Learn how to make a plan to reach your goals in a more effective and productive way with these 7 practical steps.

Every successful goal starts with a good plan. Action plans create an opportunity for personal growth because they set out a means to achieve short- and long-term goals.

Whatever the time frame you’re working with, it’s important to learn how to make a plan so you can prioritize the steps that need to be taken to achieve your goals.

Let’s start at the very beginning. You’re swamped with work like running errands and going to meetings; you feel like you don’t have any spare time. How do you get started when you have to tackle everything?

To help keep you focused on achieving your goals, follow this simple seven-step outline. Practice this and I believe it will help propel you towards the success to which you aspire:

1. Define Your Goals

Research by a psychologist and career coach at Dominican University of California shows that there’s a strong link between setting goals and achieving success. Properly defined goals help trigger new behaviors and help you focus on what’s important to you.

Why is goal-definition important?

Goal-definition is important because it provides direction and purpose in life. When you define goals, you identify what you want to achieve and what you need to do to achieve it. It motivates you to take action, whether it’s in your personal or professional life, and gives you a sense of control over your future.

Goals also help you to see the bigger picture and provide you with a sense of accomplishment once you achieve them.

It is very important to gain clarity on what you want to do as it is an essential part of productivity. It doesn’t matter how fast you move if it’s in a worthless direction. So think about it!

2. Write Your Goals Down

Document your goals to cement them in your mind. Writing them creatively, like in a drawing, activates different parts of your brain to solidify your aims. Articulating your goals visually fuels possibility thinking.

You could use a daily planner which goes above and beyond the normal everyday tasks and appointment reminders. This has a special space for water intake, meal planning, and a little space for your daily doodles..

3. Plan Your Time in Advance

Determine whether or not your goal requires a time commitment. If so, set aside the time in advance instead of waiting for an opportunity to arise. Reserve the appropriate amount of time in your calendar so that other demands have to work around your time commitment, rather than the other way around.

4. Break Your Goals Down into Series of Steps

If you have a big goal in mind, break it down into smaller tasks!

For starters, don't set like a billion goals. Stick to three at most. The fewer goals you have, the easier it will be to accomplish them. it's advisable that you start with just a few realistic ones — meaning, if you've never gone jogging, don't make it your aim to run a marathon right away. Instead, set a goal that's less challenging and easier to achieve, like going for a 30-minute run every day.

5. Use Checklist

Record all of the tasks you work on each day, and then review them at the end of the week to see how much you actually accomplish with your time. You'll probably be surprised by what you find. Sometimes you'll get a pat on the back you didn't know you needed, but often you may find that you're working way less efficiently than you realized.

Make sure your daily to-do lists are manageable and well-structured so you don't feel overwhelmed.

6. Use The 80/20 Rule – Pareto Principle

According to the 80/20 Rule, 20% of your efforts produce 80% of your results. If you think about the Pareto Principle in terms of productivity, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should only work 20% of the time or go into the office one day of the week. It is essential to note the Pareto Principle does not suggest you work less. Instead, when applying the 80/20 Rule to your workday, the Pareto Principle can help you identify the tasks you need to focus on to maximize your time and results.

In other words: work harder on the tasks that matter the most and don’t sweat the small stuff.

How to Apply the 80/20 Rule to Maximize Productivity

So, to apply the Pareto Principle, you’ll need to make a list of all tasks that need to be done to complete the project. Make sure you include everything on this task list. After making a list, consider which tasks will have the most significant impact on the project to give the highest results. Some tasks may seem small, but sometimes the smaller tasks have the most significant effect.

Delegate these high-impact tasks to your team and worry about the other tasks later.

You can apply the same concept to your own to-do list. Identify which tasks will yield maximum results and focus your efforts there.

7. Refine Your Goal

It’s very likely that you’ll need to refine and redefine your goal as you move forward. This agility and ability to keep an open mindset regarding how to meet your goals is what will enable you to achieve long-term success over and again throughout your career. No effective plan is static, and it’s important to think about any challenges or obstacles you may face along the way so you can put together mitigation and backup plans. Your plan should be dynamic and have the ability to evolve with you as circumstances shift.

Key takeaways

Following these steps will help you turn your dreams into reality. Planning is essential to break goals into manageable bites. Define and write down your goals, plan them in advance and break them down to reverse engineer your milestones, deadlines and expectations. Don’t forget to track progress and get support when needed.

If you need help planning or starting your fitness journey, book a free consultation with me

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And remember; failing to plan is planning to fail!

How To Achieve Your Goals in 7 Steps – Planning to Live your Life Your Way