may seem like a lot of work beforehand, but it makes your plan of action less complex and more manageable. Most importantly, it helps you identify specific actions you should take, or what behavior you want to change, at each stage.
Prioritize your tasks
Once you've defined your actions, you'll want to go through your list and arrange the tasks in the order that works best for you. This way, you start with the most important step to make the most impact.
For example, if you have a sedentary job and want to lose weight, getting more active should be the first step. From there, you can add more time to your workout plan. The next step may be to change your diet, such as a salad before dinner to avoid overeating, or replacing soda with regular water.
Plan your tasks
Setting a deadline for your goal is mandatory; it prevents you from postponing the start of your action plan. The key, however, is to be realistic. For example, it is unlikely that you will lose 10 kg in two weeks.
What's more, you should also set a start and end date for each action step you create, as well as a schedule for when you will perform specific tasks. Adding them to your schedule ensures that you are focused on those tasks when they need to happen, without letting anything else distract you. For example, if you schedule your gym time, you will not schedule anything else during that time frame.
You can use a paper calendar or planner, or an online calendar. You can use it to set deadlines or reminders of when to take each step, and can be shared with other people who need to be in the know (like your partner or mentor).
Cross out completed items
You may think you have spent a lot of time creating lists. Not only do they help make your goals a reality, but lists also help organize your action plan, create a sense of urgency, and give you the ability to track your progress. Because lists provide structure, they reduce anxiety - you know exactly what to do and when to do it.
There is also something special about the lists. When you cross a task off your action plan, your brain releases dopamine. This reward makes you feel good and you will want to repeat that feeling.
Revise as needed
Achieving any personal goal is a process. While it would be great if you could achieve your goal overnight, it takes time. You may face setbacks along the way. Instead of getting frustrated and giving up, plan in stages - daily, weekly, and monthly - to see how you progress.
If you are not where you want to be, you may need to change your course of action. Recycle it to achieve the goal you set.
