 |
 |
|
Action Plans |
|
|
|
Many goal-setters are
familiar with the concept of "action plans." For those who are not,
action plans are roadmaps or blueprints for accomplishing a goal.
Action plans can range from simple to elaborate, depending on the
nature and complexity of the goal. Fundamentally, an action plan is
a good action plan if, when followed, it provides a reasonable
chance of success given the available timeframe and resources.
myGoals.com has taken the basic concept of "action plans"
and applied a unique goal-setting methodology to it in order to
offer goal-setters powerful, yet easy-to-use, goal-setting software.
Our methodology consists of a simple five-step process for creating
a good plan. When you use myGoals.com's software to create such a
plan, you end up with what we call a GoalPlan®.
Here is a summary of the five steps for creating a good
plan:
Step #1: Identify Your Goal
Clearly
determine what the goal is. Be specific.
- Bad: “To lose weight”
- Good: “To lose 10 pounds in a healthy way”
Step
#2: Identify Your Obstacles
List all the obstacles
standing between you (or your team) and the goal. Identify
resources, assistance, information or anything else that might be
needed to reach the goal. As your writing, don’t get discouraged by
the obstacles– they’re absolutely necessary to help you with the
next step in completing your plan.
Step #3: List
Tasks to Overcome Each Obstacle
Taking each obstacle one
at a time, write one or more ways the obstacle could be overcome.
These are tasks (or action items) that will comprise your to-do
list. Expect to have several tasks per obstacle.
Step
#4: Assign Task Deadlines
Assign a start and completion
date to each task in the plan. It’s ok to be working on several
different tasks at the same time, but don’t overdo it. Be realistic.
Step #5: Set Up Task Reminders or Other
Alerts
Assign a reminder or alert to each task in the
plan to keep you on track. If you're using myGoals.com, you can
specify how often you want to be reminded via email of every task
you've listed in your plan. You can choose to be reminded daily,
weekly, monthly, at random, etc.
Follow Your
Plan
If you use myGoals.com, by the time to you've
completed the five steps above, you will have defined a GoalPlan.
Complete each task in succession. Revisit your GoalPlan often and
make sure to use your reminder system to keep you on track.
Additional Suggestions:
- If your plan is too long or complicated, try breaking it into
several smaller, more manageable plans.
- Don’t rely on luck or things outside your control as part of
your plan.
- Be flexible–expect your plan to change before you complete it.
Circumstances change, unexpected events occur, and your plan
should be updated to adapt to changes. Use planning software such
as myGoals.com to help
construct your plan and modify it regularly.
- Seek the input of others who have expertise in the area or who
have completed a similar goal.
- Reward yourself for partial success as significant milestones
are accomplished.
Tools for Creating and Following Action PlansmyGoals.com
(this Web site) was designed to help people create and manage goals.
Having a viable plan helps keep you on track, avoid procrastination,
and greatly increases the likelihood of success. myGoals.com walks
you through an easy, step-by-step process to create your plan
online. myGoals.com also provides a library of pre-made
GoalPlans® that users can view, adopt, and customize for
individual circumstances. Whether you adopt a pre-made GoalPlan or
use our goal-setting wizard to build your own, we send you email
reminders to keep you on track. This serves as an automatic source
of motivation, reminding you when it's time to get to work on the
next tasks in your plan. With the service, you are always in
complete control of when and how many email reminders you receive;
they are completely optional.
myGoals.com's GoalPlans
and email reminders are extremely effective in creating a viable
plan and keeping you on track. The ability to access your GoalPlans
online makes it easy to check off tasks as you complete them and to
modify your plan as you progress. We encourage people to revise
their GoalPlan and deadlines whenever they determine their obstacles
or priorities have changed.
To learn
more or sign up for a free trial, visit our goal-setting
homepage.
|
| |
|
