Be a goal dominator — The first full week of March is Procrastination Week. You can either use this week as an excuse for a much-needed mental break or use it as a motivator to accomplish tasks.
While we have all procrastinated a myriad of times in our lives, it’s important to stay motivated and plan your day (or week, or project) by mapping out a concrete action plan to help you feel more focused and accomplished in less time.
An action plan is a proposed strategy to accomplish your goals. It’s a clear, detailed list of all the steps you need to take to reach your goal, along with a proposed timeline of when you’ll complete each step or task.
This sounds like a lot of work but in the end, it will actually help you achieve your desired goal faster and more efficiently. (We can already feel you wanting to procrastinate!) They are especially helpful to those who know what they need to do but easily get sidetracked.
By breaking down projects into smaller steps, you can ensure that you:
Action plans are good for all sizes of projects and vary in complexity.
Are you convinced you need action plans in your life, yet?
Action plans can be as simple or complex as they need to be. Before you start writing out the steps to reach your goal, you’ll need to identify what that goal actually is.
Get very clear on what it is you want, why it’s important, and when you need it done. Create a SMART Action Plan by incorporating SMART goals into it. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. This framework will help you determine if your goal is realistic, identify what actions are needed to reach your goals, and defines what your success will look like.
Follow these steps to create your plan of action:
Action plans will not only help you achieve your goals and feel accomplished once you’ve accomplished them. Formats for your plan may differ depending on your specific project. As long as you include the goal, the steps, the people involved, and the due dates, you’ll have a solid plan to work with.