In my last blog we discussed breaking through the stop/start pattern and ways to stick to your plan. In this post, we’ll be looking at this more deeply and structuring your plan on getting things done.
More often than not, a lack of plan will have a hugely negative impact on achieving our goals. How do you know where you’re going if you don’t have a map?
This plan in itself can be overwhelming if you’ve not tackled this before, but no need to worry, I’ve broken it down into sections for you below.
Step 1: Brain Dump.
Set some time aside and sit somewhere peaceful with a pen and a notepad or sketchbook and write down everything. Your goals, what you need to do, ideas you may have. Everything. Get it all out onto paper. Remember this is just for you so it doesn’t matter what it looks like (although I know a lot of people who like to make their brain dumps visually appealing by using different colored pens etc.).
Step 2: Organize the information
Create categories (such as ‘Personal’, ‘Family, ‘Work’) organize each thing into these lists. Try to be as specific as you can. You may add more at this time as well as find that one task crosses over into more than one category, I suggest highlighting these particular tasks as you’ll want to prioritize them.
Step 3: Calendar it
Whether this be on a physical or electronic calendar, make a guess as to how much time each task will take and put it into a slot. DO NOT PACK TOO MUCH IN. LEAVE WHITE SPACE. If you are not used to doing this, the propensity is to underestimate how long a thing will take and also to not allow for the unexpected. This results in NOT putting anything into our calendar and is a giant pitfall.
Step 4: Review regularly
Things change so you may have to change your plans. I would recommend a weekly review so you can tweak as necessary. Your business and/or life may warrant other decisions so a regular review will help you stay on top of the continuity and progress. This review also allows you to take stock of your progress, tick things off your list and see how far you’ve come.
Final Bonus: Combatting Fear
Fear is the number one thing that holds us back. We all experience fear in one shape or form, and it prevents us from really achieving what we want to. Sometimes we don’t even notice it is fear that’s the culprit, but distraction, procrastination, and self-sabotage are all forms of fear manifestation.
The very best antidote to fear is to face it!
Recognize the fear when it manifests and admit to yourself this is a form of fear. Then take action. One small action to overcome. If you’re distracted or procrastinating, take a small break to reset then do one thing from your list that will help you on your journey. You’ll be grateful you did.
Don’t look back. Before you know it, you’ll be ‘doing’ it!