How To Plan Your Way Into A New Decade
Earlier this year I wrote a blog post called "Planning is like watering your plants. It's crucial!". That blog post became one of the most popular this whole year! So, I thought that before we end this decade we need to take one step further — and learn how to plan your way into a new decade!
Are you ready?
Let's dig into how to plan this new decade. This new time frame. This new beginning!
I need to start this by asking you a crucial question:
Do you have a goal?
Or is it yet just a vague dream? If it's still just a vague dream, let's see how we can make a SMART goal out of it!
(...Those of you who know me, know that I'm a H U G E fan of so called SMART goals).
Let me give you an example that you might recognize when it comes to
a dream VS a goal:
I can say that I want to visit Italy. I have that on my Bucket List. It seems like a beautiful country, with delicious food and beautiful scenery. This is a dream that I have. The minute I make it a goal, I do it like this:
I will visit Toscany, Rome and Lake Garda in Italy within the end of 2020. To get there, I will take the airplane from A to Z, I will take two weeks off in my business and this will cost me X amount of dollars.
You see:
By making my dream into a goal, it becomes clearer what I need to do (what I need to plan) to reach this goal of mine.
| • | Spesific | (make your goal as spesific as possible) |
| • | Measurable | (is your goal measurable to you? Is it meaningful and motivating?) |
| • | Achievable | (Make your goal achievable. Like me: If I had written that I should visit Italy within January 2020, I would never reach my goal...) |
| • | Realistic | (Is your goal really realistic and relevant? Or is it something you need to do in order to make it realistic?) |
| • | Time bound | (Make a time frame on your goal!) |
I also found this video that will explain to you why it's smart of you to make a SMART goal:
Now that you have your GOAL all set, it's time for your planning!
It's really helpful to go backwards. By that I mean that you should ask yourself THIS ONE question at first:
What do I need to do in order to reach my goal?
I guess it's not just one thing, right? Write down ALL the things you come up with that will keep you on track. Think of this as a brainstorming session.
Then you make your plans...
What do you need to do on an everyday basis to reach that goal? What do you need to do on a weekly basis? On a monthly basis (...and if your goal is further in the future: what do you need to do in 2020 to reach your goal?).
Some of you might be thinking:
Do I really need to write down how I plan to reach my goal?
You are a free person, but I would really encourage you to write it down. I really do.
By writing down both your goal AND your regular planning, it becomes so much easier for you to keep yourself on track, to understand when you need to adjust, and to have that overview and set your intention on where you are going!
So...
Let's make that SMART goal, and do your planning!
2020 is out there waiting for you!
PS: If you want to read the blog post I wrote earlier this year about planning, you will find it right here:
Planning is like watering your plants... It's crucial!
