If you’re in planning mode for achieving a goal, you may feel overwhelmed by decision fatigue. While every goal is different, meaning there’s no one-size-fits-all approach for this dilemma, there are some general questions you can reflect on for direction. Creating a solid action plan may feel like a tall order, but hopefully these questions will help it feel more manageable for you!
1- How much time do I intend to spend on this goal? Relevant follow-up question: How urgent is this goal for me?
The amount of time you set aside for a goal, as well as its degree of time sensitivity, will influence your action plan for it. For example, a short-term goal of toning your muscles leading up to a social event might have a more rigorous action plan than a long-term goal of prioritizing exercise just for health’s sake, without a specific endgame in mind. The former goal may require more regular workouts, whereas the latter may call for a more lenient regimen.
Your dedication to a certain goal can also come into play here. For instance, the goal of getting back into reading just because it seems enjoyable to you might not go the distance the same way that the goal of pursuing your passion project would. The deeper the reasoning behind pursuing a goal, the more likely it is to stick.
There’s no right or wrong timeframe or level of dedication to a goal. It’s just helpful to determine how important it is to you and whether or not there’s an element of timing at play. In turn, you’ll have a better sense of what types of actions to take and how frequently to do so.
2- What preplanning do I need to do?
As I’ve touched upon in previous posts, including 6 Tips for Achieving Your Goals, we don’t want to put all of our focus into the passive actions, as this prevents us from taking action that really moves the needle. In other words, researching, reflecting, and planning are all necessary, but they shouldn’t make up 75+% of your action-taking indefinitely.
With that being said, of course these steps should be accounted for, as they have their place in the process. When creating your action plan, consider what passive steps you still need to take and how much time to spend on them. Think of these steps as the backdrop to the more active steps. Working on your action plan is actually a perfect example of a passive step! So, of course, give it the time it deserves, but don’t linger on it for TOO long!
3- What key ingredients do I imagine are necessary in achieving this goal?
If you’re having trouble identifying specific actions to take, start by figuring out what general value they should bring to the table. Say that your goal is to attract more customers to your business. You may not know exactly what to do yet in order to make that happen…
…What you might know, though, is that people are more likely to buy from someone they know, like, and trust. With that insight, you can then brainstorm ways to put yourself in that category. Find ways to get your name out there, whether through social media, neighborhood ads, word of mouth, etc. Channel your magnetic, pleasant personality when interacting with potential customers/clients. Show them that you know your industry well, and that you have effective solutions for their problems. These three components alone can each manifest in several different action steps!
There’s no need to plan every little action in advance, but having at least a general recipe for success will help you when you feel stuck. Other examples of key ingredients for any given goal may include perseverance, creativity, initiative, patience, etc. Referring to those key ingredients (which you can make a list of, if need-be) can be helpful in creating your action plan.
4- Where’s a good place to start in terms of more active steps?
Taking the first step that really puts yourself out there is often the most nerve-wracking. Maybe it’s your first day at the gym after months of researching different gyms and eventually choosing one. Maybe it’s starting your first conversation with a virtual stranger for the goal of making new friends. Regardless, there’s nothing wrong with starting small and easing your way into bigger things. Keep in mind, if your first step is a total flop, that’s actually completely normal. In no way should it discourage you from continuing to try. The more you work at it, the better you’ll get! For some much-needed mindset advice on this topic, I’d recommend reading these posts if you haven’t already:
Monthly Mindset Shift: How to Handle Failure with Confidence
Monthly Mindset Shift: Turning Embarrassment into a Positive
Channel Your Bravery With These 5 Mindsets
Ultimately, starting messy is worlds better than not starting at all! Also, taking more frequent action will help you feel less nervous and have greater success!
5- What actions toward this goal do I feel most aligned with?
Creating an action plan that feels authentic to you is key. If you’re compromising your values or doing something that feels forced to you, it probably won’t bring you the results you’re looking for. Even if you do accomplish your on-paper goal, you might ask yourself, was it even worth it? For instance, if you’re looking to develop healthier eating habits, but you value balance and moderation, entirely cutting out all your favorite foods indefinitely (unless medically necessary) probably isn’t going to feel right to you. You can still aim to eat healthier on the whole without completely depriving yourself of your desires long-term. This same concept can be applied to any area of life. Ultimately, your proudest accomplishments won’t come from sacrificing what’s deeply important to you.
6- How will I measure the success of these action steps?
Another way of wording this is, what does success by way of these action steps look like? Maybe there’s a certain metric you’ll be tracking. To name a few examples, followers gained, profit earned, pounds lost, etc.
If your progress comes at a time you’ve been taking numerous different actions, you may not know which action(s) directly contributed to said progress. This can be frustrating, as you don’t know which action(s) to keep taking vs. which one(s) aren’t working. However, sometimes it comes down to a judgment call, based on what makes most sense to you. If possible, use process of elimination to narrow it down.
Another strategy would be to only focus on one action step at a time, as this will demonstrate a clearer correlation between said action and your results at that time. If your goal isn’t time-sensitive, you might prefer this route as a way of gradually experimenting with different approaches and being able to easily identify what works best.
The bottom line…
And there we have it, your guide to designing the most effective action plan for you! Often, achieving our goals requires a lot of trial and error, meaning that you may tweak it along the way. In the meantime, these questions will remain timeless as you go through the process. Happy planning!