How to Develop a Personal Action Plan

Victory

Now more than ever it's important for folks to sit down and come up with a personal action plan. The economy is tanking, people are heavier than ever and we're drowning in debt. We have two choices, we can give up or we can make changes to improve our situation. For those who want to make a change, here are some tips on developing your own personal action plan.

Instructions

1. Determine what you want to accomplish. In other words, set your goal for your personal action plan. Make the goal so clear in your mind that you won't have a problem knowing when you've reached it. Define your goal so that a stranger can read your goal and let you know when you've achieved it. Foggy or unclear goals are confusing and tough to reach.

2. Plan the route by which you intend to achieve the goal. For example, if your goal of your personal action plan is to earn an extra $5,000 per year, decide how you're going to do it. It may take you a little time and thought to figure it out, but it's important to plan. For instance, if you want to earn the additional money through writing content on the internet, find the sites whereby you can earn money and decide how many articles or how much writing you will have to do to reach the goal.

3. Break your plan down into digestible snippets. If you realize that you have to write 300 articles in order to earn an extra $5,000, then break it down into monthly, weekly and daily goals. Writing 5 or 6 articles a week is much more digestible than looking at the 300 article figure.

4. Track your progress and hold yourself accountable. Te best way to see how close you are to where you want to be is to be able to see how much you've done. Track your progress. Keep in mind that there will be unexpected bumps in the road and you need to forgive yourself if you veered off track for a bit. Just remember to get back on track and remember the goal. Don't continue going down the wrong path.

5. Make changes when necessary. If the initial goal in your personal plan was to write 300 for the year to earn an additional $5,000 and the economy tanks and you realize that it will take 400 articles instead, adjust your plan accordingly. Not adjusting your plan will mean that you won't reach the goal you set out for yourself.

6. Review your original goal. Take out your personal action plan every so often and do a reality check. Is your original goal still valid or has it changed? If it has changed, make the appropriate modifications. Always remember to write your goals in such a way that anyone reading your goals can tell if you're on track or not. Always be clear.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, you are developing YOUR personal action plan. Keep it about you. You cannot change those around you; no matter how hard you try. Following your personal action plan may inspire those around you to modify their behavior in a positive way.

Resources

• Achieving Personal Goals: Charting Success with a Personal Goal Log