Many people have made this mistake: they pursued their goals without the right plan. If you want to avoid this pitfall, start reading now.
The New Year has just started. You have set your goals and resolutions. Great. It is also obvious that you need to take action to succeed.
But wait. Have you planned your actions? If not, it is the last moment to do your homework. Otherwise, the New Year will be a disaster.
Today I will teach you how to plan your work on a weekly and monthly basis. You will read about four critical kinds of resources to use wisely, plus what kind of action to take. Are you ready? Transform your life now.
Why is It Important to Plan Your Actions?
No plan simply means chaos. You lose your precious energy to do something but in an inefficient way. Not only you can do less in the short run but also, your resources (more below in this article) will be extinguished quicker.
Warning
If you have not practised planning your actions to achieve your goals, this task may take you time and effort. You need to know the core steps necessary for working on each of your goals.
You will need a journal for planning as well. I assume that you already have one, where your goals and their analysis are written. Having this journal, planning will be a piece of cake.
Nevertheless, if you have not set your goals yet, check out my two previous articles before reading further and don't do the tasks here.
How to Plan in a Smart Way
You cannot plan your action effectively without goals which are SMART, SWOT and benevolent. Check what is important here:
1. Check Your Mission Statement
What do you want you do in your life to fulfil it? If you have never defined your life mission, do it now before moving forward to the next step. Learn more about how to define your mission statement.
2. Check Your Current Goals
To make the task easier, we will focus on yearly, monthly and weekly goals. Remember though that you start with the goals of a longer time span and then break them into baby steps.
Yearly Goals
Browse the goals set in the "My Goals " diary (more details about this diary were two weeks ago) and choose three goals of the most critical importance. ie these having the biggest impact on your life. So you probably start with health and mental health, followed by relationships and wealth.
Quarterly and Monthly Goals
If you have already broken down your yearly goals into quarterly and monthly ones, skip this step and go to the next one. If not, stop here and decide what part of the yearly goal has to be achieved within a quarter and later a month.
Suppose you want to lose 15 kilos a year, plan some kilos per quarter eg. one to two per month.
However, sometimes the work will be the same throughout the year. Example? Working on self-esteem. To make the goal tangible, set some challenges where self-esteem will be necessary (or a couple of them)
Weekly Goals
Weekly goals usually mean doing regular tasks, they are mostly your habits. However, even here you can have goals and deadlines. For example, to prepare part of an email campaign, to lose half a kilo a week, to do four workouts a week.
You can have well-tailored goals but remember that your resources are limited. A day lasts only for twenty-four hours, your energy level has also a limited capacity. The same applies to financial resources available e.g. weekly or monthly. Let me write a bit about four kinds of resources you have:
Time
Look at up to five of your goals. Estimate, honestly, how much time you will need to work on these goals weekly and monthly. Include unforeseen circumstances like your illness, unexpected travel or expenses.
Then look at your daily planner. What time can you work on a given goal in a week/on a given day in a month? Decide where to include your goal in a given week/month. Write it down.
Money and Other Physical Assets
Budgeting is an important skill. If you keep an eye on your finances regularly, either in business or at home, chances are that this step will take you some minutes daily to update the figures.
Now look at each of your goals and assess how pricey they may be. I also mean other assets here, e.g. your computer, which also has limited RAM or hard disc space available. The same applies to your filing cabinet or garage.
People are an indispensable asset. They can help you materialise your plan. Some goals need teamwork, too. Estimate where you have to ask other people for help to complete the project/task. How many people can help you there?
Energy
Your physical, mental and spiritual energy has also limited capacity. Think when you are the most effective while working and plan the toughest task then. Looking at the last month or quarter, you can estimate how much work can be done during an hour, day or week and how fast you can work.
4. Define Your Flaws
We all have personal obstacles - challenges that can sabotage any action. They may result from your current soul plan or the quality of your mental and emotional health. Your flaws can be physical mental, emotional and spiritual.
For example, you can manifest procrastination, lack of motivation, cutting corners while doing the job, being too emotional and petty, and having a feeble body, plus a dirty aura with energy leaks.
5. Define the Ways You Will Work on Your Goals
There are two kinds of actions you take to work towards your goals. These kinds include cultivating appropriate habits and taking one-time actions which are sub-goals and milestones towards your success.
Habits are regular and potentially neverending unless you polish a given skill or achieve a milestone. One-time actions include overcoming challenges and taking steps which do not need to be regular, still, they often are.
Developing and Following the Appropriate Habits
Working on your goals may be a mundane task because you usually have to take some regular steps or leave your comfort zone, taking and overcoming challenges. Let's examine what it means in practice.
Look at each goal and the missing resources, your flaws and weaknesses listed in SWOT. Now think about what you need to learn/change in your life to achieve your goals. Here are some examples:
Losing weight - regular workouts, walking, new eating habits (e.g. no sugar, cutting on wheat and carbs at all, intermittent fast), more and better quality of sleep, proper hydration.
Finding your second half - polishing communication skills by talking to people, working on your self-confidence and assertiveness by practising these skills in your current relationships, changing your slothful habits (e.g messy house)
Better fitness - regular workouts, healthy eating, sleep and hydration.
To make things easier, choose one new habit for each goal, that you commit to cultivate for the next year. So you will have up to ten habits to master.
Making Some Effort in Various Areas of Life
If you do not take the first step, nothing will change. Here are some tasks you need to complete to make progress towards your goals:
Relationships - establishing new connections, making friendly calls, asking for help, having a business lunch,
Career and finance - make more money by shrewd investments, apply for a new job.
Health - joining the gym, buying some supplements, having a checkup.
Mental health - meeting a coach, venting your anger, talking to a friend.
Explore More on Awaken Happy Life
Take each of your goals and list what steps have to be taken to achieve these goals. Start from milestones and then list the necessary skills to master and then add habits which enable it.
6. Prioritise Your Tasks and Habits
You have your rough list for each goal. Now put it in the timeframe and prioritise. To make the task easier, test the items on the list with some questions:
What critical step is necessary to reach this milestone?
What kind of action do I have to take to complete this step?
7. Plan Your Tasks and Habits in Your Calendar
Once you have tested and rearranged the list, prioritise the tasks and habits. Answer these questions:
What is the most important for me right now?
What is the most valuable use of my time to achieve this goal?
How can I polish the skill in the most efficient way?
Then take your calendar and add the tasks and habits to each week, day, and month.
In a Nutshell
Setting and pursuing goals without a smart plan will never work. Review your resources, flaws, challenges and the ways used to work on your goals. Define daily and weekly baby steps plus bigger milestones for each month and quarter. Good luck with planning your success. With all of love and light,
Vicky
About
Vicky is an experienced holistic writer and coach who inspires, motivates, and encourages everyone to become the best version of themselves - physically, mentally, and spiritually.
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The content of Awaken Happy Life is published for educational and informative purposes only. It does not substitute medical or any other professional advice. Please seek professional care if you believe you may have a condition. The author of Awaken Happy Life is not liable for any consequences of applying any piece of advice published on this website by the reader.